Death in the Stars by Frances Brody Blog Tour

The latest instalment of Frances Brody's Kate Shackleton mysteries is set in June 1927 and Kate has been invited to view the solar eclipse with singing star Selina Fellini and her friend the comic Billy Moffatt. Selina seems preoccupied and nervous and convinced that something bad will happen so when Billy collapses Kate is not surprised and she suspects that Selina knows more than she is saying. It seems that there have been two other suspicious deaths among the theatre troupe in the recent past. Tasked with investigating the deaths and the strange behaviour of some of those connected with the theatre company Kate makes some new friends and keeps some strange hours. Kate Shackleton is an able and pragmatic heroine and she once again proves herself in the latest book. Frances Brody has created some great characters and brought the 1920s to life in vivid detail. There may be some who seeing the bright, colourful covers might dismiss this series as cosy crime but that would be a mistake. Frances Brody doesn't stint on showing us the mental and physical suffering of men who have returned from war, the alcoholism and drug taking that many have turned to and the impact their distress and behaviour has on their wives and families. Kate also reflects on the way that young men are raised in public schools to become fodder for future wars. This book also gives us an insight into the world of the variety theatre which while remaining popular with many is under threat from the growing popularity of moving pictures. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Jacqueline Winspear and Kerry Greenwood. This is the 9th book in the series put they do not necessarily have to be read in order. Thanks so much to Clara Diaz at Little Brown for a copy.

The Vanishing by Sophia Tobin

Sophia Tobin’s third novel is a gothic thriller with shades of Jane Eyre, Jamaica Inn and Sarah Waters’ Fingersmith.

Annaleigh has accepted the position of Housekeeper at White Windows in Yorkshire. Determined to begin anew, Annaleigh is shocked to discover that White Windows is much more remote than she had anticipated, that the servants are truculent and the owners mysterious. Brought up in bustling London Annaleigh was a foundling brought up by a painter and his wife she had anticipated a different life believing herself to be part of Mr. Calvert’s family but when love seemed to blossom between his stepson and adopted daughter Mr. Calvert is happy to have Annaleigh move away. Broken hearted and apparently without family Annaleigh quickly becomes fascinated by her darkly mysterious new employer Mr. Twentyman. The parallels between The Vanishing and Jane Eyre are obvious; the educated young woman fallen on hard times, the brooding hero, the gothic setting of the big house and the remoteness of the Yorkshire Moors but what could easily be a pastiche becomes in the careful hands of a skillful writer a wonderful homage and a clever reworking.

Also and perhaps more importantly Sophia Tobin has addressed the issue of women’s lack of rights in the period and the power and manipulation that men wielded to control them. Either as daughters, wives or servants women were essentially property without rights to their own bodies, their belongings or their children. A fast paced and wonderfully written gothic thriller which will appeal to Brontë fans and lovers of Victorian mysteries. This clever and insightful book should bring Sophia Tobin widely deserved critical and popular acclaim.

First published in The Historical Novel Review issue 79  (Feb 2017) as an Editor's Choice. 

https://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/the-vanishing/

The Hidden People by Alison Littlewood

Alison Littlewood's latest novel is a bit of a departure. The author is well known for her thrilling horror fiction and with her new book she continues to feature haunted houses and people, but with this novel there is the added element of historical fiction. Because of this I know this book will be a must read for anyone who like me devours tales of the Victorian gothic.
Inspired by a real life killing in the Irish countryside in the 1890s Littlewood relocates the action to her home county of Yorkshire in the 1860s. Albie is a London man, working his way up in his father's business. He first meets his young Yorkshire cousin Lizzie at The Great Exhibition in 1851, that great symbol of industry and technology. Eleven years later he is newly married and devastated to hear that not only is his cousin dead but her husband is accused of killing her; believing her to be a fairy changeling. Albie travels to the village of Halfoak to bury his cousin and discover what led to her death. In Halfoak he discovers a village that has remained almost unchanged for centuries where superstition holds sway and the villagers are reluctant to talk to an outsider. Alison Littlewood is fantastic at evoking a powerful almost claustrophobic atmosphere and a wonderful sense of clashing cultures as the old ways meet the new. This is a brilliant murder mystery full of gothic suspense and elements of magical realism. You will be entranced by the story as Albie questions what is real or not and wonders if the house is haunted, if his cousin was murdered or was she really a fairy. Perfect for fans of Wuthering Heights or The Woman in Black.
Thanks so much to Olivia Mead for sending me a copy to review.
Published by Jo Flethcher Books.