‘A Mansion for Murder,’ thirteenth in the Kate Shackleton 1930s crime series by Frances Brody, centres on an unlucky Yorkshire mansion. Intrigued when she receives a letter from a stranger, Kate visits the Milner Field estate, near the mill town of Saltaire, to meet the letter writer. But Ronnie Cresswell, who promised to tell a ‘story from the past,’ has drowned. Can Kate discover this story for herself?
Milner Field has an unhappy reputation for bad luck, failure and death. Everyone around the mansion, and nearby Salt Mills, is hiding something. At the mill, a new contract may be lost because an employee is selling sensitive commercial information. And now Ronnie is dead. Some secrets relate to the present day, others are anchored in the past. So many secrets mean lots of red herrings hiding the truth. Ronnie’s death happens at the beginning of the story and a lot of characters are introduced together. Some are just names and I struggled to separate them in my mind, appearing briefly and not seen again.
Brody tells this story in two timelines, Kate in 1930 and a child in the past; the year isn’t specified, the chapters are simply headed ‘Long Ago’. Ronnie Cresswell works for the maintenance department at Salt Mills. His family are deeply connected with the local area. He lives with his parents at The Lodge on the Milner Field estate, which is now for sale. Ronnie’s parents, father [confusingly also called Ronald] is head gardener. His mother is housekeeper and there are three siblings, Stephen, Mark and Nancy. Ronnie, it emerges, is courting Pamela Whittaker, daughter of the Salt Mills owner. Not everyone is happy with their relationship.
The events of the past and present are thinly connected but they contribute to the eerie atmosphere of the once grand house and explain how local legends and rumour take root. I was left feeling that the creepiness of the house and its grounds was under-exploited. A number of sub-plots jog along, some of which amount to nothing much. But the story of Rosie and Jim Sykes is a good one. The most affecting storyline belongs to Miss Mason, the schoolteacher.
Not as tightly written as Brody’s previous Kate Shackleton novels perhaps, as seems to be the case with a number of recently-released novels, it was written during lockdown. Overall this is a good inter-war series with a thoroughbred lead character in Kate Shackleton. Set in a period of social change, Kate’s character and job reflect the alteration in women’s lives, the widening of their opportunities and ambitions, and the old-fashioned obstacles they must still bear.
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A Mansion for Murder by Frances Brody

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Piatkus and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

1930, Yorkshire. Intrigued by a mysterious letter from a stranger offering important information, Private Investigator Kate Shackleton arrives in the mill village of Saltaire. At nearby Milner Field mansion, overshadowed by its reputation for misfortune and untimely deaths, she expects to meet the letter writer, Ronnie Creswell.

Kate soon hears the shocking news that Ronnie has been killed. At first his death appears to be a tragic accident at the mill, but soon it becomes clear that Ronnie's demise was no mishap. Kate is enlisted to help investigate the murder.

Kate moves into the tower rooms at Milner Field, as she tries to uncover resentments, industrial espionage, and old secrets in the close-knit village. Although she doesn't believe in curses, she wonders what sinister truth lies behind this latest in the litany of deaths connected to the infamous Milner Field.

Then just when things couldn't get any worse, a young girl in the village goes missing, and Kate must use all her strength and skill to unravel the mystery around the mansion once and for all . . .

My Opinion

This is a series that I have not been reading in order, but I don't think that it is necessary. Kate Shackleton receives a strange letter inviting her to visit Milner Field and the local mansion. This was a nice easy read with some great descriptions of the area. An entertaining read and a great addition to the series.

Rating 4/5

The brand new novel featuring Private Investigator Kate Shackleton…..loved it for the entire time i was reading it (i WHIPPED through it in roughly 4 hours) my heart was pounding and i had so many theories and questions. if you love insanely well written and fast paced books with crazy plot twists and well developed, shady, and secretive characters - PLEASE READ THIS !!!!!

As always Kate Shackleton is involved in solving a murder
But why did solid and dependable young man Ronnie Cresswell want to see her and why is he dead?

These detective stories are great mysteries as well as giving a glimpse of the world of Britain between the wars.
Highly recommend

Kate Shackleton mysteries are always well plotted, intriguing, and well researched. This one kept me guessing and I appreciated the style of writing and the solid mystery.
Entertaining and gripping.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Kate visits Saltaire, when she receives a letter from Ronnie Creswell, asking to visit him as he has some important information he needs to pass on to her. She visits the family home and whilst waiting for him to arrive the shock news is received that a tragic accident has befallen Ronnie and he is dead. Kate is asked to investigate his death, as it feared he was murdered.

This is the 13th book in the series and is tightly woven, well written murder mystery. I would recommend reading the previous books in the series to get a true understanding of Kate and her friends and colleagues.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my review.

Book 13 in the Kate Shackleton series. Familiar with the location which made the story more interesting although I did not know which part was based on fact and what had been created by author. The history of Saltaire and the Salt family meshed well with the fictional plot. May well search out earlier 'Shackleton' mysteries. Thanks to Netgalley.

This was my first Frances Brody book and it did not disappoint. Private detective Kate Shackleton receives a mysterious letter from a man saying he has important information to tell her. But by the time she arrives at his village, the man has died in an apparent accident. Kate is employed to look into his death along with her trusty house keeper and assistant. I really enjoyed this book and found it easy to read. The book has lots of exciting avenues, including a supposed curse that has wreaked havoc for years. The story was fast paced, interesting and a very enjoyable read. The characters are very likeable, and I didn’t feel like I was missing anything out being a first time reader. I’ll definitely be reading more of her books.

This is the 13th in the series of Kate Shackleton murder mystery series but there is nothing unlucky about it.....well it does start with a ghostly crumbling mansion, curses from those thrown to their deaths in a well and espionage amongst the mill owners of Yorkshire. But keep going because once again this author has played to her very strengths with the private investigation team of ex VAD nurse Kate Shackleton, Jim Sykes and Mrs Sugden.
Ut was great to see them all on board after being called in by Mr Whitaker the owner of Salts Mill and the crumbling mansion (which both did exist) to investigate the death of Ronnie Creswell, an earnest young man set to take over the reins of the mill and marry Whitaker's daughter Pamela.
The plot is cleverly woven (pun intended) and you could have a real sense of the 1930s in mill work, health care (who knew the terrible tale of women with their first babies told to save calcium by having their teeth removed!)
There were some red herrings and I maybe went after the wrong suspect but when tragedy was averted and Kate and team manage to guide the police in the right direction guilt is finally laid upon the right person.
Great characters throughout the story - which did weave from the past timeline with Nick- and his long life guilt for the death of his friend Billy. The teacher Miss Mason proved a elderly wonder and a very dramatic circle of life and death in the story.
There is no such thing as cosy crime with the hardships of the working lives of those in the mill but thankfully avoiding exploitation gave us a worthy employer, resolution of past secrets and despite Kate Shackleton's clothing (always eye catching especially in Yorkshire) the steeliness of understanding people for their own internal fears and how it's often worthwhile to take the stories from all sides.
Love this series.

1930, Yorkshire. Intrigued by a mysterious letter from a stranger offering important information, Private Investigator Kate Shackleton arrives in the mill village of Saltaire. At nearby Milner Field mansion, overshadowed by its reputation for misfortune and untimely deaths, she expects to meet the letter writer, Ronnie Creswell. Kate soon hears the shocking news that Ronnie has been killed. At first his death appears to be a tragic accident at the mill, but soon it becomes clear that Ronnie's demise was no mishap. Kate is enlisted to help investigate the murder. Kate moves into the tower rooms at Milner Field, as she tries to uncover resentments, industrial espionage, and old secrets in the close-knit village. Then just when things couldn't get any worse, a young girl in the village goes missing, and Kate must use all her strength and skill to unravel the mystery around the mansion once and for all.
The thirteenth outing for Kate & it could easily be read on its own. I love Kate & recommend the whole series. An easy to read book with some twists & turns plus it features events from half a century earlier & the narrative switches between past & present. I loved the descriptions of the area, which I know well as I’m a Bradford lass. The characters have depth but the focus is on Kate & Jim. A well written. Easy to read engrossing read
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

The latest Kate Shackleton story opens with her receiving a letter asking her to visit someone who has a story to share with her. When she arrives she finds the writer has died in mysterious circumstances and the town is in uproar as they suspect a local curse has struck again, Kate, Mrs Sugden and Mr Sykes are drawn into not just finding out who killed Ronnie and why but also industrial spying, the selling of a grand mansion and finally the disappearance of a child.
A story that rackets along at a good pace. Will appeal to people who love a classic whodunit

I would like to thank Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for an advance copy of A Mansion for Murder, the thirteenth novel to feature private investigator Kate Shackleton, set in North Yorkshire in 1930.

Kate receives a letter from Ronnie Cresswell, a stranger to her, asking her to meet him at his home in the grounds of Milner Field, a mansion with a reputation for bad luck and sorrow in the mill village of Saltaire. As she gets there she learns that Ronnie has been killed in what appears initially to be an accident, but soon becomes murder. Kate and her team are soon installed in Milner Field with a wide brief from Mr Whittaker, the mill owner.

I enjoyed A Mansion for Murder, which has an absorbing story and a few twists. It makes a change to read a straightforward story with no twisted motives or psychological study, so I relished it. There may be downside for some readers in this as the characters, apart from Kate’s assistant, Jim Sykes, who gets a big surprise, aren’t particularly well developed and are there simply to propel the plot forward. I like it as it makes for an easy read and I could focus fully on finding a murderer, an industrial spy and a thief. Not a lot going on, then!

The narrative switches between Kate’s present and schoolboy Nick’s “long ago”, which fills in events from about 60 years ago and allows the reader to suspect that Ronnie may have wanted to talk to her about them. It’s a clever mix of past and present, hinting at the past casts a long shadow trope. There’s plenty of food for light thought in the plot with its many strands and ramifications, but it’s still a story at heart. I read it in one sitting.

A Mansion for Murder is a good read that I can recommend.

I always enjoy reading a Kate Shackleton Mystery and the thirteenth “A Mansion for Murder” is no exception.

Kate receives a letter from a young man working at Salts Mill asking for help but with no further details. The history of the area surrounding the mill, in particular the Mansion is shrouded in superstition and mystery. Kate and her team end up employed by the owner of the mill & mansion to look into the sudden death of an employee and possible industrial espionage!

The characters and the area they live in were vividly described. I found myself thoroughly absorbed in the era, escaping reality and hoping for justice. I thoroughly recommend “A Mansion for Murder”. Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

I have been reading the Kate Shackleton mystery series ever since I discovered the first book in 2014. The series started in 2009 and so by then, I had a few books to catch up with.

Now meeting Kate, Sykes and co. is a bit like meeting old friends, I keep saying that every time a new book in a long running series comes out. Yet, it’s true. The only reason why you stick to reading book after book in a series is that you develop some sort of one-sided friendship with the characters.

My favourite part of this series is that for once we don’t have a series set in London but instead most of the books are set in Yorkshire. Kate’s background is upper middle class, but her mother hails from a more illustrious background. It’s that positioning of Kate that allows her to investigate crimes in the lower classes as well as in the upper classes. It’s that crossover, that I adore so much and because of it, we - alongside the murder - get a climpse of what life might have been like for wide spectrum of people in Yorkshire at the time.

This installment of the series sees Kate receiving a letter by a young man asking her to meet him because he had some information from the past that needed her attention. Sadly the two never meet, nevertheless Kate still gets embroiled in a mystery.

If you like cosy mysteries that go beyond just the mystery and like to develop a relationship with the characters, then I would heartily recommend this series.

This is the thirteenth book in the enjoyable series featuring Kate Shackleton. Set in 1930, private investigator, Kate, and her team become involved in a mystery based at Saltaire in Shipley.
I really enjoyed the setting for this story. There are multiple plot lines that are efficiently solved by Kate. This is a gentle-paced, easy to read mystery that kept my interest throughout.

Frances Brody’s A Mansion for Murder is her latest Kate Shackleton novel and it features a real place – Milner Field near Saltaire in West Yorkshire. Kate is a private investigator, working with Jim Sykes and her housekeeper, Mrs Sugden. In 1930, Kate receives a mysterious letter from Ronnie Creswell, addressed to Mrs Gerald Shackleton, inviting her to meet him. Not many people would address her using her late husband’s name so she’s intrigued enough to accept the invitation. However, when she arrives at his home, she learns that Ronnie drowned that day. Kate and her colleagues get drawn into investigating Ronnie’s death and some possible industrial espionage at the mill where he worked.

Once again, Brody’s nailed the narrative tone of an intelligent professional woman. Most of the book is narrated in the first person by Kate but suddenly switches to third person when Brody needs to include a scene without Kate. This can be a little confusing, but I figure it’s a small price to pay for reading such good books.

The characters are well delineated and not so many that the reader gets confused. The plot is plausible and moves reasonably briskly. There are no laugh out loud moments and the tone is gentle and measured, primarily due to Kate’s narrative voice. There were a few errors in the early proof copy that I was given for review, but I’m sure they will be fixed before publication. None of them distracted the reader very much as it was obvious what was meant.

I really enjoyed the book and I strongly recommend it if you enjoy British mysteries set between the wars. The plot was unusual, although I guessed whodunnit for once by a process of elimination.

I understand that the American Federal Trade Commission requires me to state that I received a free review copy from Little, Brown Group via NetGalley. However, my opinions are my own and are unbiased.

#AMansionforMurder #NetGalley

This is my first Kate Shackleton novel, although I have two other novels on my TBR pile. There isn't much backstory to get to grips with and I found it easy to read as a standalone novel.

Kate receives a mysterious letter, addressed to her married name of Mrs Gerald Shackleton which suggests the letter may relate to her late husband as most correspondence is now addressed to her personally. The letter requests a meeting on Saturday close to Milner Field mansion in the mill town of Saltaire. But when Kate goes to meet her correspondent it is only to find that he has died that very afternoon, drowned in the reservoir attached to the mill.

At first Kate resists getting involved in the investigation into Ronnie Creswell's death, but when the owner of the mansion (and the mill) requests her assistance on a multi-faceted front she can't help but be drawn in. Mr Whittaker is concerned that the police suspect one of his workers, David Fairburn, of killing Ronnie and wants Kate to recommend a good lawyer. He also suspects industrial espionage, a lucrative contract for the supply of cloth which has automatically renewed every year has suddenly been put out to tender and he has been advised by the purchasing manager that another bid has been received which is clearly based on his own costings, he wants Kate to engage her assistant Mr Sykes to go undercover in the mill to work out who is selling his information to his rivals. Finally, as if that weren't enough, Ronnie's mother was the housekeeper at the mansion, she's resigned muttering about the curse on anyone who lives there, and he wants Kate to recommend a new one to help him get the mansion ready for the upcoming sale at auction (glossing over the house's sad history of deaths). Kate suggests her own housekeeper, Mrs Sugden is ideally placed.

During the investigation Kate learns that the Estate Manager is clearly living the life of Reilly (BTW who is/was Reilly?) drinking expensive wines from the mansion's cellars and having parties while the family are away. The family recently hosted a fancy dress party at the mansion, after which one of the maids disappeared, along with lots of the family silver.

I did enjoy this book, it reminded me very much of the Maisie Dodds series, so much so that on occasion I was confused by the references to living in Leeds, but with less of an emphasis on the main character being involved in big events of the time.

One minor niggle was that there seemed to be some leaping to conclusions towards the end and I couldn't quite see how Kate and her associates made the connections, maybe because I was reading the book in between other things and not giving it my entire attention.

Anyway, this has definitely spurred me on to start the series.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Deviant Forces..
The thirteenth, no less, in the Kate Shackleton series of mysteries finds Kate on a mission to meet a letter writer following the receipt of a strange piece of correspondence. Ronnie Creswell, however, is already dead by the time Kate arrives. Is his death the accident it appears to be or are more deviant forces at work? Kate soon finds herself deep in mystery, murder and missing persons in this engaging and immersive tale of many threads. With the usual extremely well crafted cast of characters, a keenly observed sense of time and place, a bright and sassy protagonist and a solid mystery at heart this is another worthy addition to this superlative series.

Frances Brody's writing ensured that I kept on reading A Mansion for Murder enthusiastically. I found the plot to be a little heavy with too many strands to it with the result that I lost interest in some of them. My biggest disappointment, though, was Kate. I seem to have lost all sense of her as a character. At the beginning of the series, she was more faceted, more of a whole person. In this book I felt that she was just a means by which the story could be told. For some people, of course, that is how it should be, but I like to understand my main characters. All that said, though, I read this in a day with enjoyment.

Publishing on October 20, this is the 13th Kate Shackleton series and it’s a good’un. It’s 1930 and Kate arrives in the mill village of Saltaire in Yorkshire. The private investigator has been asked to meet Ronnie Creswell, a young man who wrote a letter to her asking for her help. However, upon arrival, she quickly learns that Ronnie has been killed. A mishap perhaps? After all, accidents at the mill would be common enough… but it’s quickly established that Ronnie’s death is being treated as murder. Brought in to find his killer, Kate, her housekeeper and right hand man move into the tower rooms at Milner Field, the most prestigious of buildings in Saltaire and one with a history of its own. But in this town, old secrets are buried deep, families swearing allegiance generations ago, and although Kate doesn’t believe in curses, something amiss is happening in the town. When a young girl goes missing, it’s up to Kate and Co to find the truth – and fast.