Blog Tour: Death at the Seaside by Frances Brody

I would like to thank the publisher for an arc copy of this book in return for a honest review as part of the blog tour.

Nothing ever happens in August, and tenacious sleuth Kate Shackleton feels like she deserves a break. Heading off for a long-overdue holiday to Whitby, she visits her school friend Alma who works as a fortune teller there.

Kate had been looking forward to a relaxing seaside sojourn, but upon arrival discovers that Alma’s daughter Felicity has disappeared, leaving her mother a note and the pawn ticket for their only asset: a watch-guard. What makes this more intriguing is the jeweller who advanced Felicity the thirty shillings is Jack Phillips, Alma’s current gentleman friend.

Kate can’t help but become involved, and goes to the jeweller’s shop to get some answers. When she makes a horrifying discovery in the back room, it soon becomes clear that her services are needed. Met by a wall of silence by town officials, keen to maintain Whitby’s idyllic façade, it’s up to Kate – ably assisted by Jim Sykes and Mrs Sugden – to discover the truth behind Felicity’s disappearance.

And they say nothing happens in August . . .

This is the first book that I have read by this author and I had no idea what to expect.  Very soon after starting the book, I found myself falling into the story and becoming a part of it.  Death at the Seaside is so very well written that it was as if the author was sitting next to me, relaying the story to me herself.  I was blow away with this book, because despite being a crime novel, it is so warm and inviting.  

I adored the relationships between the characters and how engaging each character is.  The author has the ability to really make the reader fall in love with the characters and their ways.  Even though there was a crime committed in the novel, the story focuses more on the characters than the actual crime itself.  In saying that, there is still a great air of mystery and 'who dunnit' about the book.

This is a crime novel like I have never read before, and although it is part of a series, it can also be enjoyed as a stand alone.  I didn't feel as though I had come in in the middle of a story, like in some series' I have read in the past.  This is such a light pleasant read, and I couldn't have enjoyed it more.  I can't wait to go back to the start of this series and enjoy each book.  I can't recommend this book enough.

Frances Brody is the author of the Kate Shackleton mysteries, as well as many stories and plays for BBC Radio, scripts for television and four sagas, one of which won the HarperCollins Elizabeth Elgin Award. Her stage plays have been toured by several theatre companies and produced at Manchester Library Theatre, the Gate and Nottingham Playhouse, and Jehad was nominated for a Time Out Award.