Kate Shackleton is off for a long overdue vacation. It is August, so probably not much will happen in her Private Investigation business. She has selected Whitby, a charming seaside location where she plans to meet her school chum, Alma, and her God-daughter, 16-year-old, Felicity. Kate plans to drink lots of tea and eat fresh baked scones at the tearooms there and read lots of books at the beach.

While getting her first glimpse of the sea, Kate could feel her feelings lifted as she recalls happier times in the resort area facing the North Sea and the wild moors behind. She spent many happy hours there with her husband Gerald, before he was MIA. The Royal Hotel was as she remembered it. Quiet refinement was how she would describe it. Checking in for two weeks, she was shown to a large airy room facing the sea. A maid appeared, introducing herself as Hilda and offered to unpack for Kate. Great idea as Kate wanted to get out to stretch her legs and find a cafe. She read a welcoming note from Alma inviting her to come to the Pepper Pot on the pier and to be prepared for a surprise.

Walking into town, Kate stopped to look in shop windows. When she came to the J. Philips High Class Jeweller, Kate recalled Gerald had bought their weddings rings there. She noticed a pretty bracelet that she thought would be perfect for Felicity and went into the shop. She almost tripped over the dead body of Mr. Philips. She ran out to find the police and report the crime.

So begins a twisty who-done-it that is enhanced when Felicity disappears. The search is on to find Felicity and the murderer of Mr. Philips. Alma's surprise to her old school chum is that she rents space at the pier and acts as the local fortune teller. It is only temporary until they can find a real one. But in the meantime, Alma is having fun being a clairvoyant. She is a very complex lady with many secrets and romantic plans for her future. Kate is not accepted by the locals, and she even spends time in jail until an old friend and admirer, Marcus Charles returns and rescues her.

DEATH AT THE SEASIDE is the 8th in the Kate Shackleton mysteries. If you like an English cozy with a cast of colorful characters in a lovely locale, you will enjoy this one. Set in the 1920's before computers, cell phones, and DNA, Kate is a refreshing heroine. She is a free and independent spirit who works tirelessly to find the guilty person and seek justice. I enjoyed it and so will you.

Book Summary

Frances Brody returns with an intricate, absorbing plot while capturing the atmosphere and language of 1920s England in the eighth book of her cozy mystery series.

Nothing ever happens in August, and tenacious sleuth Kate Shackleton deserves a break.

Heading off for a long-overdue holiday to Whitby, she visits her school friend Alma who works as a fortune teller there. Kate had been looking forward to a relaxing seaside sojourn, but upon arrival discovers that Alma's daughter Felicity has disappeared, leaving her mother a note and the pawn ticket for their only asset: a watch- guard.

What makes this more intriguing is the jeweler who advanced Felicity the thirty shillings is Jack Phillips, Alma's current gentleman friend.

Kate can't help but become involved, and goes to the jeweller's shop to get some answers. When she makes a horrifying discovery in the back room, it becomes clear that her services are needed. Met by a wall of silence by town officials, keen to maintain Whitby's idyllic façade, it's up to Kate - ably assisted by Jim Sykes and Mrs Sugden - to discover the truth behind Felicity's disappearance.

And they say nothing happens in August...

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