The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder by C.L. Miller ) (Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder #1) (2024)

 

Freya Lockwood hasn’t been back to her hometown of Little Meddington in 20 years but that changes when her Aunt Carole calls to tell her that her dear friend and Freya’s former mentor in the antiques trade, Arthur Crockleford, has died under suspicious circumstances. Freya had cut all contact with Arthur since an “incident” 20 years prior so is reluctant to answer her aunt’s request for help in proving he was murdered. This “incident” is mentioned often in the first part of the book but the facts are a long time coming. I’m sure this is meant to build the suspense but I found it irritating.

Arthur owned an antique store but his real work was as an antique hunter, tracking down stolen antiques and returning them to their rightful owner. The reader meets him in the prologue as he is preparing for his eventual murder. He leaves a series of clues for Carole and Freya which lead them to an Antiques Enthusiast Retreat, planned by Arthur who warns his betrayer will be watching their every move.

At Copthorn Manor where the event takes Freya is sure the antiques in the house are reproductions and senses that Arthur had his reasons for sending her there – reasons connected to the events that led to her rift with Arthur.

Freya and her “woo is me” attitude was tiring but resolves itself by the end of the book.  The most interesting character was eccentric Aunt Carole, a former actress. Both will return in the second book in the series, Death on the Red Sea, due out in February 2025.

The author is the daughter of the late Judith Miller, a former expert on “Antiques Roadshow” and served as an editorial assistant for Miller’s Antiques Price Guide.

3.5 stars on Goodreads, 4.0 on Amazon

This book is not available at EPL. Ask any of the reference librarians to get it for you from an area library.

The Wharton Plot by Mariah Fredericks (2023)

 

I was so looking forward to this Mariah Frederick offering as I loved her Jane Prescott series (see Blog entry dated Jan 23, 2021.) However, I was disappointed. I found the text difficult to read, too bogged down with details of things I didn't feel did anything to advance the story . Or maybe it was simply because Edith Wharton was not the most likable character. The story combines two historic facts, the murder of David Graham Phillips and a dinner Edith Wharton attended with Henry James, and two other close friends at the Belmont Hotel. 

When the story opens Edith Wharton is stranded at the Belmont Hotel in New York City with her mentally unstable husband Teddy, laminating the changes in the city and anxious to return to Paris. When meeting with her publisher, Edith is introduced to fellow author David Graham Phillips whom she declares “absolute twaddle”. When Phillips  is murdered the following day, which happens to be Edith’s birthday, she finds herself intrigued and attends his funeral. When the victim’s sister asks Edith to advocate for the publishing of Phillips final manuscript, Edith decides she can uncover the murderer. The police play no role in the novel as Edith does it all on her own.

If you are an avid mystery fan I would not recommend this. Edith Wharton as a detective does not ring true. What the book does well though is depict New York City and the lifestyle of the upper class during the Gilded Age.

3.57 stars on Goodreads, 4.1 on Amazon

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (2022)

 

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know I have a thing about books with animals in them. I have never read about a Giant Pacific Octopus before so I couldn’t help but pick this one up.

Tova is a seventy-year-old woman who knows all about grief having lose her only child when he was a teenager (labeled a suicide) and recently her husband. To keep herself busy she takes a night job at the Sowell Bay Aquarium cleaning. This is where she meets Marcellus, the aquarium’s octopus.

To Marcellus, the aquarium is a prison where he has been held since he was taken from the ocean as a young octopus. The story begins on Marcellus’ 1,299^th day of captivity. He knows he is nearing the end of his life, not only because his body is failing but the sign posted outside his tank says his breed have a lifespan of four years or 1,460 days.

Giant Pacific Octopuses are remarkably bright creatures and Marcellus is no exception. He and Tova form a special bond when Tova safes his life. As Marcellus learns Tova’s story he realizes he knows the truth of what happened to her son and is determined to share it with her. How you ask? You’ll need to read the book.

The story is told from the point of view of its three characters; Marcellus, Tova, and 30-year-old Cameron who can’t hold on to a job. It is not until halfway through the book that his role in the story makes any sense.

I was sad when the story reached its natural conclusion. I would have liked to stayed in the world where animals and humans understand and help each other a little longer. Remarkably Bright Creatures is Van Pelt’s debut novel.

4.41 stars on Goodreads, 4.6 on Amazon