Description (from cover):'An intricate plot in the post-WWI English countryside and Frances Brody's 'refreshingly complex heroine' (Kirkus) combine in Murder in the Afternoon, an absorbing mystery.
Dead one minute...
Young Harriet and her brother Austen have always been scared of the quarry where their stone mason father works. So when they find him dead on the cold ground, they rush off quickly to 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--and Mary Jane, the children's mother, is adamant that only she can help. But Mary Jane is hiding something--a secret from Kate's past that raises the stakes and puts both Kate and her family at risk.'
My thoughts:
I discovered this series a couple of years ago as it was recommended to me because I enjoyed the Maisie Dobb's series. I am so glad that I found something similar, yet different at the same time to enjoy. Kate Shackleton's character reminds me somewhat of Maisie Dobbs, but at the same time, she is her own character and not someone that the reader will not enjoy. She is smart, sassy and clever and she uses these talents to help solve mysteries. However, this mystery hits Kate a little too close to home and it is interesting how the author shows us a side of the character that we haven't seen before.
Kate is woken up in the middle of the night by Mary Jane, whose husband has gone missing. Kate opens the door to Mary Jane and listens to her story not knowing what the impact will have on her own life. Kate cannot refuse to help Mary Jane and is soon tramping across the English countryside to discover just what happened to Mary Jane's husband. She encounters Mary Jane's children and builds a relationship with them that spurs her to action. Kate must learn to separate her heart and her mind in this mystery in order to stay one step ahead of the game.
This was a nice little cozy read that kept me immensely entertained. I have really come to enjoy this series in its own right and have really stopped myself from comparing it to the Maisie Dobbs series. They are very similar, but the characters are the main difference. The author has created a mystery series that has intrigued me and one that I will stick with. Can't wait to read the next installment in the Kate Shackleton mystery series and find out what she gets herself into next.
Overall Rating: 4.5
Title: Murder in the Afternoon
Author: Frances Brody
Series: Kate Shackleton Mystery #3
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: February 11, 2014
Pages: 400
Genre: Historical Mystery
Get It: Amazon; Barnes & Noble
Disclaimer: This book was selected from the library by myself and I reviewed this book without compensation of any kind. All thoughts and opinions are solely mine.
