A Medal for Murder (Kate Shackleton Mysteries)
Two unrelated events bring private detective and WWI widow Kate Shackleton to Harrogate on a warm Friday afternoon in August 1922. She is attending the amateur theater production a friend hopes will launch a new career, and she is beginning the investigation of her second case: find the items stolen from a Leeds pawnshop before the owners come back to redeem their pledges. Before the night is over, Kate is witness to the knifing of the pompous automobile dealer who had shared her theater box. The next morning, the retired captain who is her hostess’ landlord asks her to find his missing war medal. She isn’t sure why, but the three cases seem related. Kate uses conversations and keen observation to make the appropriate linkages. Besides exploring the effects on society of WWI, Brody also uses the lens of class conflicts among those fighting in the Boer Wars in the prior generation as a backdrop for the enmities Kate must understand to solve her case. Fans of Maisie Dobbs and Bess Crawford will enjoy this series. --Karen Muller