''Frances Brody has made it to the top rank of crime writers'' Daily Mail ''Brody''s writing is like her central character Kate Shackleton: witty acerbic and very very perceptive'' Ann Cleeves AN IDYLLIC SEASIDE TOWN Nothing ever happens in August and tenacious sleuth Kate Shackleton deserves a break. Heading off for a long-overdue holiday to Whitby she visits her school friend Alma who works as a fortune teller there. A MISSING GIRL Kate had been looking forward to a relaxing seaside sojourn but upon arrival discovers that Alma''s daughter Felicity has disappeared leaving her mother a note and the pawn ticket for their only asset: a watch-guard. What makes this more intriguing is the jeweller who advanced Felicity the thirty shillings is Jack Phillips Alma''s current gentleman friend. A COMPLEX MYSTERY TO SOLVE Kate can''t help but become involved and goes to the jeweller''s shop to get some answers. When she makes a horrifying discovery in the back room it soon becomes clear that her services are needed. Met by a wall of silence by town officials keen to maintain Whitby''s idyllic façade it''s up to Kate to discover the truth behind Felicity''s disappearance. Praise for Frances Brody''s Kate Shackleton series: ''Delightful'' People''s Friend ''Frances Brody matches a heroine of free and independent spirit with a vivid evocation of time and place. a novel to cherish'' Barry Turner Daily Mail ''Brody''s excellent mystery splendidly captures the conflicts and attitudes of the time with well-developed characters'' RT Book Reviews ''Kate Shackleton is a splendid heroine'' Ann Granger . Language: English