DYING IN THE WOOL (Kate Shackleton Mystery #1)
by Frances Brody
PUBLISHER: Piatkus Books
RELEASE DATE: Oct 2009
FORMAT: Paperback, 356 pages
GENRE: Mystery
Take one quiet Yorkshire village: Bridgestead is a peaceful spot: a babbling brook, rolling hills and a working mill at its heart. Pretty and remote, nothing exceptional happens… Add a measure of mystery: Until the day that Master of the Mill, Joshua Brathwaite goes missing in dramatic circumstances, never to be heard of again. A sprinkling of scandal: Now Joshua’s daughter is getting married and wants one last attempt at finding her father. Has he run off with his mistress, or was he murdered for his mounting coffers? And Kate Shackleton – amateur sleuth extraordinaire!: Kate Shackleton has always loved solving puzzles. So who better to get to the bottom of Joshua’s mysterious disappearance? But as Kate taps into the lives of the Bridgestead dwellers, she opens cracks that some would kill to keep closed…
REVIEWER: Carolyn
DYING IN THE WOOL is a delightful book. It’s everything I hoped it would be for a cosy mystery. I really enjoyed the authors writing style, it’s beautiful and very English. The time is set in the 1920′s and the descriptive detail of the countryside and small village of Bridgestead is so vivid I could literally have been there.
Kate Shackleton is a wonderful character and I connected with her immediately. She’s a very determined soul in a time when women were still treated as second class citizens. A widow pursuing a great love of photography and solving mysteries.
Kate is sweet and yet assertive, and although trembles internally at conflict, outwardly glows confidence and assurance. Her insecurities warmed me to her and yet I loved the fact she was also strong when she needed to be.
She has also had heart ache in her past, losing her husband to the war, but because his body was never found, cannot truly let herself believe he is dead. I really enjoyed this underlying story. It gives Kate more depth as a character and makes me want to read future books and discover whether her fears or hopes are realised.
However, DYING IN THE WOOL has it’s very own mystery to solve with the disappearance of Joshua Braithwaite, and Kate takes on her first professional job when she’s hired to find him by her friend, and Braithwaite’s daughter, Tabitha.
I found Kate’s sleuthing very entertaining, and although at times the story dragged a little, it soon picked up again with a dead body or two! Kate is extremely capable as a private investigator and totally holds her own in such a male dominated society.
The other characters present were all very well rounded and they all had a definite part to play in the unravelling mystery of Joshua Braithwaite. I liked Kate’s friend Tabitha and I felt her anguish with regards to her father’s disappearance, until that is the last couple of chapters when she turned on Kate quite unexpectedly. Even with Kate nearly being killed herself, Tabitha revoked Kate’s invitation to her wedding because she didn’t like the outcome. This does not a friend make!
DYING IN THE WOOL is, for the majority, from Kate’s first person point of view, but there are a few chapters scattered throughout which are from the third person perspective of other characters, which gives us details of their lives surrounding the time Joshua Braithwaite went missing. I didn’t understand why this was done as once the mystery came to it’s satisfying conclusion, I didn’t see the need for these additional chapters and if they were not included wouldn’t have detracted anything from the story.
Also, because Kate was not present, I felt I was given information that even my narrator didn’t know about and this didn’t seem right for a mystery. If these chapters were not included it would also have made the story a tad shorter, which in my opinion, would have been a welcome edit.
VERDICT:
DYING IN THE WOOL is a very gentle book, but with a lot of substance. I loved the 1920s setting, which is described incredibly well. I am very much looking forward to reading the next mystery featuring Kate Shackleton, A Medal for Murder.
RATING: 
FRANCES BRODY ONLINE
Website | Goodreads | Piatkus
BOOKS IN SERIES ORDER
- Dying in the Wool
- Medal for Murder
- Murder in the Afternoon
BUY THE BOOK
8 Comments
This sounds delightful and right up my alley
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For that sweet cover alone I want to read this!
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This sounds fun. I've not really read much mystery. Other than Charlaine Harris's Lily Bard books which I think you would really like actually.
It is nice to read some UK books too sometimes.
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This sounds delightful. I've become a voracious cozy reader over the past year or so, but I hadn't heard of this one before. I love the idea of the 1920s setting, too!
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This sounds delightful.
From the sound of it, you might like the Phryne Fischer series by Kerry Greenwood. Set in 1920's Melbourne, Australia, Phryne Fischer is not your ordinary woman of the day! The series starts with 'Cocaine Blues' (or 'Death By Misadventure', depending on the imprint).
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Juju – I think you would like it too!
Amused – I like the cover – the only aspect about it that doesn't really tie in with the book is the camera. This book is set in the 1920s and the camera on the cover is more like those found in the 1940s.
Laura – I will have to try the Lily Bard books.
Stephanie – If you like cosies then I'm sure you'll like this one
GB – Thanks for the recommendations, I will definitely check them out!
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Your first paragraph "Take one quiet Yorkshire village" thrilled me. It's the kind of setting I adore & offers a wonderful contrast to a disturbing, puzzling. crime. It reminds me just a little bit of Louise Penny's "Three Pines" mysteries!
I'm looking forward to the author's writing style and I like what I've read about Kate Shackleton's character.
This sounds like the perfect book to pull out on a rainy, windswept day – add a comfy spot to sit & a hot cup of tea & I'm all set.
I really enjoyed this review and am looking forward to reading this book.
~ Amy
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