Thomas F. (hardtack) -
I've really enjoyed the Kate Shackleton stories, perhaps because I read so many British mysteries taking place during the period after World War I, and feel comfortable---as in knowledgeable---with their description of British society.
Unfortunately, for the first half of this book I began to wonder if the author had let someone else write it, as it just seemed to idle along without too much purpose aside from describing one character's unhappy life. Then suddenly it took off. Although Mr Sykes---her employee/partner---wasn't involved early on, one of his discoveries leads him to follow Kate on her photography club's outing with some interesting information. While there were many interactions involving numerous characters, it was easy to follow. The nice part---after the crime was solved, or was it?---is that the last chapter lets us know what happened to all the characters, even the minor ones, over the following year. But whatever you do, DON'T skip to the last page as there is a conclusion that may or may not surprise you.
Unfortunately, for the first half of this book I began to wonder if the author had let someone else write it, as it just seemed to idle along without too much purpose aside from describing one character's unhappy life. Then suddenly it took off. Although Mr Sykes---her employee/partner---wasn't involved early on, one of his discoveries leads him to follow Kate on her photography club's outing with some interesting information. While there were many interactions involving numerous characters, it was easy to follow. The nice part---after the crime was solved, or was it?---is that the last chapter lets us know what happened to all the characters, even the minor ones, over the following year. But whatever you do, DON'T skip to the last page as there is a conclusion that may or may not surprise you.
