Murder in the afternoon

One Saturday afternoon, stonemason Ethan Armstrong is murdered. Oddly, his ten-year-old daughter, Harriet, was the only one to see his corpse in his workshop. When the authorities arrive later, the body has disappeared. Harriet's observations are not taken seriously, except by her mother, Mary Jane, who asks PI Kate Shackleton to investigate. Over the period of a week, Kate gradually untwists a number of village secrets, including some of her own. While Ethan's political leanings (he was a leftist union organizer) made him many enemies, it may be that other long-held secrets led to his death. VERDICT This meaty historical set in post-World War I England succeeds as a satisfying traditional mystery and as a fascinating historical novel tackling women's roles in the early 1920s. Brody's series, now at three (after A Medal for Murder), merits serious attention. While leisurely paced, it never lags, instead inviting quiet time on the couch with a cuppa. Partners well with Jacqueline Winspear and Kerry Greenwood. (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.