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Private investigator Kate Shackleton returns to solve another mystery in DEATH OF AN AVID READER. As with the previous books in this series set in post-WWI England, this novel thoroughly evokes time and place and presents the reader with a delightful, somewhat complicated heroine, an interesting plot, and memorable characters.
To begin, Lady Coulton summons Kate to London and asks her to find the illegitimate daughter Lady Coulton had to give up during the war. Searching for Sophia Mary Ann leads Kate and Sykes first to Scarborough, then to a series of dead-ends that wind up in a haunted library in Leeds. While trying to rid the library of its ghost, Kate finds the body of her acquaintance Dr. Potter, a brilliant mathematician, who has been strangled. Lying next to him is a dying organ grinder who, being the only other person there, quickly becomes the prime suspect—against Kate's strong recommendation. When she gets home, Kate discovers the organ grinder's monkey has hitched a ride, and Kate finds herself caring for both the man and his monkey, all while trying to discover who really killed Dr. Potter and still trying to track down Sophia Mary Ann.
Frances Brody does a nice job of twisting plot lines and keeping the reader guessing. When some discoveries and solutions seem a bit too coincidental—both to the reader and to Kate—Brody turns events again to keep things interesting. Overall, it's an intriguing plot with a number of sidetracking subplots full of red herrings and likeable (mostly) characters, but what truly sets this series apart is Brody's deft handling of details that do such a good job of evoking time and place. From choking fog to trams and the slap of fish at a fishmonger's as well as references to the just-past war and how it affected the lives of all the characters, every description and scene gives the reader a real sense of being with Kate on her adventures. Kate, too, continues to develop as the series goes along, and in DEATH OF AN AVID READER, we see a bit of her wartime nursing experience come into play, as well as her courage to stand up for what she feels is right, even when that means putting herself in dangerous and or "unsuitable" situations.
Overall, DEATH OF AN AVID READER is a satisfying way to spend a weekend, whether you've read the other books in the series or not. If you have read the previous books, the primary bonus is getting to know Kate better—and looking forward to learning more of her in future installments.
§ Meredith Frazier, a writer with a background in English literature, lives in Dallas, Texas
Reviewed by Meredith Frazier, October 2016
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