Frances Brody's Kate Shackleton series never disappoints. The author captures the 1920s timeline perfectly. That and the artwork on the covers is beautiful. You will want to show Brody's books off on your library's or personal bookshelves. This is book number eight in the series so readers may want to go back to start with book one. In this outing, Private Detective Kate Shackleton planned a vacation at the seaside to visit an old school friend and the visit soon turns into a busman's holiday. With a murder and a disappearance to solve, Kate puts her detecting skills to work. Brody creates a vivid setting for her protagonist and it's a treat to spend time at the English Seaside with this well written mystery that doesn't rely on computers, cell phones or DNA. Pour yourself a cuppa and travel back in time with this enjoyable mystery series. Thank you to Netgalley for an Advanced Reading Copy.

Frances Brody has written a number of entries in her series featuring Kate Shackleton. The books are historical mysteries. I first bought the novels in England and was delighted when they became easily available in the States. Death at the Seaside is the eighth of the titles.

Before reviewing the book, I want to say how much I adore the cover. Each title in the series has an appealing cover that engages the reader. I always want to dip into the books as soon as I see the gorgeous illustrations.

This time Kate is on her way to visit a friend who lives in Whitby, a town that attracts a number of tourists and wants to maintain a good reputation. Soon Kate learns that her friend Alma’ daughter has disappeared. The only clue is a pawn ticket. And…what will happen once the jeweler is found dead?

Of course, Kate becomes involved and readers will follow her through the adventures that she has while solving the case. Long time readers will enjoy spending time with the regulars who assist Kate. New readers will easily be drawn in.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Historical mystery set in 1920's England. Kate Shackleton, lady detective, is on holiday visiting an old school friend when she stumbles across a dead body while confronting some ghosts out of her past. Solving the mystery becomes more personally urgent when Kate discovers that her friend's daughter has disappeared with a man who has 'borrowed' the victim's boat.

Plot line well maintained and brisk.
Characters are fairly engaging, including the supporting characters, which makes me more likely to read another in the series.
Plot was fairly weak in that the suspect was obvious early on (minus one star).. However, I approve of Kate condescendingly butting onto the work of Inspector Charles, as many authors would have had her do. A more deliberate effort was required to explain her activities and the author undertook that more arduous task (thus, the four star rating). It was much more realistic to the reader.
Setting was well described, as was the storm, which I enjoyed.

This is the eighth Kate Shackleton mystery by Frances Brody. Each book in the series is a delight and I recommend the entire series. This book can be read as a stand alone with enough understanding of the characters for any reader to enjoy. This is a series set in British 1920's .
In this next in series Kate is on vacation to Whitby, where she is happy to be
visiting her school friend Alma who works as a fortune teller. Kate had been looking forward to a relaxing seaside vacation, but discovers that Alma's daughter Felicity has disappeared, leaving her mother a note and the pawn ticket for their only asset: a watch-guard.
Kate can't help but become involved. When she makes a horrifying discovery she is more then determined to solve this mystery and find her friends daughter.
Each book in the series is a delight and this next in series is a exciting fun mystery. I highly recommend the entire series.
Thank you for the ARC which did not influence my review

Kate Shackleton has to solve a Death at the Seaside, in 1920's England. Kate finds a jeweler dead in his shop and her friend Alma has been seen with him. Meanwhile Alma's daughter and her boyfriend take to the sea to find her father. They are reported missing. Who is this small seaside town murdered the jeweler? What old romantic relationships are entwined in the murder?

I would actually like to give this book 3.5 stars. It was a charming read, set in the 1920s, with a small-town murder that needs to be solved by a war window and her investigation team. I was interested in reading this book because Murder on the Orient Express is the book that made me fall in love with reading as a kid, so I was drawn to this series that has received so much praise and was set almost 100 years ago. I think I would have been more engaged if I had started this series from the beginning and had a better feel for the characters and their relationships to each other. As a standalone, it was a very quick and easy read, but not a lot of character depth. This is a fantastic rainy day, weekend read. Definitely a cozy mystery without the gore of the current crime novels. I would like to read more from this author, but I will definitely be starting from the beginning.

I received a copy of this title from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

A vacation at the seaside turns into a hunt for a murderer for Kate Shackleton when she stumbles on a body in a jewelry store. The murder coincides with the disappearance of her goddaughter Felicity and a young man from town. Felicity's mother, Alma Turner is a friend of Kate's she knows she must help clear Felicity and find the real killer. There's a subplot of Felicity's missing father, smugglers and much more in this interestingly crafted mystery.

Death at the Seaside is the 8th Kate Shackleton mystery by author Frances Brody. This is the first book of Brody's that I have read. It can easily be read as a stand alone.

I have very happy to have discovered this beautifully written historical mystery series. The series is set in England between the two world wars. Brody's writing style evokes an earlier era and you feel like you are back in time.

I like the character of Kate. The supporting characters are all very interesting as well. The mystery is well developed and I enjoyed the challenge of trying to figure out who had killed the jeweler...plenty of suspects.


I had never heard of the town of Whitby before so I had to look it up . It of course is real and quite fascinating. I discovered this amazing site: http://www.thebooktrail.com/book-trails/death-seaside-kate-shackleton-8/ where you can understand the setting better.

Loved this book! I cannot wait to read more of the Kate Shackleton series. Highly recommend Death at the Seaside.

DEATH AT THE SEASIDE by Frances Brody is number eight in the Kate Shackleton series which is set in the 1920s. In this case, Kate is on holiday and discovers a body within hours of arriving at the seaside village of Whitby. Her school friend, Alma, is a suspect and so is Alma’s adolescent daughter, Felicity, who has run off in an attempt to find her biological father. One of the stronger entries in this series, there are two mysteries for Kate – who committed the murder and where has Felicity gone? Of course, those stories intertwine and Kate's faithful assistants, Jim Sykes and Mrs. Sugden, even take some time from their own vacations to help find answers. Like a day at the beach, this is adventuresome puzzle to savor!

As August is a quiet month as far as business is concerned Kate Shacklteon decides to go on holiday to Whitby, unfortunately for her it doesn't take long before she comes across a body and her holiday turns into a spot of investigating.
An enjoyable easily read mystery with some well-drawn characters set in the 1920's.

Can't recommend, sorry. This book really had potential, but just didn't develop it, or pull it together. I won't be posting reviews.

The Kate Shackleton historical mysteries are a delightful escape from the everyday.  Set in a changing post WWI Britain, the novels draw readers in with their complex characters and well designed plots.

Death at the Seaside drew me in from the beginning. Can you imagine beginning your holiday, stepping into a shop and finding the owner murdered? That is exactly what happens to Kate when she goes to visit her friend Alma in Whitby.  The situation is further complicated by the disappearance of Kate’s goddaughter and her friend Alma’s romantic aspirations.  She doesn't want to intrude on the investigation, but as the local constable suspects her and Alma is being less than forthcoming she has little choice.

Brody has a way of making you feel for her characters. Alma, though innocent of murder is definitely frustrating.  Unlike in many cozies, Kate has to work hard to overcome various individuals’ reluctance to speak. In fact Mrs Sugden and Sykes each are valuable because their different approaches reap different information.  They make a good team - and a believable group of investigators.  Death at the Seaside, as well as Brody’s other mysteries, is good in part because it  believably captures the feel of 1920s Britain, its people and its changing culture.

4 / 5

I received a copy of Death at the Seaside from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

--Crittermom

Death at the Seaside, the 8th entry for author Frances Brody's Kate Shackleton is another wonderful English cozy set in the interwar period. I have followed this series from the beginning and really look forward to each book.

This book has Kate on holiday visiting her school friend Alma. The trip is poignant for Kate because she and her late husband had a shared history in Whitby, the seaside town in which Alma lives. On a whim, Kate decides to go into the jeweler's to look at a bracelet as a gift for her goddaughter, Alma's daughter. She finds one murdered jeweler instead.

The book is entertaining, well written, and full of old and new treachery. There are too many motives for murder and deceit and nobody seems to be telling the truth.

At 400 pages for the Kindle edition, there's enough room for masterful plot and character development but the pacing never slows or stalls in the slightest. I really enjoyed reading this book and recommend it (and the series) very highly.

The secondary characters, including her sometimes associate, former policeman Jim Sykes, and her estranged former love interest, Marcus, are very well written and believable.

This book, indeed the series, is a very worthy addition to English interwar cozies, and goes on the shelf in my library next to Maisie Dobbs, Daisy Dalrymple, Amory Ames & co. Classic, smart and relaxing reading with strong intelligent female characters.

Thank you very much for allowing me to read this title. As a Carnegie/Greenaway judge, I'm not allowed to comment about my opinions on specific titles (even ones published as adult fiction) so I can't offer an individual review on any title as I stated on my profile.
Netgalley now requires a star rating so I am giving all titles 5 stars so as not to disadvantage any title but this does not imply any recommendation of the book above any other.

3.75 stars

Kate Shackleton is a unique main character. A post World War I English widow, she is quite successful at ferreting out hidden truths, and does discreet investigations on the side.

In this outing, she goes to visit an old school friend and her goddaughter and almost immediately trips over a dead body. Kate is briefly under suspicion herself, but the appearance of Inspector Marcus Charles clears her. But her old friend Alma needs her help: her daughter Felicity has disappeared, her hoped for suitor has been murdered, and her so-called husband turns out to be a con man, a bigamist and quite possibly, a smuggler.

Marcus and Kate have unfinished business of their own, providing yet another difficulty for the investigation. Kate's independence and insights are always enjoyable.

I was given an ARC via Net Galley in return for my honest review.

Mrs. Kate Shackleton takes a much needed holiday from her inquiry business to the seaside town of Whitby to visit an old school friend and re-visit the place she met her husband. When she arrives memories of her husband before his death in the war overcome her, she visits the jewelers where they purchased her wedding rings and she finds the jeweler Mr. Phillips deceased.
Upon notifying the police she becomes a prime suspect because the jeweler is a rumored bounder and has been trifling with Kate's school friend, Alma.
After spending a night in jail Kate calls on her employee's for help investigating the murder to clear her name and the keep her friend Alma out of hot water.
Set in 1920's England after the first World War and influenza outbreak, society is trying to recover from sad and difficult circumstances. It provides and interesting back drop for the framing of the mysteries and the characters.

Post World War I female sleuths seem to have become a subgenre all their their own, especially with 2017 being the centennial of the Great War. Kate Shackleton is among the front of this pack, an admirable, accessible heroine.

Death at the Seaside is set in the town of Whitby, where Kate is visiting an old school friend, Alma, who makes a living as a "prophetess" and Alma's daughter, Felicity, Kate's goddaughter. Kate, being Kate, stumbles upon the obviously murdered body of a jeweler from whom she and her MIA husband had purchased her engagement rings many years before.

There are a plethora of suspects in a town whose occupants make a poor secret of their whiskey smuggling, and even Kate herself winds up spending a night in a jail cell. Fortunately, Mr. Sykes and Mrs. Sugden are brought in to help with the investigation.

While Kate remains endearing (in fact, I would have liked to have seen more of her in this book), I gave this series entry four stars because I found Alma and Felicity to be self-absorbed and vapid--difficult to care about, let alone like. While we are given reasons for her sense of obligation, it is still a little difficult to understand why Kate becomes so involved.

I look forward to Kate's next adventure and more of the detective herself as well as her supportive crew--and, potentially, an old love interest who made his unexpected return in this book.

Full Disclosure--Net Gallery and the publisher provided me with a digital ARC of this book. This is my honest review.