Friday 3 October 2014

Blog Tour: Death of An Avid Reader by Frances Brody (Cozy, Fiction, 10E/10E)

Books, books, and more books! Sounds like my bedroom...
2nd October 2014, Piatkus, 368 pages, Paperback, Review copy

Content: murder, mystery, animal antics, books, a bit of violence, a fair sprinkling of humour

Summary from Little, Brown
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 . . .

Nayu's Thoughts
Squee! This is my first cozy read that I've been asked if I'd like to review! I'm adoring cozies (or should it by cozys?) at the moment, so said yes rather enthusiastically when I was asked if I wanted to review this 6th in the series book which is the first one I've read. There aren't extras to this blog tour like a guest blog post, but I'm excited just being able to read this book!

My excitement continues even though I've now finished it. This book is ace! It sounded my kind of book, especially with a book lover dying. That's obviously not a good thing, especially when Kate struggles to find out who the murderer is. That's the least of her troubles though - she's got to find an heiress who has no clue about her good fortune, or her dying mother. There are dead ends and red herrings, and the truth of both matters is stranger than fiction.

What I love is how down to earth Kate is. The interactions with her housekeeper were my favourite parts, especially when she reveals more about herself than Kate ever knew. I already want to reread the book just to smile at those scenes...and yes, having reading this book I'm now adding the rest to my wish list as no doubt they will be just as entertaining and full of intrigue. I didn't even try to guess 'who did it' or who the heiress was -  I sat back and enjoyed Kate risking her life, talking to a monkey (I talk to everything so completely understand why she does this), staying with a dying man and much more. In a way the title is wrong, because for me it's the birth of an avid read of a brilliant new to me series!
   
Find out more on Frances' website.

Suggested Read
This isn't a cozy read (since I haven't reviewed any others), but there's lots of mystery in Mad About You by Sinead Moriarty (Fiction, 9/10E)

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