1969 Yorkshire. Nell Lewis arrives at her new job as deputy governer at a former borstal for boys, now repurposed as an open prison for women ‘residents.’ A Murder Inside, a Brackerley Prison mystery, is first in a new classic crime series by Frances Brody. Brody’s 1920s Kate Shackleton books feature a female sleuth, and so does A Murder Inside. Just as Nell must get used to her new staff, all with quirky nicknames, and her first four residents, so must the reader. Brody spends time setting the scene at HMP Brackerley including routines, sleeping arrangements, staff members and formal prison reporting procedures, which makes the first half pass slowly. There are a lot of characters to introduce and their backstories to be explored. But when a dead body is found, the pace steps up.
Is it suicide or murder. Is Nell certain of the location of every resident and staff member at the crucial time, or has the leaky security let her down. Nell started her career as a policewoman and knows local detective chief inspector Julian McHale from those early days. This helps Nell tread gently between her prison reponsibilities and her pastoral ambitions for the care of her female residents. As the story unfolds we get to know more about Olga, Cherry, Diane and Linda, their crimes, their grudges. Perhaps first impressions are not to be relied upon. The same rule can be applied to Nell’s staff and helpful locals such as the nearby farmer and his wife, and three former-borstal boys still hanging around. When contraband cigarettes are found in the prison grounds, Nell must identify the smuggler.
The prison setting is very different and I’m curious about how this series will develop. Linda’s sub-plot is the most dynamic element of A Murder Inside and I’d like to have read more about her. The 1960s setting is less visible than how the 1930s is portrayed in the Kate Shackleton series, perhaps because the bulk of the action in this first novel happens inside the prison and its grounds.
The next book is Six Motives for Murder.

Read my reviews of the Kate Shackleton 1920s crime novels:-
DYING IN THE WOOL #1KATESHACKLETON… read the #FirstPara HERE
A MEDAL FOR MURDER #2KATESHACKLETON
A DEATH IN THE DALES #7KATESHACKLETON
A SNAPSHOT OF MURDER #10KATESHACKLETON
DEATH AND THE BREWERY QUEEN #12KATESHACKLETON
A MANSION FOR MURDER #13KATESHACKLETON

If you like this, try:-
‘Pop Goes the Weasel’ by MJ Arlidge #HELENGRACE
‘Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel’ by Lucy Foley #1MARPLE
‘The Risk of Darkness’ by Susan Hill #3SIMONSERRAILLER

And if you’d like to share a link:
#BookReview A MURDER INSIDE by Frances Brody @FrancesBrody https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-aqM via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:-