Kathy Shuker

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Barbara...
453 books | 1 friend

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Ellen
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Kathy Shuker

Goodreads Author


Born
The United Kingdom
Website

Genre

Influences
Too many to mention individually!

Member Since
March 2014

URL


I am a British author of absorbing and compelling mysteries, stories of intrigue and long held secrets. I trained as a physiotherapist but a back injury forced me to change career and, after studying design I worked as a freelance artist.
I started writing many years ago and now write full-time. I have written four stand-alone mysteries as well as three novels in the Dechansay Bright Mysteries, a series featuring two itinerant art restorers who become involved in a range of intrigues on their travels.
I live in Devon in southwest England. Art is still a major passion as are the natural world and music. Sadly, despite years of trying, (and the tolerance of both husband and neighbours) mastery of the piano, guitar and fiddle remains as elusive
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Kathy Shuker I don't think I've ever suffered complete writer's block fortunately. I write fiction and If I'm stuck with a scene or a section of plot I distance my…moreI don't think I've ever suffered complete writer's block fortunately. I write fiction and If I'm stuck with a scene or a section of plot I distance myself for a short while, try to do something easy on the mind like taking a walk or working in the garden. Then my sub-conscious seems to work on it and often the answer just comes to me. If I try too hard I can just go round in circles. Coming back to a story with fresh eyes is invaluable.(less)
Kathy Shuker Good question! Lots of things. I love inhabiting the worlds I create, getting to know my characters and how they will react to what life will throw at…moreGood question! Lots of things. I love inhabiting the worlds I create, getting to know my characters and how they will react to what life will throw at them, juggling all the different pieces of the jigsaw so the plot intertwines but hopefully comes out making sense at the end! I also love playing with the language, choosing the right words to - with luck - create the same image in the mind of the reader as I have in my own. Despite the inevitable angst, it's a privilege to be able to do it.(less)
Average rating: 4.05 · 145 ratings · 47 reviews · 7 distinct worksSimilar authors
Silent Faces, Painted Ghosts

4.11 avg rating — 35 ratings — published 2014 — 6 editions
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Deep Water Thin Ice

3.82 avg rating — 33 ratings — published 2014 — 9 editions
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That Still and Whispering P...

3.94 avg rating — 32 ratings3 editions
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The Silence Before Thunder

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A Crack in the Varnish (Dec...

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The Angel Downstairs

really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 7 ratings3 editions
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By a Hand Unknown (Dechansa...

3.80 avg rating — 5 ratings3 editions
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More books by Kathy Shuker…

New novel: The Angel Downstairs

April saw the release of the third in my Dechansay Bright mystery series. For those of you who haven't tried the series yet, Hannah Dechansay and Nathan Bright both work for an art restoration company that specialises in working on-site. They don’t get on, and trouble follows them around. Obliged to work side by side, they find there’s one thing they do well together: solve mysteries.

The Angel Downstairs (Dechansay Bright Mysteries) by Kathy Shuker The Ang Read more of this blog post »
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Published on May 25, 2024 00:18
A Crack in the Varnish By a Hand Unknown
(2 books)
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4.10 avg rating — 20 ratings

Kathy’s Recent Updates

" Sounds wonderful! "
" “Sometimes the best way to clear your mind is to keep your wheels turning.” A Ride to ResetYesterday I turned off the computer, took a deep breath, and hopped on my bike for a much-needed brain break. The day couldn’t have been better—p..." Read more of this blog post »
Kathy Shuker wants to read
Seascraper by Benjamin Wood
Seascraper
by Benjamin Wood (Goodreads Author)
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"Front of the Cotner family postcard, circa 1911  A Family Heirloom as Historical Evidence Sometimes history comes not from official documents or grand monuments, but from the simple items families tuck away—letters, journals, and in this case, a..." Read more of this blog post »
Kathy Shuker wants to read
Deep River by Shūsaku Endō
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Kathy Shuker wants to read
The Secret Life of Mr Roos by Håkan Nesser
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Kathy Shuker rated a book it was amazing
Chick Singer by Lorraine Devon Wilke
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I am a fan of Ms Wilke’s writing and was thoroughly drawn in by this her latest novel.
It’s a finely-woven and vivid story, set in the clamorous world of rock and roll, a world which the author apparently knows well and which gives it an authentic edg
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Kathy Shuker wants to read
The Case of the Lonely Accountant by Simon Mason
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The Case of the Lonely Accountant by Simon Mason
"This kind of mystery appeals to me. It's primarily psychological, with focus on one missing person - his life comes under scrutiny. Essentially it a string of vignettes, interviews with the people who knew the missing person but they are all striking" Read more of this review »
" The post Tolkien appeared first on Jack Ronald Cotner."
More of Kathy's books…
Quotes by Kathy Shuker  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“Letting go’ sounded like such an easy thing to do...but actually involved a lot of pain.”
Kathy Shuker, Deep Water, Thin Ice

“There was almost an air of penance about her, as if, by doing these dirty jobs which she found so distasteful, she was trying to repay some debt. And, to judge from the shadowy sadness which she carried around her like a mantle, it was about as effective as throwing in spadefuls of sand to dam a flowing river.”
Kathy Shuker, Deep Water, Thin Ice

“He had found that jealousy – or perhaps the fear of betrayal – was no respecter of age. Indeed, if anything, he thought getting older simply made it worse; he felt more vulnerable now.”
Kathy Shuker, Silent Faces, Painted Ghosts

Topics Mentioning This Author

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“Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness.”
Anne Frank

“The happiness of life is made up of minute fractions - the little, soon forgotten charities of a kiss or a smile, a kind look or heartfelt compliment.”
Samuel Taylor Coleridge

“The only real prison is fear, and the only real freedom is freedom from fear”
Aung San Suu Kyi

“Every book, every volume you see here, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eyes down its pages, its spirit grows and strengthens.”
Carlos Ruiz Zafón, The Shadow of the Wind

“If you knew in advance that something momentous and terrible would happen you’d make an effort to imprint it all in your mind, wouldn’t you, every detail. But of course you don’t know. And perhaps that’s just as well.”
Kathy Shuker, Silent Faces, Painted Ghosts

148434 Devon Book Club — 595 members — last activity Nov 10, 2025 12:13AM
For book lovers of all kinds who live in, work in or just love Devon and want to be part of this community.
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This group is dedicated to connecting readers with Goodreads authors. It is divided by genres, and includes folders for writing resources, book websit ...more
73787 The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) — 855 members — last activity Jul 24, 2025 08:31PM
This group is moderated by Jessica Bell, publisher of Vine Leaves Press. Jessica is also a widely published indie author and a Goodreads Librarian. Sh ...more
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