#BlogTour Death in the Stars by Frances Brody (@FrancesBrody) @PiatkusBooks

Death in the Stars by Frances Brody
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

‘Frances Brody has made it to the top rank of crime writers’

Published 5th October 2017
Paperback Original, £8.99

ABOUT THE BOOK

Yorkshire, 1927. Eclipse fever grips the nation, and when beloved theatre star Selina Fellini approaches trusted sleuth Kate Shackleton to accompany her to a viewing party at Giggleswick School Chapel, Kate suspects an ulterior motive.

During the eclipse, Selina's friend and co-star Billy Moffatt disappears and is later found dead in the chapel grounds. Kate can't help but dig deeper and soon learns that two other members of the theatre troupe died in similarly mysterious circumstances in the past year. With the help of Jim Sykes and Mrs Sugden, Kate sets about investigating the deaths - and whether there is a murderer in the company.

When Selina's elusive husband Jarrod, injured in the war and subject to violent mood swings, comes back on the scene, Kate begins to imagine something far deadlier at play, and wonders just who will be next to pay the ultimate price for fame . . .

BOOK REVIEW

Death in the Stars is the third book I have read in the series and now I feel that I've gotten to know the main characters pretty well. I find this series to be an excellent cozy mystery series to read. For me who usually read crime and thrillers is a cozy mystery book now and then the perfect kind of book to read when I feel that I want a genre change. And, on the plus side are the books in this series stand-alone so it's piece a cake reading a book without having read any of the previous ones.

This book starts off with Kate being contacted by theatre star Selina Fellini who wants Kate's company to a viewing party at Giggleswick School Chapel to see the eclipse. However, Kate suspects that Selina has another reason for contacting her. Kate later learners that Selina is worried about some deaths around her that have occurred during the year and when Selina's friend and co-star Billy Moffatt is found dead does it seem that Selina may be right...

For much of the book does it seem that there is no connection between the deaths. That there is no foul play at all. I mean there seems to be no motive, and the two death's in the past have been ruled accidental. However, Kate is not one to give up, she will dig until she finds out the truth.

Death in the Stars is the kind of book that doesn't rush the story, there are a lot of characters, but not at all hard to keep apart and personally I love the ending, made me think of how in the end Poirot (the tv-series since I haven't read the books) would gather all the suspects to deliver the verdict. Death in the Stars is a good book and I quite enjoyed reading it!

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy of the book for an honest review!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Frances Brody is the author of the Kate Shackleton mysteries, as well as many stories and plays for BBC Radio, scripts for television and four sagas, one of which won the HarperCollins Elizabeth Elgin Award. Her stage plays have been toured by several theatre companies and produced at Manchester Library Theatre, the Gate and Nottingham Playhouse, and Jehad was nominated for a Time Out Award.