A Mansion for Murder: A Kate Shackleton Mystery

by Frances Brody

Overview

Old bones speak from the grave as a curse descends on Saltaire in acclaimed author Frances Brody’s thirteenth Kate Shackleton mystery, perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen and Jacqueline Winspear.

When Kate Shackleton disembarks at Saltaire station, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, she has no idea what to expect. A stranger, Ronnie Creswell, has written to say that he has urgent information about the past that will interest her, and he persuades her to make the journey to Milner Field, the grand house that is said to be cursed. But moments after Kate arrives at the lodge, a messenger brings devastating news to Ronnie’s parents: he has been found drowned in the mill reservoir.
 
Ronnie’s father suspects that this was no accident, and the post-mortem proves him right. Ronnie was murdered. Terrified and distraught, Mrs. Creswell refuses to stay at the Lodge a moment longer. But events take an even more shocking turn when ten-year-old Nancy Creswell, eyes and ears for her blind Uncle Nick, goes missing. An account of the fateful Saturday of Ronnie’s death arouses Kate’s suspicions, and furhter investigations could prove her right. But truth is never so straightforward at Milner Field. Uncle Nick spins an old story that could hold the key to finding Nancy alive—though the fabled curse may not have claimed its last victim yet. And only a set of old bones buried on the grounds will finally reveal the horrifying truth.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781643857602
Publisher:	CROOKED LANE BOOKS
Publication date:	03/21/2023
Series:	Kate Shackleton Series , #13
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	123,462
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Frances Brody lives in Leeds where she was born and grew up. After leaving school at 16, she worked and traveled, including a spell in New York. She then won a place at Ruskin College, Oxford, and afterwards studied at York University. Before creating the Kate Shackleton mysteries, Frances wrote historical sagas, winning the HarperCollins Elizabeth Elgin award for most regionally evocative debut saga of the millennium. When not writing or reading, Frances likes to test her less than brilliant map reading skills by walking in the Yorkshire Dales.

Editorial Reviews

01/02/2023

In Brody’s deft 13th mystery featuring private inquiry agent Kate Shackleton (after 2020’s Murder Is in the Air), Ronnie Creswell—a maintenance worker at Yorkshire’s Salts Mill—urges Kate in a July 1930 letter to travel to the village of Saltaire so he can tell her a story about the past. But Ronnie dies in the mill’s reservoir before her arrival, and Kate discovers that the mill’s board chair Arnold Whitaker fears that it may not have been an accident, as Ronnie, who wished to marry Whitaker’s daughter, appears to have been looking into skullduggery threatening Whitaker’s livelihood. With the help of her associate, Jim Sykes, and housekeeper, Mrs. Sugden, Kate learns about potential industrial espionage, the disappearance of valuable silver and of a servant from the reputedly cursed Whitaker mansion, as well as the presence of some mysterious strangers at the mill. The melding of past and present, multifaceted characters, and a winning investigative team combine into a gripping and moving case. Longtime fans and new readers alike will find much to enjoy. Agent: Rebecca Winfield, David Luxton Assoc. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

2023-02-08
A mysterious letter plunges a London detective into a world of myths and murder.

After the death of her husband in World War I, Kate Shackleton started a detective agency with the help of former police officer assistant Jim Sykes and her multitalented housekeeper, Mrs. Sugden. In July 1930, she gets a letter from someone named Ronald Creswell, an up-and-comer at Salts Mill in Yorkshire whose parents work as caretakers at Milner Field, a mansion with a checkered past. He asks Kate to journey to the South Lodge at Milner Field, where his family lives, so he can tell her a story that he thinks will be of interest. Curious, she agrees after doing some research on the town of Saltaire, the mill, and the mansion. Unfortunately, just after she arrives at the Lodge, Ronnie’s friend David Fairburn shows up with the news that he's found Ronnie's body floating in the mill's reservoir. There had been some conflict: Ronnie and Pamela Whitaker, a mill owner’s daughter, had been planning to marry despite opposition from both families. Pamela’s mother is determined that she marry wealthy Kevin Foxcroft, whose family business meshes with their own, though her father had developed a secret fondness for Ronnie. Pamela, who blames her parents’ opposition for Ronnie's death, has moved to her grandmother’s home, but she trusts Kate to find the truth. Mr. Whitaker hires Kate to look into the death, clear Fairburn, get the mansion ready for an auction, and look into industrial espionage at the mill. Accordingly, Mrs. Sugden organizes a cleaning team for the neglected mansion; Sykes looks into possible espionage; and Kate hunts Ronnie’s killer. The ill-fated mansion was built over an Elizabethan manor house with a well reputed to hold the bones of a murdered woman. Past and the present both come under investigation before the truth emerges.

A tale based on historical facts that’s perfect for lovers of classic British mysteries.

Kirkus Reviews

Praise for A Mansion for Murder:
“Longtime fans and new readers alike will find much to enjoy.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Perfect for lovers of classic British mysteries.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“An easy-to-like cast with a thoroughly entertaining, twist-filled plot.”
—Booklist

“In the tradition of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple, Kate is an unflappable sleuth.”
—New York Journal of Books

“Immediately delightful.”
—Portland Book Review, 5-star review

“All the entertainment value of an Agatha Christie novel.”
—Midwest Book Review, audiobook review

“Another fun novel in the series . . . Fans of this series will be happy with this one.”
—Red Carpet Crash

“A British treat for mystery buffs . . . [The] perfect fall/winter read.”
—Wonder Women Sixty

Praise for Murder is in the Air:
“An engrossing look at women's place in society."
—Kirkus Reviews

“Smooth prose and nice local color.”
—Publishers Weekly

“A must-read...Charming, humorous, accurate, and engaging.”
—Seattle Book Review

"[Murder is in the Air has] an atmospheric period backdrop [with] layered interactions [that] give flesh to characters"
—Historical Novel Society

Praise for The Body on the Train:
“This well-told tale is enriched with vignettes of daily life at a time in England...Readers must be on their toes to catch the subtle hints Brody skillfully drops.”
—Publishers Weekly

"The threads are all pulled neatly together by the end."
—Historical Novels Society
 
“Clever and realistic storytelling gives the reader a picturesque look into the dark underground of England in the 1920s.”
—Manhattan Book Review

Praise for A Snapshot of Murder:
“Absolutely captivating.”
—Hank Phillippi Ryan, national bestselling author of Trust Me

“A strong historical-mystery series; perfect for fans of post-WWI detectives, including Maisie Dobbs and Bess Crawford.”
—Booklist

“Well-crafted… Kate is someone readers will want to see a lot more of.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Brody's writing is like her central character Kate Shackleton: witty, acerbic and very, very perceptive.”
—Ann Cleeves, award-winning author of the Vera Stanhope mysteries

 “I lost a day's work because of this novel. I couldn't put it down. Kate Shackleton is a delightful heroine—smart, strong, and independent. Treat yourself to a trip back to 1920s Britain.”
—Elaine Viets, author of Ice Blonde

From the Publisher