Frances Brody

These Kate Shackleton stories get better and better. The characters are fleshed out and enjoyable. The plotting is clever and full of twists and turns. And there's just enough droll British humour to keep me smiling.

The leisurely pacing and some unnecessary side characters made this otherwise perfectly enjoyable book hard to get through. That said, I’ll probably read the others in the series. Not a cozy mystery but not gruesome either, it hit the right notes .

I’d give this 4 stars except for my difficulty in keeping track of all the characters, exacerbated by a tendency to switch between Christian and Surnames. Otherwise, Brody’s a comfortable read. Well drawn characters and settings, both in place and era. The plot is complex enough to satisfy, right to the resolution.

Ms Brody gets better with each book. In this third in the series, Brody skilfully combines her protagonist’s life, past and present, with a well-plotted murder story with just enough red herrings and twists to keep the pages turning. Very entertaining.