Kate Shackleton Books

The first mystery in the bestselling Kate Shackleton crime series! A Golden Age murder mystery set in 1920s Yorkshire, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, T E Kinsey and Verity Bright. Take one quiet Yorkshire Village, add a measure of mystery, a sprinkling of scandal and Kate Shackleton - amateur sleuth extraordinaire! Bridgestead is a quiet village: a babbling brook, rolling hills and a working mill at its heart. Pretty and remote, nothing exceptional happens, except for the day when Joshua Braithwaite, goes missing in dramatic circumstances, never to be heard of again. Now Joshua''s daughter is getting married and wants one last attempt at finding her father. Has he run off with his mistress, or was he murdered for his mounting coffers? Kate Shackleton has always loved solving puzzles. So who better to get to the bottom of Joshua''s mysterious disappearance? But as Kate taps into the lives of the Bridgestead dwellers, she opens cracks that some would kill to keep closed . . . Praise for Frances Brody: ''Frances Brody has made it to the top rank of crime writers'' DAILY MAIL ''Brody''s writing is like her central character Kate Shackleton: witty, acerbic and very, very perceptive'' ANN CLEEVES ''Kate Shackleton is a splendid heroine'' ANN GRANGER ''Delightful'' PEOPLE''S FRIEND ''Brody''s excellent mystery splendidly captures the conflicts and attitudes of the time with well-developed characters'' RT BOOK REVIEWS ''Kate Shackleton joins Jacqueline Winspear''s Maisie Dobbs in a subgroup of young, female amateur detectives who survived and were matured by their wartime experiences'' LITERARY REVIEW

"Kate Shackleton joins Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs… They make excellent heroines." -- Literary Review Frances Brody's "refreshingly complex heroine" ( Kirkus Reviews ), picks up a case that takes her to the refined streets of 1920s Harrogate in A Medal for Murder A pawn-shop robbery It's no rest for the wicked as Kate Shackleton picks up her second professional sleuthing case. But exposing the culprit of a pawn-shop robbery turns sinister when her investigation takes her to Harrogate in Yorkshire, England - and murder is only one step behind ... A fatal stabbing A night at the theatre should have been just what the doctor ordered, until Kate stumbles across a body in the doorway. The knife sticking out of its chest definitely suggests a killer in the theatre's midst. A ransom demand Kate likes nothing better than a mystery - and nothing better than solving them. So when a ransom note demands £1,000 for the safe return of the play's leading lady, the refined streets of Harrogate play host to Kate's skills in piecing together clues - and luring criminals out of their lairs…

''Frances Brody has made it to the top rank of crime writers'' Daily Mail Dead one minute Young Harriet and her brother Austin have always been scared of the quarry where their stone mason father works. So when they find him dead on the cold ground, they scarper quick smart and look for some help. Alive the next? When help arrives, however, the quarry is deserted and there is no sign of the body. Were the children mistaken? Is their father not dead? Did he simply get up and run away? A sinister disappearing act... It seems like another unusual case requiring the expertise of Kate Shackleton. But for Kate this is one case where surprising family ties makes it her most dangerous - and delicate - yet... Praise for the Kate Shackleton series: '' Brody''s writing is like her central character Kate Shackleton: witty, acerbic and very, very perceptive'' Ann Cleeves ''The series is right up there with Miss Marple'' Sunday Sport ''Kate Shackleton is a splendid heroine'' Ann Granger ''Delightful'' People''s Friend ''Frances Brody matches a heroine of free and independent spirit with a vivid evocation of time and place . . . a novel to cherish'' Daily Mail

A Library Journal Best Book of 2014 A winning combination of both intricate plotting and nostalgic post-WWI English country setting, Frances Brody's A Woman Unknown will appeal to fans of both classic murder mysteries in the vein of Agatha Christie as well as readers of historical mystery series set in 1920s England, two popular subgenres. The Woman Unknown: Deirdre Fitzpatrick is married to a man who wants to know where she really goes when supposedly taking care of her sick mother and calls on the expertise of Kate Shackleton, amateur sleuth extraordinaire to investigate. The Gentleman: Everett Runcie is a banker facing ruin and disgrace. His American heiress wife will no longer pay for his mistakes, or tolerate his infidelity, and is seeking a divorce. The Murder: When a chambermaid enters Runcie's hotel room, she is shocked to find that he is alone - and dead! Suddenly Kate is thrown into the depths of an altogether more sinister investigation. Can she uncover the truth of her most complex, and personal, case to date?

A Maharajah on the Moors When the India Office seeks help in finding Maharajah Narayan, they call upon the expertise of renowned amateur detective Kate Shackleton to investigate. A Priceless Jewel But soon a missing persons case turns into murder. Shot through the heart, Narayan's body has obviously not been in the woods overnight. Who brought it here, and from where? And what happened to the hugely valuable diamond that was in the Maharajah's possession? An Inexplicable Murder . . . Kate soon discovers that vengeance takes many forms. Was the Maharajah's sacrilegious act of shooting a white doe to blame? Or are growing rumors of a political motive too powerful for Kate to discount? Frances Brody's Kate Shackleton returns in Murder on a Summer's Day with another mystery that's sure to "hold the reader attention and make them continue reading into the small hours of the night" ( York Press , UK).

An intricate plot set in the 1920s English countryside and Frances Brody's "refreshingly complex heroine" ( Kirkus ) Kate Shackleton make Death of an Avid Reader an absorbing 6th installment in this mystery series. The Search for a Daughter Lady Coulton gave up the baby that would have ruined her marriage, born when Lord Coulton was abroad. Now that her husband is dying, she asks Kate to find Sophia. A Haunted Library It is forty years since the ghost of a dead librarian haunted the old library, yet the stories have begun again. Kate does not believe in ghosts but obligingly takes part in a ceremony to expel the restless spirit. Shockingly, there is a body in the basement, strangled, and covered in dusty volumes from a fallen bookcase. It is Dr. Potter, a mathematician. A Killer on the Loose Dr. Potter’s body is taken away. The police find a sick man sheltering in the basement. He is an Italian, Umberto, an organ grinder and owner of a lively Capuchin monkey. Umberto becomes the prime suspect and will be charged with murder. Kate goes with Umberto to the infirmary. But he is too weak to be a suspect. And now Kate must set out to find the real culprit...

An intricate plot set in the 1920s English countryside and Frances Brody's "refreshingly complex heroine" (Kirkus) Kate Shackleton make A Death in the Dales an absorbing 7th installment in this traditional British cozy mystery. A murder most foul When the landlord of a Yorkshire tavern is killed in plain sight, Freda Simonson, the only witness to the crime, becomes plagued with guilt, believing the wrong man has been convicted. Following her death, it seems that the truth will never be uncovered in the peaceful village of Langcliffe... A village of secrets But it just so happens that Freda’s nephew is courting the renowned amateur sleuth Kate Shackleton, who decides to holiday in Langcliffe with her indomitable teenage niece, Harriet. When Harriet strikes up a friendship with a local girl whose young brother is missing, the search leads Kate to uncover another suspicious death, not to mention an illicit affair. The case of a lifetime As the present mysteries merge with the past’s mistakes, Kate is thrust into the secrets that Freda left behind and realizes that this courageous woman has entrusted her with solving a murder from beyond the grave. It soon becomes clear to her that nothing in Langcliffe is quite as it appears, and with a murderer on the loose and an ever-growing roster of suspects, this isn’t the holiday Kate was expecting... Frances Brody's Kate Shackleton returns in A Death in the Dales with another mystery that's sure to "hold the reader attention and make them continue reading into the small hours of the night" ( York Press , UK).

Death at the Seaside (Kate Shackleton Mysteries) [Paperback] Frances Brody

France Brody captures the atmosphere and language of 1920s England while delivering a captivating plot in the ninth book of this traditional cozy mystery series featuring private investigator Kate Shackleton. Yorkshire, 1927. Eclipse fever grips the nation, and when beloved theatre star Selina Fellini approaches trusted sleuth Kate Shackleton to accompany her to a viewing party on the grounds of Giggleswick School Chapel, Kate suspects an ulterior motive. During the eclipse, Selina's friend and co-star Billy Moffatt disappears and is later found dead in the chapel grounds. Kate can't help but dig deeper and soon learns that two other members of the theatre troupe died in similarly mysterious circumstances in the past year. With the help of Jim Sykes and Mrs Sugden, Kate sets about investigating the deaths -and whether there is a murderer in the company. When Selina's elusive husband Jarrod– who was injured in the war and is subject to violent mood swings―comes back on the scene, Kate begins to imagine something far deadlier at play, and wonders just who will be next to pay the ultimate price for fame.

'Frances Brody has made it to the top rank of crime writers' Daily Mail Taking the perfect photograph can be murder . . . Yorkshire, 1928. Indomitable sleuth Kate Shackleton is taking a well-deserved break from her detective work and indulging in her other passion: photography. When her local Photographic Society proposes an outing, Kate jumps at the chance to visit Haworth and Stanbury, in the heart of Bronte country, the setting for Wuthering Heights. But when an obnoxious member of their party is murdered, the group is thrown into disarray. Is the murderer amongst them, or did the loud-mouthed Tobias have more enemies than they might have imagined? Armed with her wit and wiles, and of course her trusty camera, it's up to Kate to crack the case, and get that perfect shot too . . . Praise for Frances Brody's Kate Shackleton series: 'The series is right up there with Miss Marple' Sunday Sport 'Delightful' People's Friend 'Frances Brody matches a heroine of free and independent spirit with a vivid evocation of time and place . . . a novel to cherish' Barry Turner, Daily Mail 'Brody's excellent mystery splendidly captures the conflicts and attitudes of the time with well-developed characters' RT Book Reviews 'Kate Shackleton is a splendid heroine' Ann Granger 'Kate Shackleton joins Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs in a subgroup of young, female amateur detectives who survived and were matured by their wartime experiences. As self-reliant women in a society that still regards them a second-class citizens, they make excellent heroines' Literary Review 'Frances Brody skilfully holds our attention, making us want to read on and then look forward to the next Kate Shackleton mystery' Gazette & Herald 'Kate Shackleton is a delightful leading character. The flavour of post First World War England is beautifully portrayed. An enjoyable and gripping mystery story' CrimeSquad.com 'The author keeps us highly entertained with an interesting and exciting plot, impeccably researched, and a style of writing that has the reader turning the pages eagerly to discover the truth of the mystery. Francis Brody is fast becoming "the queen of light crime fiction"' Gazette & Herald 'This is whimsical, colourful stuff and readers will warm to the entrepreneurial yet fragile Kate' Take a Break 'Refreshing and highly entertaining, especially for the winter nights' Gazette & Herald 'Delightful . . . the series is right up there with Miss Marple and t

Frances Brody's eleventh Kate Shackleton mystery is sure to delight readers of Rhys Bowen and Jacqueline Winspear. Two murders. A one-way ticket to trouble. And it's up to Kate to derail the killer. London, 1929. In the darkness before dawn, a railway porter, unloading a special train from Yorkshire, discovers a man's body, shot and placed in a sack. There are no means of identification to be found and as Scotland Yard hits a dead end, they call on the inimitable Kate Shackleton, a local sleuth, confident her local knowledge and investigative skills will produce results. But it's no easy task. Suspicion of political intrigue and fears of unrest in the Yorkshire coalfields, impose secrecy on her already difficult task. The murder of a shopkeeper, around the same time, seems too much of a coincidence. The convicted felon was found with blood on his hands, but it's too tidy and Kate becomes convinced the police have the wrong man. By then it's too late. Kate finds herself in a den of vipers. The real killer is still at large, and having tinkered with Kate's car, nearly causes her to crash. Not only that, but Scotland Yard has turned their back on her. As Kate edges toward the shocking truth, she's going to need all the strength and resourcefulness she can muster to uncover this sinister web of deceit.

Frances Brody's twelfth Kate Shackleton mystery will positively intoxicate fans of Jacqueline Winspear and Nicola Upson. A competition for the crown proves deadly when confidences are betrayed and secrets are spilled. North Yorkshire, 1930. It's the season for warm and spirited countryside celebrations. Ever since the war, pubs have been in the doldrums, and in an attempt to promote and breathe new life back into the business, brewers select a charismatic employee as local queen--to be the face of their industry. And this year's queen, wages clerk Ruth Parnaby, has invited the ever intrepid Kate Shackleton and her niece Harriet to accompany her on public engagements at a garden party thrown in her honor. But when Ruth leads children to the stables for pony rides, the drayman is missing, later found in the last place imaginable--the fermentation room, deceased. What looked to be a simple case of asphyxiation in the dangerous fermentation room is quickly clarified by the pathologist as murder--the drayman was already dead before he was taken into the room. Someone was looking to cover it up. The horse dealer who sold the pony to the drayman comes under suspicion, but more and more Ruth's nasty father, Slater Parnaby's strong motive to dissuade his daughter from any festivities lingers in Kate's mind, despite his having an alibi. The case is muddy, at best, and it's going to take Kate at her keenest to decipher the truth.

See how private investigator Kate Shackleton got her start in this 1920s cozy mystery novella for fans of historical British mysteries by Jacqueline Winspear and Nicola Upson! Yorkshire, 1921 . Kate Shackleton is having tea with her friend, Doris, who is visiting from London. In the lovely setting of Harrogate's premier tearoom, violence is the furthest thing from anyone's mind. But when Doris is attacked by a mystery assailant, it's up to Kate to find out why - and in doing so, she soon develops a taste for detective-work. In this exciting historical cozy mystery novella, Kate Shackleton—a heroine ahead of her time—becomes Yorkshire most tireless private investigator.

1930, Yorkshire. Intrigued by a mysterious letter from a stranger offering important information, Private Investigator Kate Shackleton arrives in the mill village of Saltaire. At nearby Milner Field mansion, overshadowed by its reputation for misfortune and untimely deaths, she expects to meet the letter writer, Ronnie Creswell.Kate soon hears the shocking news that Ronnie has been killed. At first his death appears to be a tragic accident at the mill, but soon it becomes clear that Ronnie's demise was no mishap. Kate is enlisted to help investigate the murder.Kate moves into the tower rooms at Milner Field, as she tries to uncover resentments, industrial espionage, and old secrets in the close-knit village. Although she doesn't believe in curses, she wonders what sinister truth lies behind this latest in the litany of deaths connected to the infamous Milner Field.Then just when things couldn't get any worse, a young girl in the village goes missing, and Kate must use all her strength and skill to unravel the mystery around the mansion once and for all . . .