Death and the Brewery Queen (Kate Shackleton #12)

How come a once flourishing brewery now in decline – result of treachery from within or dirty tricks from unscrupulous rivals? Private detective Kate Shackleton and assistant Jack Sykes investigate, but almost at once comes the sudden death of a key member of staff on the verge of being most helpful….

A curious offering this. Unfamiliar with the long running series, I cannot say how it compares. A strength is the 1930 setting (including a reminder of how milk was then delivered). The narrative structure, though, seemed all over the place. Totally unexpected, the mystery itself is solved quite quickly. Some readers may find the two storylines that follow very contrived and lacking conviction, including a character more of a caricature, at times ludicrously so. It really does help to believe in the people depicted and what they do.

Somehow there is the impression of many worthy ingredients but arguably they not used to best effect.

Having read all the books in the series, I have to say this is not the one of tha best. The problem is that instead of a one good murder mystery story this books is three short murder mysteries in one and as such is not very enchanting. It feels more like a diary of an investigator and perhaps it is meant to be that than a good mystery book like the other books in the series. One does know beforehand almost everything that happens, there really is no mystery hidden in the book.

However Frances Brody is a good writer and the book is readable due to the good backround work and perfect writing style of the author. The ideas are just getting a bit too thin and it feels a little like glued on. I really hope the next book will not be like this one. Maybe the writer needs a break from the series and had better start another series to break up the monotony of writing in one style only?

Kate and Sykes help a brewery owner and the newly crowned young ‘Yorkshire Brewery Queen’ in matters of family, the brewery business and with two murders to be solved on the way. The pages turn fairly fast and it has all the author’s 20’s-30’s period hallmarks, with a few twists and turns to keep you guessing. But something about the whole story felt not quite right, a certain artifice to it. Not as enjoyable as some of the others in the series.

The Kate Shackleton series is now on its 12 book and shows no sign of faltering. This is another strong story, with the author clearly taking time to research the era and the brewery industry..

The characters are very well written, Mrs Shackleton and Jim Sykes are now so familiar to us theyre like old friends, a detective duo that are in tune with each other, but clearly have their differences in opinion in some matters!

Can recommend this if you like period mysteries, but especially if you like books set in the 20s and 30s.

Thoroughly engaging, dense, story with many unexpected aspects. A good addition to the series.

My one quibble would be how her former-policeman assistant suddenly acquired business strategy skills, however that doesn’t impact the story.

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