Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this ebook, free of charge, from Atria Books via #netgalley, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it. All opinions are my own
In this fun, cozy, debut mystery, an antiques hunter investigates a suspicious death at an isolated English manor, embroiling her in the high-stakes world of tracking stolen artifacts.
What antique would you kill for?
Freya Lockwood is shocked when she learns that Arthur Crockleford, antiques dealer and her estranged mentor, has died under mysterious circumstances. She has spent the last twenty years avoiding her quaint English hometown, but when she receives a letter from Arthur asking her to investigate—sent just days before his death—Freya has no choice but to return to a life she had sworn to leave behind.
Joining forces with her eccentric Aunt Carole, Freya folows clus to an old manor house for an advertised antiques enthusiast’s weekend. But not all is as it seems. It’s clear to Freya that the antiques are all just poor reproductions, and her fellow guests are secretive and menacing. What is going on at this estate and how was Arthur involved? More importantly, can Freya and Carole discover the truth before the killer strikes again?
Review
I actually read this series out of order. A couple of weeks ago. I reviewed book 3, and while it was okay to read us a standalone, I felt like I really had missed some of the setup, and was looking forward to going back and reading books one and two. Shortly after my review posted, the publisher contacted me offering both of the previous books for review. So of course I said yes!
It definitely makes much more sense reading this series in order, I do have to say. In this book, you get all the background information and you get to see the characters come together as a team. Well, it may not be super important for books two or three, that background allows you to understand why the characters do the things they do in those future books..
When Freya left town 20 plus years ago her life had changed almost overnight. She had lost the person she thought was going to be her future, she had lost her job that she wanted to pursue and she was floundering. When she met someone who appeared to offer her the stability she needed, she jumped at the chance and became a wife and then a mother. She put her previous life behind her and did not look back. But when her aunt calls to let her know that Arthur has died under suspicious circumstances, and she needs her to come home for the funeral, she can't help but to say yes, as her aunt had rescued her when her parents died. As she looks at the facts, she realizes things are off and Arthur may not have died naturally. As she and her aunt start looking into what could have happened, they soon find themselves in a mystery, with different people appearing to come after them. As the plot thickens, Freya will have to pull out all her previously learned skills to keep her and her aunt safe solving the mystery of Arthur's demise. In doing so, she will learn that there was a reason for why he tried to protect her 20 years ago and what it personally cost him. An interesting mystery, you know book two is coming at the end, and it sets up the entire series. For those who like a little Indiana Jones with their cozy mystery, this series is definitely for you!
About the Author
C. L. Miller started working life as an editorial assistant for her mother, Judith Miller, on The Miller’s Antique Price Guide and other antiquing guides. After she had children, she decided to follow her long-held dream of becoming an author and began concentrating on her writing full-time. She lives in a medieval cottage in Dedham Vale, Suffolk, with her family.
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