A Legacy of Murder by Connie Berry is another sophisticated book from this wonderful author.

Is the death that happened twenty years ago connected to the recent death?

Kate Hamilton
Kate Hamilton is our sleuth and the main point of view character. She is a great woman that is now in England visiting her daughter, Christine, who is at an internship. She is also spending some time with a particular cop that she met in Scotland 30 days before her coming back. I love how Ms. Barry has made this character as she is so uniquely driven by not only wanting to help her daughter but also to help the Lady that runs the house where her daughter works.

What I like about Kate is that yes, she is a widow, but she isn't letting that hold her back any longer. She is a great mystery solver that is excellent at helping at old houses.

Tom Mallory
Tom Mallory is our love interest to Kate Hamilton and our police involvement. He likes Kate is a widow, but he lives where Kate's daughter's job is located. It is a unique relationship these two hold as they both know that neither will give up their place for the other, but they are still trying to make it work. Tom is also glad to have Kate's help in this murder investigation but doesn't want her to get hurt.

What I like about Tom is that he does allow her to help him out as long as she tells him what she finds out and as long as it isn't directly involved within the murder. It's a tight line that she walks.

The mystery
The mystery is a cold case about how a girl twenty years earlier may be related to the recent death that has happened in the same place as she was? That is the eerie question since the victim Tiffany was working to bring to light a missing treasure for this family, and so was the first victim. Coincidence? I think not.

Five Stars
We follow once again through Kate Hamilton's shoes as we travel through the English countryside, visiting Kate's daughter at her new job and trying to figure out her budding relationship with a particular cop. A Legacy of Murder by Connie Berry isn't like any old book but one that you want to sink your teeth into now. I am giving this book five stars and recommending it to anyone that loves cozy mysteries.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of A Legacy of Murder by Connie Berry.

Anyways, until next time,
Karen the Baroness

If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out BaronessBookTrove.com.

I’m not joking when I say I’ve found a new must-follow series! Connie Berry’s A Legacy of Murder is one the best cozy mysteries I’ve read for the year… and I read a lot of them!

The story has everything I love in a cozy: lovable characters, beautiful setting, deliciously intricate mystery plot and a touch of romance.

The setting is atmospheric and fantastically depicted. Admittedly there are some paragraphs upon paragraphs of descriptions of landscapes, buildings and artefacts. Some kept my rapt attention and a couple I may have glossed over. It’s never overdone though and certainly does not upset the flow of the story.

This is book two in the Kate Hamilton Mystery series and the first that I’ve read. I did not feel lost at all. I immediately got a sense of Kate’s character and a bit about her background. Reference was made to a couple events from the first book, but just enough to whet the appetite to read it and not enough to be tiresome.

The mystery, or I should say mysteries, are very well-plotted. They are twisty and utterly delightful to read. We have several conundrums to puzzle through: the murders, the heists, the missing son, the mysterious stranger, the ring’s Identity and the random list of objects. All of these elements make for intriguing motives and opportunities. As those develop the reader has a difficult time fixating of the true culprit. The red herrings that pop up are often dead ends but sometimes related to another aspect of the case. I really enjoyed sifting through all the clues.

The characters help bring the story to life and we’re treated to some very different personalities. Where Tom Mallory is patient and level-headed, Kate’s daughter is impetuous and acts a bit spoilt. Lady’s Barbara timeless grace and elegance contrasts against Ivor’s unrefined charm. Each of the players adds to the story, and their interactions with Kate help the reader understand the protagonist better.

I did enjoy Kate as a main character and I found her to be determined, strong, a little flawed and quite endearing overall. There is one disagreement she has with Tom where her actions and responses are completely believable and understandable even if I think she borrowed a page from Christine’s spoilt-child-behaviour book. All of this simply made me more invested in the characters and intrigued to find out what happened next!

What a great second episode in the life of Kate Hamilton and this was a book that leaves you wanting more and more.

Kate is back in the UK partly to see her daughter (Christine) who is studying over here and partly to see Tom, the police officer she met in Scotland, her daughter has an Intern position at a stately home and it is not too far from where Tom is based, so far so good, but the day after she arrives and whilst going on the tour of the home a young boy discovers a dead body in the lake! Now Tom is trying to juggle a murder case and seeing Kate, Kate has ended up taking the temporary job of the murdered young woman and Christine is having man problems! Oh and Tom's mother really doesn't like her - just to add to the "fun".

Luckily there is a nice gastropub and a wonderful Antique shop, but even these are not enough to keep Kate away from the murder, especially when there is another one and then another attack and now Christine is in the frame for at least one of them, oh and there have been some interesting thefts in the area as well which adds more intrigue to the mix!

4.5 stars! Deft and realistic characterization, a well-crafted plot, and a talent for conveying both setting and atmosphere put Connie Berry’s A Legacy of Murder firmly in my Top 5 Mysteries list for 2019. The book reads more like a tradition Golden Age mystery set in the present than like a light contemporary cozy mystery — and that is very much to my taste.

Kate is a sympathetic and believable heroine. The bonus for me is that she is 46, an American widow with two adult children… and in love (“or not; it’s complicated”) with a British Detective Inspector, Tom Mallory, whom she met in the first book in the series. Frankly, it’s refreshing to have a middle-aged-but-not-past-romance heroine. (And it reminds me of another series I enjoy, the Crime with the Classics mysteries by Katherine Bolger Hyde.)

Connie Berry evidently subscribes to what I consider to be one of the cardinal rules of mystery writing: the author must “play fair” with the reader. All clues known to the detective (in this case, Kate) should be available for the observant reader to discover, so that the reader has the opportunity to solve the crime or puzzle on their own. In this series, Kate serves as both amateur detective and first-person narrator, so generally speaking, we see and hear whatever she does. And Tom’s awareness of Kate’s intelligence and abilities means she’s privy to much of what the police know, as well. Despite all that, it took me about as long as it took Kate to figure out the solution to the mystery, due to a multiplicity of suspects and other complicating factors.

There is so much to enjoy in this book: the village-and-great-house setting, the not-always-easy-but-worth-it relationship between Kate and Tom, Kate’s knowledge of and flair for antiques. All of the secondary characters are interesting and believable, and some are quite charming, like Ivor, the local antiques dealer, and the elderly and nearly blind Lady Barbara. But this is a contemporary Britain, not a nostalgic or idealized one. Berry doesn’t gloss over the financial difficulties facing most of the great estates, nor the heartaches, rivalries, and fears that can bedevil relationships of all sorts.

If you are a fan of Agatha Christie, Catherine Aird, and other traditional British mystery authors, you should give Connie Berry a try. A Legacy of Murder is the second book in the series, but I never felt lost reading it. Still, I plan to go back and read the first book, A Dream of Death, as soon as I can!

Antiques dealer Kate Hamilton is in England to visit her daughter Christine, an intern at Finchley Hall, a down-at-its heels country manor steeped in local history and lore, which over the years has been the site of murder and misfortune. Desperately in need of major repairs, its current owner Lady Barbara hopes the 200th Anniversary Exhibition of the Finchley Hoard, a collection of family treasures, will generate much-needed revenue. During the preparation of the exhibit, however, the village is beset by a series of murders, attacks, and thefts.

Kate agrees to stay on at Finchley Hall to complete the exhibition work begun by Tabitha King, whose lifeless body is found submerged in a lake on the property. The similarity between this murder and the unsolved death of another curator in 1996 raises alarms that history may be repeating itself. Were both crimes committed by the same person, or is someone else responsible? Detective Inspector Tom Mallory of the local constabulary is tasked with finding out.

Kate’s work on the exhibit uncovers items missing from the collection, and a rash of burglaries of precious objects in the area has the staff on high alert. As the murder investigation proceeds, more attacks occur, leaving the community on pins and needles. Are these criminal activities connected? And could a rare missing book hold the key to the solution of the murders and thefts? There seems to be danger at every turn.

A Legacy of Murder is a thoroughly engrossing mystery with no shortage of lively characters, dead bodies, mysterious circumstances, and plausible murder suspects. The author has a real talent for character and setting development, and interweaving the past and the present. Berry creates a rich ancestral history for her quaint village, with families intermarrying over generations, producing a plethora of interesting relationships and motives for murder.

Moreover, Berry enriches the development of the series which she began with A Dream of Death. The budding long-distance romance between Kate and Tom is nurtured and tested, and we learn more about supporting characters from each of their families. It is thus that Berry increases the appeal of the series and readers’ investment in the characters.

Another second in a series that I jumped right into! This novel can stand alone, so enjoy, even if you haven't read the first novel in the series.

Kate Hamilton travels to England over Christmas, with her daughter, who is working as an intern at a hundred year old estate.

Almost immediately, there is a murder, and the mystery begins.

During the spans of the novel, we meet Tom, who Kate originally meets in the first novel, but we receive enough background I didn't feel as if I needed to read the first novel to understand their dynamic. Tom helps investigate the first murder, and then again another murder later on in the novel.

The plot is strong, and the pace moves quickly. I enjoyed this novel, and there really were no moments when I wished it would move faster.

I did solve the mystery before the end of the novel, but that didn't deter me from finishing the novel, I was still very eager to see how Connie Berry laid out the final events of the novel. I definitely look forward to more novels in this series.

Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A Legacy of Murder by Connie Berry is the second A Kate Hamilton Mystery. Kate Hamilton is visiting her daughter, Christine who obtained a position as an intern at Finchley Hall in Long Barston, Suffolk, England. Kate is enjoying a tour with the docent’s spiel on the four murders that have occurred on the Elizabethan estate as well the infamous Hoard. As they approach the lake, a young boy screams, and Kate sees the body of a woman. Kate calls her beau, Detective Inspector Tom Mallory with the Suffolk Constabulary who rushes to the scene. The victim is Tabitha King who is an intern on the estate working on the upcoming display of the Finchley Hoard. When Lady Barbara Finchley-fforde learns of Kate’s background, she asks if Kate would take over Tabitha’s work for the upcoming exhibit. Kate also agrees to help Tom by keeping her eyes and ears open for intel that would help the investigation. Kate’s pleasant Christmas vacation takes a turn when she gets caught up in mysterious happenings at Finchley Hall. Connie Berry is a descriptive writer whose details brings the scenes and characters alive. The setting was lovely, and I felt like I was in Suffolk. The antiques store in town sounded wondrous along with its quirky owner. If you have not read A Dream of Death, you will not be lost. Everything a new reader needs to know is included in A Legacy of murder. I thought the story contained good writing, but it does moves along at a slower pace. Things do pick up later in the story. Kate is a strong female protagonist. She is a widow with two grown children and runs an antique shop in Ohio. I can tell the author is familiar with antiques and this knowledge is beautifully incorporated into the story. The mystery is multifaceted which I enjoyed. Kate also gets to spend time with Tom, and I like that he finds her observations helpful. Kate’s daughter, Christine has some growing up to do. She needs to learn that work and hunky boyfriends do not mix. A Legacy of Murder is an intriguing cozy mystery with multiple murders, extraordinary exhibition, boyfriend brouhaha, and a stately estate.

Very interesting story. I hadn't realized this was the second in a series and I didn't have any trouble following the story though i did wish i had read it because there were occasional references to it.

I really enjoyed this story and the characters involved.

I received an ARC from netgalley for my review and rating.

If your favoured reading material is a compelling tale with a good sprinkling of mystery, murder, relationships and good old-fashioned policing and sleuthing then A Legacy of Murder by Connie Berry is a must-read for you!

It’s nearly Christmastime and independent and level-headed American antique dealer Kate Hamilton is back, along with a very busy DI Tom Mallory, in this fabulous continuation of a brilliant series! This traditional mystery plot was very appealing to me in many ways. There were elements of history surrounding an unsolved murder, a large bunch of colourful characters, a whisper of troubled romance and a fantastic setting in the English countryside.

This was a whodunnit mystery containing many red herrings that threw me off the scent and would satisfy even the most meticulously thorough armchair detective. Connie Berry's knowledge of antiques was admirable and she clearly knew her subject matter very well. I found that this novel was suspenseful enough to keep my level of interest high and I wanted to keep scrolling on my e-reader.

All in all, A Legacy of Murder was a brilliant addition to marvellous, compulsive series and it was the perfect book to curl up with on a chilly autumn weekend along with a steaming mug of hot chocolate! I am already looking forward to reading the next instalment.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

“Legacy of Murder” is book two in the “A Kate Hamilton Mystery” series by Connie Berry, this was my first time reading a book by this author and I was pleasantly surprised. This can be read as a stand-alone but I found myself wishing I had previously read the first one.

American antique dealer Kate Hamilton's Christmastime jaunt to a charming English village leads to an investigation of a missing ruby...and a chain of murders.

It's Christmastime and antiques dealer Kate Hamilton is off to visit her daughter, Christine, in the quaint English village of Long Barston. Christine and her boyfriend, Tristan, work at stately-but-crumbling Finchley Hall. Touring the Elizabethan house and grounds, Kate is intrigued by the docent's tales of the Finchley Hoard, and the strange deaths surrounding the renowned treasure trove. But next to a small lake, Kate spies the body of a young woman, killed by a garden spade.

Nearly blind Lady Barbara, who lives at Finchley with her loyal butler, Mugg, persuades Kate to take over the murdered woman's work. Kate finds that a Burmese ruby has vanished from the legendary Blood-Red Ring, replaced by a lesser garnet. Were the theft and the woman's death connected?

Kate learns that Lady Barbara's son fled to Venezuela years before, suspected of murdering another young woman. The murder weapon belonged to an old gardener, who becomes the leading suspect. But is Lady Barbara's son back to kill again? When another body is found, the clues point toward Christine. It's up to Kate to clear her daughter's name...

I loved the setting of the village of Long Barstow in Suffolk , Berry’s descriptions made me feel like I was in the UK again learning about the problems of trying to keep these old large estates viable. I also enjoyed learning a bit about antiques but mostly it had quirky characters as often found in small villages. I especially liked the duelling pubs the “The Three Magpies” and “The Finchley Arms”, which brought some humour to the story.

Protagonist Kate is a strong, independent woman who is trying to rebuild her life after the death of her husband 3 years ago. She is level headed, kind hearted and very talented at seeing little details and putting clues together to solve crimes. I found her daughter Christine to be a bit much with her tantrums but Berry does try to explain why she acts the way she does. I really liked the side characters of Ivor Tweedy , Lady Barbara, Vivian and Fergus (pug).

I found myself engrossed in the story and reading it in one sitting. I did suspect the killer early on but there were lots of twists and turns I started second guessing myself. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good traditional British cozy mystery with a historical background.

I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I do love a murder that is tied to secrets from the past! And throw in a stately manor house with a museum exhibit in the works and I couldn't be more excited. I liked that the main character was slightly older with grown children and slowly reentering the dating world after a long time away. I also liked seeing her thoughts with dealing with her adult daughter Christine. Honestly, Christine is a difficult character to like but I did sympathize with her and I sympathized with Kate as the book went along. Kate loves her daughter but sees her for who she is. It felt authentic.



The mystery was interesting - just what happened to the intern and how did it connect to a murder that took place 25 years before? It took longer then I liked to really pull the past connections into the present but the whole story of the manor house was intriguing. I especially loved when Kate started working on the exhibit and talking about all the artifacts.


While the action started pretty much immediately I found the pacing a little uneven. There's a lot going on between the murder investigation, the drama among the interns, Kate and Tom's dating issues, and getting the museum exhibit ready on time. It was never confusing or cluttered but with all the switching of focus and large cast it took several chapters to really become invested with the characters and the mystery itself.



This was an entertaining and solid mystery with a fantastic setting and a likable main character. I'm looking forward to visiting Kate's world again in future (and the past) books.

I truly enjoyed the second mystery in this new series. A well written and plotted mystery, I really liked the descriptions of life in Suffolk and the problems of trying to keep these old large estates viable. Ohio antiques dealer Kate Hamilton is all set to spend a couple weeks right on the estate. It's a chance to spend time with her daughter Christine as she begins an internship at Finchley Hall and to see where things may go with detective inspector Tom Mallory after their electric meeting in Scotland. Lady Barbara of Finchley Hall is set to exhibit the Finchley Hoard--stolen and then found artifacts from 300 to 400 years ago, hoping to raise money to keep the Hall livable. Finchley Hall has a long past, and seems to be a magnet for murder. The present day is no exception, an intern is murdered and small antiquities begin disappearing from nearby estates. There are a lot of little things that make this book work so well, for instance the dueling pubs in town and the secondary characters (and dog) are well done.

An entertaining book with a likeable cast of characters. Ms.Berry does a great job with the descriptions of the English manor house and antiques. You really feel like you’re in the middle of the mystery. A bit of a predictable ending, but a good read nonetheless.

I truly enjoyed reading this wonderfully entertaining and captivating story. A Legacy of Murder was my first experience reading a book by Connie Berry and I was pleasantly surprised by her engaging writing style, her many well developed characters and her realistic and detailed mystery. Although the beginning of the story was a little slow, I was soon pulled in by the well developed plot that held my attention and kept me guessing until the very end. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good cozy mystery with a historical background, a hidden treasure, great characters, a really engaging plot and a little bit of romance.

A Legacy of Murder is the second book in Connie Berry’s Kate Hamilton Mystery series and is set in the English town of Long Barston. Although this is the second book in this series, it can easily be read as a standalone. The story is told in the first person point of view and features Kate Hamilton, a 46 year old antique dealer from Jackson Falls, Ohio. Kate is a strong, independent woman who is trying to rebuild her life after the death of her husband. She is level headed, kind hearted and very talented at putting clues together to solve crimes.

Kate Hamilton has decided to spend the two weeks before the Holidays visiting her daughter, Christine in England. Christine is working as an intern at Finchley Hall and has made arrangements for her mother to stay in one of the private rooms on the estate where the interns live. Kate is also hoping to spend time with Detective Inspector Tom Mallory who she met one month ago in Ireland. Kate is hoping to get to know Tom better to see if their new relationship has a future despite the obstacles and great distance that separate them. “Leave it to me to fall in love with a man that lives 3700 miles away.” Although Tom was first introduced in the previous book the author provides enough background information about their relationship to easily jump right into the story.

At the beginning of the story Kate arrives at Finchley Hall and decides to takes a tour of the estate where she learns about the history of Finchley Hall, its famous treasure and its well known legacy of murder. While on the tour a young boy comes across the dead body of Tabitha King, an intern in charge of preparing an exhibit of the Finchley treasure. Kate soon learns that Tabitha’s murder is very much like another interns murder that took place 23 years earlier. Soon, Kate is asked by Lady Barbara Finchley-fforde to fill in for the intern and to help with the exhibit of the famous Finchley treasure. Since the exhibit is essentially to the financial security of the estate Kate agrees to help. When she notices that some items on the list are unaccounted for, she starts to investigate. Soon Kate finds herself in the middle of several murders, a local ring of thefts involving stolen antiques and having to prove her own daughter's innocence.

Kate’s dream vacation to London was supposed to help her form a strong relationship with her daughter Christine, meet Tristan- Christine’s new boyfriend, buy some antiques for her shop in Ohio, and spend time with Tom. Instead Tom is too busy investigating the murders, Christine is upset with Tristan and refuses to talk to Kate and Kate has committed herself to setting up the exhibit for the estate. Will Kate be able to find out what happened to the missing items from the treasure? Will she be able to uncover those responsible for the murders before it’s too late? Will she be able to clear her daughter from any involvement and still be able to have the close relationship that she was hoping for? Finally, will she be able to spend time with Tom and have a meaningful relationship with him despite the distance? Kate’s dream vacation is far from what she was hoping for!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading A Legacy of Murder by Connie Berry. The story was fast paced, the plot was extremely well developed and the mystery completely held my attention. Although I was pretty sure I knew who was responsible for the murders, the many twists and turns of the story kept me guessing about possible motives and made me suspicious of many. I enjoyed Kate’s relationship with Tom, their interactions and the very realistic challenges they face. The secondary characters were all very colorful and absolutely delightful. Although, I must note that I really did not like Christine. I found her to be spoiled, immature and quite a handful. I did however enjoy Kate’s friendship with Lady Barbara, Vivian and little Danny. I especially liked her friendship with Ivor, an elderly antique dealer and felt it added a special warmth to the story. I also found the rivalry between the two town pubs very entertaining and often humorous. This was a wonderful and very engaging story that had a lot of depth and great detail. Connie Berry is a very talented author and I look forward to reading her next book in this series. I highly recommend this story. It’s the perfect book to curl up with on a chilly autumn or winter day!

I would like to thank Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the wonderful opportunity to read a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest, unbiased review!

Kate Hamilton has traveled to the small village of Long Barston in England. Her daughter, Christine, is spending her semester break working at Finchley Hall as one of several college aged interns who work on the premises, and Kate can visit Christine and her new friend Tom Mallory, a policeman she met in Scotland and is falling for, before heading back home to Ohio to spend Christmas with her mother. On her first day, Kate is taking a tour of Finchley Hall. The guide is talking about the murders that have taken place on the estate when a scream interrupts her. Kate and several others run to find one of the interns dead. The police are quick to label it murder. With Tom on the case, it is cutting into the time Kate thought they would have together. But she can’t help but worry. Is Christine in danger since she is an intern?

I’ve just teased the first couple of chapters, so things obviously get off to a fast start. However, the pace is uneven, especially early on in the story. I know part of that is me since Kate loves England much more than I do, and her wonder at spending time there didn’t translate to me. However, there is a good mystery here, with some decent twists and surprises. The climax is page turning and perfect logical. The characters are absolutely wonderful. We have a rather large cast, but I never had any issue keeping everyone and their relationship to the events unfolding around Kate straight. While the book is set in December, there is so much going on we don’t get lots of scenes directly related to Christmas, although I certainly enjoyed the references to the season we did see. This book isn’t quite as strong as the first one, but I’m glad I read it. This is a series that anyone who loves the British Isles needs to pick up today.

A fast paced and character driven cozy mystery, gripping and well written.
it was a fast and fun read.
I loved the well written cast of characters, the lovely setting and the mystery that kept me guessing.
It's the first book I read in this series and won't surely be the last.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

It's the Christmas season and Kate Hamilton has arrived at Finchley Hall in the town of Long Barston, ready to enjoy spending time with her daughter, Christine. Finchley Hall may be a stately home but it is down on its uppers and some tourist dollars would be very welcome. Lady Barbara has a group of college interns working to develop a display of the family treasure which includes a ruby that has been swapped out and replaced with a garnet. Were there other thefts? As one of the interns is a no show there is room for Kate at the Hall and that leads to her being asked to take the place of the missing intern. Soon the intern is found dead and the investigation gets underway. The policeman doing the investigating is Tom, Kate's new romantic interest whom we met in the first book of the series. Together they hunt for a killer with a very personal connection to Kate. One of the suspects happens to be her daughter, Christine.
I love the setting, the characters are well developed and the mystery kept me engaged from beginning to end. The new characters that we meet are delightful and oh so British. After enjoying this mystery I find myself wanting to take another trip to England.
My thanks to the publisher Crooked Lane and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

A Legacy Of Murder is the second book in the A Kate Hamilton Mystery series.

Kate is looking forward to visiting her daughter Christine, who’s working at the renowned Finchley Hall as an intern inventorying the family’s papers that hundreds of years old. Kate was happy to learn that another intern failed to show up and Kate will be given that room and will be able to spend even more time with Christine.

Shortly after arriving at Finchley Hall decides to take a guided tour of the hall to become familiar with it. Finally, Alexa Devereux shows up and apologizes for being late but the scheduled guide didn’t show up to conduct the tour. Alexa is pointing out interesting spots relating to the murders that have occurred at the hall. As they are approaching the lakeside, she points out that this was where the last murder was committed some twenty years earlier. As she is finishing, the group hears a scream from a young boy. They rush to where the boy is standing, screaming at a dead body who is later identified as the intern who should have been conducting the tour.

Kate vows not to get involved in the murder investigation, but to devote her time to visiting with her daughter and maybe developing a relationship with Tom. When Lady Barbara, owner of the hall, offers Kate the job the deceased intern was working on, the organizing of display of the hoard at the hall. Lady Barbara hopes the exhibit will be able to bring in much-needed funds to halls coffers. Kate soon finds that some items from the collection might be missing and her daughter’s life might be in danger.

Kate is also dealing with problems in her personal life. She doesn’t think that Christine’s boyfriend, Tristan is the right one for her, but knows that if tells Christine that her relationship with Christine might be damaged. Also, her relationship with Tom might be facing problems. Tom’s mother is trying her best to come between them.

The book is well-written and plotted and moves at a nice pace. There is also a wonderful cast of believable and interesting characters. There are plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing to the end.

I will be watching for the next book in this interesting series.

Legacy of Murder by Connie Berry is the quintessential cozy mystery and I loved it. While A Dream of Death was a wonderful book, the second Kate Hamilton Mystery was even better. The pacing felt a bit faster, and I appreciated the greater focus on Kate. The mystery was involved, well-developed, and awesome, but for me, the most important part of any book is getting to know the characters. This novel is a winner in both respects. Many of the secondary characters were likable characteristics; the people in the first book were created really well, but there were only a few that I was supposed to connect with. Kate's mother wasn't even in England but she felt like a key character. Her strength and kindness called to me; in fact, she reminded me of my own mother. I hope we get to spend more time with her in a future book. Ms. Berry has done an excellent job selling the strength of the new relationship between Kate and Tom.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for allowing me to read an ARC of A Legacy of Murder; it was great!
#Legacy of Murder #NetGalley #Crooked Lane Books

A Legacy of Murder by Connie Berry is a wonderful cozy mystery, only Berry's second book! Kate Hamilton is in Suffolk, England, ostensibly visiting her daughter, Christine, who is an intern at a local castle, but also to pursue her romance with Detective Inspector Thomas Mallory, who she had met in Scotland previously. Kate is also an antiques dealer so she is on the lookout for good deals for her shop back home. It is while on a commercial tour of the castle and its grounds that a young boy discovers a body on the edge of the lake. It is Tabitha, the young female intern who is preparing the exhibit of special items dating back to the 13th century that are part of the castle's history.

It is difficult to go on without spoilers, suffice it to say, this is a lovely novel, encompassing both past and present, England and America, young romance and old. Kate is only 46 but is a widow who had been married to an older man. She is a mother to two, and as most mothers, it is difficult for her to watch her children make mistakes or be in pain. She is young enough that her beau, Tom, has a mother who is less than keen on the budding romance, and pulls out no stops to destroy it. Entertaining to watch, not as much fun to be in the middle of. There are many entertaining peripheral characters, full of personality. This appears to be a pretty authentic representation of life in a village in Suffolk, in the current day (sans murder). It is a thoroughly entertaining read and I can't wait for more. I recommend it to all cozy aficionados.

I received a free ARC of this book from Netgalley. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #alegacyofmurder