received this book for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

I loved this book! Omg I want to live there. Beautiful ❤️ and the plot was great too really.

Rather a boring read. Too much of the main characters thoughts and ramblings inside her own head. Not much action and pretty predictable. You could read the first 2 chapters and the last 2 chapters and still know everything that Halle s on the book

Kate is back working on getting the Barton mansion up to code so they can open it up for the public. Finding a mummified body behind a wall, then later the plumber falls down and breaks his neck too. A continuous book in the series. I’ve read the previous book but doubt think you will be lost if this is the first you’ve read. Good cozy mystery. Highly recommend this book and author.

I think it's worth noting that this is the third book in a series, it is still able to be read as a stand alone story. The mystery of the story was fun and the plot was overall engaging. If you're looking for a cozy, compelling mystery, I definitely recommend this one!

This is the third in a series where Kate Hamilton is trying to revive a dying town by revitalizing it as a Victorian village and a tourist destination. It requires a lot of renovation and one of the gems is an old mansion she hopes to start with. But just as she seems to have secured a great crew dissension arises and an old body is found in a sealed staircase. Then a new body joins the old and Kate has to figure out who is the modern day murderer before he or she kills the town’s hopes too.

I haven’t read the previous books in the series but it was easy enough to understand what was going on. I enjoyed the characters who are well rounded though it is obvious I had missed some of their bonds that grew from the previous books, this was particularly obvious in her relationship her perhaps boyfriend. But my favorite part was interweaving of information about the builder of the house and his wife into the story and making it relevant to the mystery.

A fun mystery.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the ARC in an exchange for an honest opinion.

I received this ARC via Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books, in return for an honest review. While the third book in this series, it can be read as a stand-alone. Kate Hamilton has undertaken the revitalization of her hometown, Asheboro, Maryland. As it is slowly dying off, she envisions a Victorian town of shops, restaurants, and tourist attractions. Thanks to a generous grant, she’s starting with the restoration of the 1880s Barton mansion. As her contractor begins work, things come to a sudden halt as he finds a body behind a hidden wall in the kitchen. On the good side, the body is from around the time of the mansion’s construction; on the bad side, finding bodies doesn’t bode well for revitalizing Asheboro. Aided by her best friend and a former lover, Kate researches the known history of the Barton family and looks for clues to solve the mummified corpse. When a current murder also occurs at the mansion, Kate wonders if the past is being recreated in more ways than one.
This is a solid series, and this book makes an excellent addition. The ending ties things up and does it well with unexpected outcomes for both murders. The historical information added into the story is both interesting and sad as it describes what happened to many women and families in that era. I look forward to the next book in the series!

I have enjoyed all of her series. The Secret Staircase was very good. Although it was the 3rd in the series I thought it stood out by itself. The book kept the reader in suspense with all the twists and turns trying to figure out whodunnit. I liked all the characters. The ending once all fell into place left you wanting the story to continue. I would recommend it to any of my friends. I will miss her.

Thank you NetGallery, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for this ARC.

Kate's mission is to revive her old hometown by restoring historical buildings to attract tourists and support the local economy. Job one is to restore the old Harry Barton mansion, but that is held up with the discovery of a body that's been walled in a hidden staircase for decades. As Kate and her crew try to figure out who it was and why he was murdered, there is another death in the house. This cozy mystery has much appeal, with its exploration of architectural restoration, history, and good old fashioned library research.

The Secret Staircase is the third in the Victorian Village Mysteries series but the first I've read and it did well as a standalone and I had no issues following along or coming to know the characters. I really enjoyed reading this and the ending and how things were wrapped up left me with a happy and heavy sigh.

Kate Hamilton has moved back to her home town of Asheboro, Maryland. Like many towns whose industries have shut down, the town is struggling and Kate has been recruited by a friend to try to revitalize the town. Kate is between jobs so she agrees.

Kate has decided the best way to start is to rehab an old mansion that was left to the city a century ago and has high hopes of using it to attract tourists and events. The owner of the manor, Henry Barton, had left funds to maintain the house and while Kate plans on keeping things period correct, she does want to update the kitchen for catering use. Unfortunately, the contractor discovers a secret staircase with a mummified body in it. An autopsy reveals the time of death around 1880 and reveals the man was murdered. And later, another body is found at the manor.

Kate and her posse are investigating the life of Henry Barton and his wife Mary as part of their research. I found that part very interesting.

I received an ARC from the publisher but the opinion expressed is my own.

This series is alot of fun. This time around Kate finds a mystery in the walls (literally) while attempting to renovate an old Victorian mansion. I enjoy the growth of the character as the series progressives.

Kate returns to her hometown of Asheboro at a friends request to help revitalize a dying town.
Asheboro is rich in Victorian history and has a beautiful old mansion that is top of the list for Kate to restore. Kate is taken in with the beauty of the old mansion and starts with the kitchen. She looks for a couple of contractors to hire that are willing and able to help with the restoration and can keep the beauty and era of the kitchen. Morgan is the 3rd interview and he is thrilled to be asked to work on the house. On his initial walk through, he notices that there is a wall that is hollow in the kitchen. With some investigating they find a body that has been there at least 100 years and a secret staircase.
So much to learn about the owner of the home and the family that lived there. They were very reclusive and local information is hard to come by. While starting the renovation, another death has happened in the home.
Twists and turns and suspects abound. Love the history and the characters, the storyline has you feeling like you know the family from 100 years ago.
I just reviewed The Secret Staircase by Sheila Connolly. #TheSecretStaircase #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

I normally have enjoyed books by this author. This was the first one in this series for me. I did enjoy the historical aspect of the mystery. However, I really did not like the main character. She seemed overbearing and disgruntled most of the time. I normally prefer books written in first person, but in this case the focus was solely on the main character to the extent that all the other characters were very minor and you had no sense of who they were.

I was given a free e-copy of this novel by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have not read anything by Sheila Connolly before, and this novel is the third in her Victorian Village Mysteries series. However, while there are vague references to the previous books, there is no reason this novel could not be read as a standalone.

Kate Hamilton has returned to Asheboro after having moved away and becoming a successful building renovator. She has fallen in love with Civil War hero and Asheboro famous Henry Barton's house, and is spearheading the project for its rebirth. However, before work can commence, a body is found in a hidden stairwell. It is determined that the body is about 100 years old, and just when she thought the work could start, a second body is found. Only this one is much more recent. Now Kate must figure out what is going on before it puts the whole project, and more lives, in jeopardy.

I really enjoyed this novel. I love Victorian era-esque novels. While this is set in modern times, I enjoyed the educational aspects that the author added. I know the town is fictional, but the research that went into the background was very well formed.

The mysteries were absolutely well placed. I kind of already had an idea of what had happened, but the historical mystery was interesting. It held my attention because I wanted to know more.

Overall I rate this 5 out of 5 stars.

I just needed to finish crying to write this review of 'The Secret Staircase'. It is a fabulous addition to Sheila Connolly's Victorian Village Mystery series. Kate is engrossed with her work in restoration of the Burton House when two bodies temporarily halt progress. The story is filled with historical references that play a big role in present time issues. I loved it, and highly recommend it to all.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This was very good. It is a bit of a slow burn, but I enjoyed that; I was constantly wondering what would happen next. Also, the attention to history and the old house was great! This is the first of this series for me, but I had no problems following along with the characters or story.

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of THE SECRET STAIRCASE (Book 3 of the Victorian Village Mysteries) by Sheila Connolly in exchange for an honest review. Katherine Hamilton is ready to get started on her plan to turn Asheboro, Maryland, into a tourist attraction. Kate has obtained funding, and she has a target: the Barton Mansion. Immediately after the Civil War, Henry Barton opened and ran a factory that kept the town economy flowing long after his death. When Henry died without an heir, his beautiful mansion went to the town where it languished with minimal upkeep for a century. Now, the Barton Mansion is going to be the hub of the town’s revitalization, but Kate must first find the right contractor to undertake the restoration. One of the contractors discovers a secret staircase with skeletal remains in the stairwell; shortly thereafter, a fresh body is found at the foot of another set of stairs. Kate now knows this isn’t going to be a simple project and resolves to find out more about both deaths before her city plans are stopped at their start.

I liked this story. I have not read the first two books, but I had no difficulty following the story or keeping the character straight. I recommend this book to fans of cozy mysteries featuring murder, renovations, town planning, and construction.

#TheSecretStaircase #NetGalley

The reno of an old mansion brings old secrets to light. Ms. Connolly’s Kate Hamilton character is determined to do right by the history of the mansion, only to find there’s much more than she dreamed. As she put together her team, she finds it’s even harder to get good contractors than she thought. The discoveries in the mansion shake her and her assistant to their core, but they persevere until they solve the manor’s mysterious past. The author tells a story with intrigue, angst and engrossing characters.
I requested and received a Netgalley ARC to peruse and offer my opinion gratis.

3.5\5 This cozy mystery had good characters and a fun, historical house renovation. I wasn’t super charmed by the MC, but I enjoyed the plot and how it wrapped up. Plus, I love historical fiction and a good mystery hidden in the walls (literally). A great book for a rainy day!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

This is a cozy mystery with fun characters. Kate Hamilton is renovating a historic mansion but finds a body in a walled off staircase. Luckily, the body died in 1880.
Who is the man, why was he murdered? Then another body is found from present day. The police are overwhelmed. Kate works on helping to find out what is going on.
This is a cute story – worth a read and entertaining. It is well written, and I enjoyed it. Thank you, Net Galley, for an advanced copy for an honest review.

cozy-mystery, historical-research, historic-buildings, murder, murder-investigation, renovation, family-dynamics, friendship, Maryland, small-town*****

The first body was over a hundred years old, but the investigators still had hands full because it had been walled away. There seemed to be no clue as to his identity, but the friends were working on history of the house the town needed to be restored. There are historical research professionals, a construction manager, an FBI agent, and Kate who is more familiar with modern grandiose establishments. The characters are all interesting and well developed, the imagery clear. I devoured it in one sitting! This book stands alone, but I want to read previous in the series because I liked this one so much!
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you!