I always look forward to a new Kate Shackleton book. Frances Brody has created a very likeable protagonist in Kate, and her plots mean that you are always entertained. Lovely setting too.

The 11th book in the Kate Shackelton series.Another Great read a tense page turner.Characters so well written a story full of twits and turns Highly recommend this book the series,#Netgalley#littlebrownuk

The book was one that once started was almost impossible to put down and I read it very quickly as it was a real page turner. I believe that this was a very thrilling book.
1929, London.
In the darkness before dawn, a London railway porter discovers a man's body as he unloads a special goods train from Yorkshire, all means of identification stripped away. Hitting a dead end, Scotland Yard call on indomitable sleuth Kate Shackleton, hoping her local Yorkshire knowledge and undoubted skills at winkling out information will produce the results they need.
1929, Yorkshire.
Fears of unrest in the Yorkshire coalfields mean that Kate must conduct her investigation with the utmost secrecy. But when she discovers that another murder occurred around the same time as the mysterious body on the train, she is convinced there must be a connection. Using her sharp instincts and persuasive charm, she begins to uncover a web of intrigue that edges her closer to the truth. But with attempts being made on her life, Kate needs all the strength and resourcefulness she can muster, before she becomes the next victim . . .

I absolutely loved reading The Body on the Train which is a very intriguing period mystery. I loved it so much I bought six of her previous books. The writing was done in a serious vein which was usual in contemporary novels set in that period, and with a good, puzzling crime and it doesn’t disappoint. The novel is told from the investigative point of view, a first person narrative from Kate and third person for her assistants, Mr Sykes and Mrs Sugden, so the reader knows as much as they do and no more.

I love the premise of an unidentified body turning up amongst the rhubarb as there’s something anarchic about it, especially with Bolshevists trying to foment revolt. It just seems delicious. With so little to go on Ms Brody could have taken her novel anywhere but wisely chooses to keep it close to home in Yorkshire. I was glued to the pages as she unravels her plot until the end which I felt was unnecessarily drawn out and long winded. I guess the point of it was to emphasise the customs of the era but even then it could have been tighter.
Frances Brody is the author of ten mysteries featuring Kate Shackleton as well as many stories and plays for BBC Radio, scripts for television and three sagas, one of which won the HarperCollins Elizabeth Elgin Award. A Woman Unknown was short-listed for the Mary Higgins Clark Award. Her stage plays have been toured by several theatre companies and produced at Manchester Library Theatre, the Gate and Nottingham Playhouse. Jehad was nominated for a Time Out Award. Frances lived in New York for a time before studying at Ruskin College, Oxford, and reading English Literature and History at York University. This book was a great introduction to a new author for me and I look forward to reading much more of her books. Very strongly recommended
(Advance copy from the publisher in exchange for a fair review).

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What I truly liked about this complex sometimes slow moving detective story is its precise, robust language and perceptive content as a female detective of the old school goes about her business well.. the author does not shy away from physical displays of violence on her too .. the supporting characters, and shameful stories who mess with foreign affairs recognise she's good too .. even when abrupt. A dead body sets off an investigation in all directions but ,it seems, the right one. Really fun.

It's the second book I read in this series and I think this is a an excellent mystery.
I like the well written and interesting cast of characters as much as I like the well researched historical background.
The plot keeps you hooked even if it's quite fast paced but it never bores and always kept my attention.
The mystery is complex and solid and it kept me guessing till the end.
It was an entertaining read by I also learned a lot about rhubarb and the historical background.
I look forward to reading the next instalment in this series.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This is the eleventh Kate Shackleton crime procedural and the year is 1929. It is in the post National Strike recession years and as a general election approaches it is being suggested that Russian gold is being smuggled to the Unions (Coal and Transport?) to influence the vote. The novel will start with the discovery of an unidentified body on the “rhubarb delivery” train from Yorkshire to London. Because of the political sensitivities Kate is approached to act undercover with her team and quietly investigate the murder and try and identify the victim. Her task will be complicated by the fact that another murder of an elderly shop mistress has taken place on the same night very close to the place where the body was put on the train. In that case a young man Stephen Walmsley has been arrested and is in danger of being found guilty and hanged to the dismay of many local people who Kate and team will meet.
It is decided that the body was placed on the train at a quiet station stop not far from where Kate and her family live in Yorkshire – thereby allowing the investigation to proceed with not just her usual sidekicks - her family, Mr Sykes and her housekeeper Mrs Sudgen but others from her previous Yorkshire based novels. Kate will initially visit the home of an old school friend? Gertrude Brockman and her husband at Thorpefield Hall in the guise of preparing a magazine commission. As she researches/investigates she will be told that the there was a collapse at the local mine and as a result of this the local Children’s Home, Bluebell House on the estate of a neighbour Eliot Dell was rapidly closed and the children transferred elsewhere. She comes to believe the two murders are linked. That will lead eventually to motive and those responsible.
Does that sound complicated? Well that is the nature of this novel; it is very, very busy with people, plot-lines, sub-stories, detailed explanations, local history and geography and with the core investigations running against the clock. Plus of course the need to maintain, build and respect the characters of the series and give an acceptable sense of period. Generally it is all well handled and is not too laboured – even with the temptation to “inform” or educate on underlying issues.
Without giving away the plot, the novel does by its nature need to come out well and tie up all the personal loose ends – assuming of course that the final resting place of the identified murderer(s) is not a major issue to the conscience. But it should be said that with the multiple layers and characters it is hard to predict who was “guilty” too early. It bowls along at pace, so overall it was a good read of its type.

Kate Shackleton is a private investigator who is hired by Scotland Yard for an undercover operation to investigate a murder of a man found on the train from the Rhubarb triangle of Yorkshire.
Kate has her own crew to help and you really engage with these diverse local characters. Kate goes to stay with her childhood friend (The Brockman’s are local bigwigs) using the cover of photographing local life as her cover. When it looks like another local murder is connected Kate will follow many twists and turns and even endanger her life to bring a conclusion for the victims families.
You are entering midway through the series of Kate Shackleton mysteries and it would be well worth visiting previous stories to connect to the characters.
I was given an ARC of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

11th book in the Kate Shackleton series, which feels to be still going strong. This is an excellent slow burner of a story and very clear that the author does a lot of research of the 1920s, you feel like you are there.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review.

Kate Shackleton has been hired by Scotland Yard to get information regarding the identity of a body found on the Rhubarb express train. Fortunately Kate has an old childhood friend living in the rhubarb growing area and she arranges to stay with her while gathering information. Her trusted sidekick, Sykes will question the growers while Kate investigates a local murder determining links between the two crimes.
As always, the author has done her homework, and researched history is woven into the story to bring an enriched authenticity. Well written with believable characters, the lives and struggles of the working classes are sensitively and effectively portrayed. In addition, it’s a cracking mystery with a few nail biting moments.
Thank you to netgalley and Little Brown Book group for for an advance copy. It was a pleasure to read and I look forward to more in the series.

This is the 11th book in the series featuring Kate Shackleton and set in the late 1920s. With a strong, independent character, this series is a joy to read. This new book is no exception. The historical details are interesting and well researched. The plot is suitably complex with plenty to keep the reader guessing. Highly entertaining.