MURDER ON A SUMMER'S DAY
BY
FRANCES BRODY
Publisher -- Piatkus Books
Published -- 3 Oct 2013
Pages -- 397
Genre -- Cozy Historical Mystery
Blurb: When amateur sleuth detective Kate Shackleton receives a dawn telephone call from her cousin James, his news soon snaps Kate into wakefulness. The India Office seek her on-the-spot help in finding a Maharajah, last seen on the Bolton Abbey estate. He has with him a hugely valuable diamond. Investigative successes and good family connections put Kate in the highly trusted category. Perceived as 'establishment', Kate feels an outsider in her sympathies. One thing she is sure of: her own skills and insights. Qualities that she is sure will help her unravel the latest disappearance on that fateful summer's day ...
My Thoughts: What a delight to be back in the company of First World War widow and amateur sleuth Kate Shackleton in this tale of murdered Maharajahs, a feisty fiance, a missing diamond and royal rivalries all in the heart of the beautiful Yorkshire countryside.
This is the 5th book in the series -- I've read and enjoyed the first two -- Dying in the Wool and A Medal for Murder.
Tasked with finding a missing Maharajah, Kate is the perfect person to question people without them realising they're being questioned, she draws people out, they trust her and she's very persistent. She's an extremely likeable heroine and I enjoy the way she thinks things out carefully and deliberately.
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| A Maharajah |
While out shooting the Maharajah had shot and killed a white doe, an act of sacrilege in this superstitious village and some people were not surprised when he was found dead, but who was the killer and why would anyone want him dead?
Frances Brody's delightful writing brings the era of the 1920's to life, the plot was entertaining with some twists and turns and suspects aplenty. I did not guess the killer's identity.
Even though I haven't read all the books in this series I still found it easy to follow Kate's progress and mentions are made throughout the book to Kate's situation so I think this could be read on its own.
Where to find Frances Brody:
Twitter: @FrancesBrody
Website: http://www.frances-brody.com/
There's an interesting article by Frances on Kate Shackleton's adventures here
The 6th book in the series -- Death of an Avid Reader is published in the UK on 2 October 2014.
Source: From the author in exchange for a fair and honest review
Cozy mysteries are my come back to genre. I just love them. Many of what I read are historical. Thanks for the review.
ReplyDelete-Flirting with Fiction
Hi Stephanie, yes I'd agree with you there, there's something about them that makes me feel that all is right in the world when a cozy mystery is solved!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by. I hope you get the chance to read this or any in the series sometime.