I’m over the moon to be sharing my review today as part of the blog tour for Death In The Stars by Frances Brody, A Kate Shackleton mystery. My thanks go to Piatkus Books for the copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
Yorkshire, 1927. Eclipse fever grips the nation, and when beloved theatre star Selina Fellini approaches trusted sleuth Kate Shackleton to accompany her to a viewing party at Giggleswick School Chapel, Kate suspects an ulterior motive.
During the eclipse, Selina’s friend and co-star Billy Moffatt disappears and is later found dead in the chapel grounds. Kate can’t help but dig deeper and soon learns that two other members of the theatre troupe died in similarly mysterious circumstances in the past year. With the help of Jim Sykes and Mrs Sugden, Kate sets about investigating the deaths – and whether there is a murderer in the company.
When Selina’s elusive husband Jarrod, injured in the war and subject to violent mood swings, comes back on the scene, Kate begins to imagine something far deadlier at play, and wonders just who will be next to pay the ultimate price for fame . . .
Death In The stars will be released 5th October 2017 and will be available to pre-order or purchase from the following – Amazon UK | Amazon US | Piatkus Books
MY REVIEW
After being introduced to Kate Shackleton in Death At The Seaside, book number eight I was super excited to hear she was back in a new mystery.
In Death in the Stars Kate is called upon to help theatre star Selina Fellini travel to Giggleswick school to view the upcoming eclipse. Selina has fears something terrible is going to happen and asks Kate to chaperone herself and colleague Billy Moffatt, very vague is Selina about the circumstances to her fears, Kate obliges but can’t help feeling there’s more to it than Selina is letting on.
As soon I picked up Death in the Stars I was transported back to 1927, Frances Brody really has a way of making the reader feel like they are travelling alongside Kate in her stories. Kate Shackleton is a wonderful character, a widower and former nurse, she’s a very easily likeable lady. Alongside her house keeper Mrs Sugden and former policeman Jim Sykes they make a good team of investigators.
Filled with wonderful characters, Death in the Stars brings these characters to life and really gives you a sense of theatre life back in the 1920’s. Selina’s fears seem to be real though when it is revealed that two of her colleagues deaths may not have just been accidental and the list of suspects is long, each character could have a motive and as the story unfolds I couldn’t guess who it could be, it really is a mystery and wonderful one at that.
With each page I became more and more engrossed in the story, there’s no gruesomeness but the danger is there and the sense of fear. I read this in two sittings, I was so intrigued and invested in the story that even when I wasn’t reading I was wondering how it would all unfold and when the culprit was revealed it wasn’t who I suspected although thinking back, all the clues had been there.
Death in the Stars is a brilliant story that I will be highly recommending and I’m really hoping this series will continue for a long time.
FOLLOW THE TOUR
It's all about the books 