A lady with a secret Kate Shackleton's sterling reputation for courageous sleuthing attracts the attention of the venerable Lady Coulton. Hidden in her past is a daughter, born out of wedlock and given up to a different family. Now, Lady Coulton is determined to find her and puts Kate on the case. A mysterious killing in the library's basement But as Kate delves deeper into Lady Coulton's past, she soon finds herself thrust into a scandal much closer to home. When the body of the respected Horatio Potter is found in the Leeds Library basement, the quiet literary community is suddenly turned upside down with suspicions, accusations and - much to Kate's surprise - the appearance of a particularly intelligent Capuchin monkey! The most puzzling case in Kate's sleuthing history yet Convinced an innocent man has been blamed, Kate sets out to discover the truth. Who would want Dr Potter dead? Does Lady Coulton's missing daughter hold a vital clue? As the stories start to emerge in the seemingly quiet Leeds Library, Kate is learning fast that in this case, she can't judge a book by its cover ...I love a good crime read, with favourite authors including Michael Connelly, so when I was invited by the publicist to try a little cosy crime I was left wondering what would arrive.
When Death of an Avid Reader landed on my doorstop I was immediately intrigued and it went to the top of my reading pile. I enjoyed the book, it was a good historical fiction read, with a crime committed and the subsequent enquiry - I would place it among the Agatha Raisin style books but with hints of Miss Marple. It was not as violent as Michael Connelly books can be but was a nice evening read, when winding down from the day job.
I loved Brody's writing style and especially her character creations - they are fun characters with depth and relevance. The writing of the crime threw in a number of red herrings meaning I was pleasantly shocked by the reveal at the end, I did not guess the accused, something which is often not the case in many crime novels. The setting of scenes was fantastically written.
This is the sixth book in the series by Brody but I think each can be read as a standalone novel with no problem for the reader.
Thank you to the publishers, Piaktus, for sending me the book to review and to be part of this blog tour.
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