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    A Death in the Dales
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    A Death in the Dales
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    A Death in the Dales
    Audiobook10 hours

    A Death in the Dales

    Written by Frances Brody

    Narrated by Elaine Claxton

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Plagued with guilt, Freda Simonson, the only witness to the murder of the landlord of Langcliffe's tavern, believes that her testimony may have convicted the wrong man, but when she passes, the case seems closed. It just so happens, though, that Freda's nephew is courting the renowned amateur sleuth Kate Shackleton, who has decided to holiday in Langcliffe with her teenage niece, Harriet. When Harriet strikes up a friendship with a local girl whose young brother is missing, the search leads Kate to uncover a suspicious death and an illicit affair. As the present mysteries merge with the past's mistakes, Kate is thrust into the secrets that Freda left behind and realizes that Freda has entrusted her with solving the murder from beyond the grave.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDreamscape Media Audio
    Release dateFeb 14, 2017
    ISBN9781520071114
    Unavailable
    A Death in the Dales
    Author

    Frances Brody

    Frances Brody is a pseudonym for Frances McNeil, the scriptwriter, playwright, and author of four novels and the winner of the Elizabeth Elgin Award. Her stage plays have been toured by several theatre companies, and Jehad was nominated for a Time Out Award.

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    Reviews for A Death in the Dales

    4/5

    51 ratings8 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Set post WW1 in the Yorkshire Dales I enjoyed this gentle, even, well-plotted mystery with a likeable heroine. Look for others in the series
    • 3/5
      Not really my style of book but mildly interesting for the setting near Settle. One serious error by the author is the use of Digoxin by one character as the book is set in 1925 and Digoxin was first isolated from foxgloves in 1930!
    • 5/5
      Amateur sleuth Kate Shakleton, on holiday in Langcliffe with her boyfriend, finds herself trying to solve recent murders, but nothing is straightforward.....
      A great Yorkshire Dales mystery and I shall look forward to reading more in this series.
      This digital book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest unbiased review which I am very happy to do.
    • 4/5
      The landlord of a Yorkshire tavern is stabbed and Freda Simonson, living right across the road from the murder scene, is the only witness. However she is not believed and the wrong man is hanged for the murder. Freda spends the rest of her life trying to clear his name, but dies before she can do so. Freda's nephew Lucian happens to be courting amateur sleuth Kate Shackleton. He offers Kate and her niece Harriet the use of Freda's house for a holiday to aid in Harriet's recovery from diphtheria and give Kate a break from sleuthing. Harriet makes friends with a girl whose young brother is missing, and Kate helps to investigate. She uncovers links to the murder Freda was involved with and sets out to see if she can uncover the real killer. A nice read.
    • 4/5
      This is my first read from the series and the tale is set in 1926, when Mrs Kate Shackleton takes her niece for a holiday in the village of Langcliffe. In the home of her friend Dr Lucien Simonson late aunt, the aunt who ten years previously had witnessed a murder but her testimony was discredited. So while investigating Kate uncovers a few secrets.
      I enjoyed this gentle murder mystery, and found it very easy and descriptive read. I liked the main characters, and look forward to start reading the series from Book One.
      A NetGalley Book.
    • 4/5
      This was a very engrossing story. I actually found the secondary story of the troubles of the teenagers more interesting than the main plot of a cold case. Kate takes her 14 yr. old niece to the Dales to recover from whooping cough. They are staying the cottage of Kate’s boyfriend’s aunt who recently passed away and left him her home. Freda witnessed a murder years ago and gave testimony at a trial that the wrong man was arrested, accused and later found guilty. Freda was then ostracized by the village since the dead man was well liked. Kate’s niece Harriet is introduced to another girl whose 14 yr. brother has been placed at a farm and has been mistreated and run away. There was a real twist at the end.
    • 4/5
      A Death in the Dales by is the seventh book in A Kate Shackleton Mystery series. Kate Shackleton is taking her niece, Harriet on holiday to recover from her bout of diphtheria. They are going to stay in Lilac Cottage owned by Dr. Lucian Simonson, Kate’s beau. He inherited the cottage six months prior when his Aunt Freda. Kate is hoping for a relaxing fortnight in Langcliffe, but the fates are not with her. Kate and Harriet have barely arrived when Mr. Bradley Wigglesworth arrives. Wigglesworth had been a friend of Freda’s, and she had entrusted a box of papers with him before her death. Freda had witnessed the murder of Rufus Holroyd in 1916, but her testimony was discounted. The case haunted Freda for the past ten years, because she knew the wrong man was convicted and hanged for the crime. Kate feels compelled to look through the papers and the case peaks her interest. Harriet meets Beth Young in the village. Beth is worried about her brother, Martin. After the death of their mother, the two siblings were brought to town and put to work. Martin is working at Raistrick Farm. Martin was supposed to show up for the May Day festivities and he never arrived. When he fails to show up soon thereafter, Kate agrees to drive out to the farm to inquire about the young boy. Unfortunately, Kate’s profession as a detective has gotten out in the village and soon she is approached by Mrs. Victoria Trevelyan about a delicate situation. Someone is trying to blackmail Mrs. Trevelyan about letter she wrote to a past lover. Mrs. Trevelyan would like Kate to obtain the letters. It is not turning out to be much of a holiday for Kate. Harriet, though, is thrilled. She is fascinated by her aunt’s business and believes it might be the right profession for her. Harriet wishes to act as Kate’s assistant. Langcliffe may be a small village, but it is rife with secrets. This trip is also about Lucian and Kate making decisions about their future. It does not look promising when Lucian objects to Kate’s exploring the murder of Rufus Holroyd. This holiday is not turning out the way Kate expected.A Death in the Dales was easy to read and well-written. I have not read the previous books in A Kate Shackleton Mystery series, but it was not a deterrent. The author provided all the information a reader needs to enjoy this novel. I liked the main character, Kate Shackleton. She is a smart, strong woman (thank heavens) and a good example to her niece, Harriet. I liked Harriet as well. I hope the author includes her in future books. I believe A Death in the Dales is the type of book you want to curl up with in a cozy chair on a rainy afternoon (and do not forget to have your favorite beverage and snack nearby). The author did a superb job at capturing the time and place. You can tell that Frances Brody did her research. I give A Death in the Dales 4 out of 5 stars. There is a lot going on in this book, but I was able to keep track of the various storylines and their characters. There are a couple of slow spots, but they did not bother me. The romance portion of the book seemed off. I did not feel any love or passion between Kate and Lucian. It felt like the writer seemed there should be a romance in the book and, therefore, included one. Kate and Lucian did not seem compatible, and I could not see Kate becoming a doctor’s wife (especially since she has no clue about shopping, cooking, and village politics). The murder mystery was entertaining and I liked the puzzle. I was able to figure out the killer before the reveal (you know I love solving the mystery). I believe most readers will be surprised. I am definitely going to read the other books in A Kate Shackleton Mystery series.
    • 4/5
      If you had told me a couple of chapters into this book that I would be giving it four stars, I would have given you the full-on Spock eyebrow. The writing was a little stiff, a little stilted, and I was pretty sure this was going to be a bomb. It's the seventh book in its series – I really do try to avoid doing that, and keep failing. But I think it worked on its own. I felt I was adequately introduced to Kate Shackleton and her life and career, without being completely spoiled (as far as I know) for the earlier books. I have no idea how the main character's love interest, Lucian, was introduced and built up prior to this installment, but here things are coming to a head: her thirteen-year-old niece is recovering from whooping cough (?), and she has decided to take the girl away from the home where she would be kept busy looking after younger siblings, to a village where she might have the chance to rest and actually recuperate. And Lucian just so happens to have a cottage, left him by his aunt, which will be just the place. And if her stay there – with his frequent visits – lead her to finally agreeing to marry him, well then. Kate is barely there a minute when a mystery falls into her lap. Apparently her reputation as a detective has preceded her, and as it turns out Aunt Freda witnessed a murder some ten years ago. Despite her eyewitness account that he couldn’t have done it, despite her constant campaigning, a young Irish laborer was arrested, tried, convicted, and hanged for the killing. Now, years after her own death, all of her notes on the case are foisted upon Kate, and whether she wants the job or not she is duty bound to try to clear the name of the man who was executed. Meanwhile, of course, there are a number of smaller mysteries to clear up along the way, not least of which is what exactly her feelings really are toward Lucian, and which path her life will take. By the end of the book I was surprised at how much I was enjoying myself. I don't know if I'll make the effort to read the rest of the series, or any books which follow this, but I admit I am curious about the Lucian story thread – so it's not impossible I'll read more. Not overly likely, but not impossible. One small detail I absolutely loved was: "Once settled, she banged her head on the pillow eleven-and-a-bit times, to be sure of waking before midnight. "‘What you doing?’ Madge asked. "‘Reminding meself.’"This is a trick I've only ever read about before in E. Nesbit, and it's something I've done ever since: if you want to make sure you wake up at nine o'clock, lift and drop your head on your pillow nine times. I'm not going to say it's infallible – but I'm also not going to say it doesn't work. The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review.