In this irresistible and thrilling debut novel, a former antique hunter investigates a suspicious death at an isolated English manor, embroiling her back in the dangerous world of tracking stolen artifacts.

This was really fun! Freya is a great main character and a spunky investigator. I would like more in this series.

The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder starts out with the murder of a well known and respected antique dealer. Immediately his closest friend and her niece, who he had a difficult relationship with, jump on the case and start hunting for clues and missing antiques.

This story had a lot of potential - including two interesting women as our detectives - Carole, the fabulous elderly friend of the victim, and Freya, her middle age niece who in a transition period in her life and looking to reignite her own passion for antiques. Carole and Freya are both likable characters and much of the story is focused on their point of view. However, there were too many other side characters and a convoluted plot line. The big twists don’t land as well because we don’t know much about the other characters so learning that they aren’t who they say they are or that their motivations aren’t what they seem - doesn’t quite land well.

I enjoyed the notion of learning about antiques and the world of hunting them and valuing them but the story doesn’t spend much time on that. Assuming that this is the first in a series where Freya and Carole will go on antique hunting adventures, I think I can forgive some of the book’s weaker points. As unconventional detectives, they are a fun pair and I look forward to seeing Freya come into her own professionally again. However, the mystery at the core of this book not well done.

I’d like to thank Netgalley and Atria books for providing an ARC to me.

3.75/ ⭐⭐⭐⭐

**Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for the opportunity to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

When Freya's former mentor Arthur, dies from mysterious circumstances, she returns home to help her aunt Carole figure out what happened to him.

Arthur suspected that he would be targeted, and therefore left a trail of clues for Freya and her aunt to discover. The story was full of unforeseen twists that surprised me until the very end of the story.

This was a really fun, cozy murder mystery. The story is perfect fot to a rainy autumn day, drinking tea and covered in a blanket. It gave me Sherlock Holmes/ Indiana Jones vibes but less intense. The pacing of the story was great, it did not drag at all in my opinion.

I really enjoyed the banter between Carole and Freya, although the use of "darling" could have been cut in half. 😅 I pictured Emily Blunt as Freya and Dame Helen Mirim as Carole. Made for a fun read!

I think this could very well become a series if the author wished it so. I would reccomend this book to anyone looking for a cozy mystery, it was done so well and the writing was easy to understand. 📚

I love anything old so a cosy mystery set in the world of antique hunters really excited me! I can't say that it wasn't predictable and formulaic for a cosy mystery, and unfortunately I just didn't think the writing was excellent and therefore couldn't really into it despite the really compelling premise.

Thanks to NetGalley, C.L. Miller, and Atria Books for this digital ARC copy. Wonderful debut from this author, and I am excited to see it will be a series. I will be looking eagerly for book 2!

Freya Lockwood has been out of the antique hunting business for 20 years, but that is all about to change. Her one-time mentor Arthur has died, and Freya is brought back into the fray with a written plea from Arthur written right before his murder.

Freya teams up with her Aunt Carole, and sets out to try and solve the mystery of Arthur's letter and also find his murderer. Things Freya thought were true start to shift as she falls back into the world of antique hunting... and realizes Arthur was not who she thought he was.

What a fun read! It’s eloquently written with short, quick chapters of descriptive passages and interesting turns of phrases. I struggled to put it down because I wanted to find out more. I really enjoyed it.
Thank You to Atria Books, and C.L. Miller for the opportunity to enjoy this ARC that I received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder is C.L. Miller’s debut novel. It’s about Freya Lockwood, who returns to a life she swore to leave behind after her mentor and antique dealer Arthur Crockleford dies mysteriously. Freya joins up with her Aunt Carole and they work together to try to determine the truth about Arthur’s death before the killer strikes again.

Overall I enjoyed the book. It was an easy, interesting read and was full of action. The characters were unique and I particularly liked Aunt Carole, who was hilarious!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for granting me an ARC. This review is my own opinion and not influenced by receiving an ARC. This book is expected to come out in February 2024.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for the opportunity to review The Antiques Hunter’s guide to Murder. I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When Freya’s old mentor, Arthur is found dead in his antique’s shop, Freya comes home to help her aunt figure out the circumstances of his death. However, Freya has avoided her small town after being betrayed by the person she trusted most on a job. Now Freya and her aunt must follow the clues to find out what happened to Arthur and maybe find out why she was betrayed all those years ago.

This story was an adventure and a great debut novel. Arthur’s clues lead Freya and her aunt to an old manor house filled with several characters, each hiding a secret and one is a murderer. This book was filled with surprises that kept me reading till the end and was surprised how everything connected. I don’t know if this book is intended as a standalone or part of a series but the ending left it open to both. I will be curious to see what the author does next and if Freya’s adventures will continue.

The Antique Hunter's Guide to murder was a fast paced mystery that had me on the edge of my seat from page one! Freya Lockwood has been away from the antique world for twenty years but reluctantly agrees to return home to help her Aunt Carole find out who murdered her former mentor, Arthur Crockleford. Arthur leaves them a letter with a trail of clues that lead them to an isolated run down manor house full of fake antiques and unpleasant, potentially dangerous people. This was a twisty mystery with plenty of red herrings. Thank you netgalley for this ARC to read and review. I enjoyed this book and look forward to more by this Author.
5/5 Excellent Book!

The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder is a great story for those who enjoy antiques and murder mysteries. While it was suggested that it was like "Indiana Jones" it really wasn't an adventure story at all.

Throuhout the book you get about 8 points of view, but the primary point of view is from Freyda. Freyda is a 40 something woman who used to be hot and heavy in the antiquities recovery---until a disasterous event in Cairo 20 years ago which turned her into a regular old wife/mom. With the death of the old mentor Arthur, Freya is thrust back into the game when his death seems mysterious and he leaves her some clues that encourages her to dive back into her old self---with the help of her fabulously fun aunt Carole--longtime friend and partner to Arthur. Can they figure out what Arthur wanted her to find--AND solve the mystery of his murder?

I felt like it was a great story and I enjoyed it. I'm pretty sure Carole was my favorite character and I did predict the ending...a little.

4 Stars

* I received an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley but was not required to write a postiive review. All opinions are 100% my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder.

The premise and title was eye catching and I was excited to read this.

Freya Lockwood has returned home after an extended absence when a family friend and former mentor is found dead in his antique shop.

Her eccentric aunt Carole is convinced her friend's death is a murder and enlists a reluctant Freya in the investigation.

Soon, Freya is drawn back into the world of antique hunting, a profession she was uniquely suited for but left after a tragedy years ago and discovers shocking revelations that puts her past and present in a new light.

First, I liked the setup and the relationship between Freya and her aunt. I can see this as an ongoing miniseries on the BBC or streaming series.

An idyllic small town, beautiful countryside, and nefarious bad guys lurking in the background.

I also enjoyed learning about the antiques Freya observed, its origins and history, the aspects of antique hunting (not for the faint of heart), and all the laborious work that goes into procuring, locating, and hunting down priceless works of art.

I did like how Freya is empowered by solving Arthur's death, but I didn't like her enough that I would want to be friends with her.

The writing was good, and flowed well but I didn't like the multiple POVs. Some of the character perspectives were unnecessary, IMO, and felt like filler.

There were many characters, and I forgot who was who and who was the bad guy and what they did.

Also, the pacing dragged at times, the narrative tedious as the characters bantered back and forth and Freya kept thinking about how angry she was about her ex and how much she missed her daughter.

I didn't feel the narrative was that suspenseful or fast paced, but this was a decent debut with an interesting premise.

Thank you to Atria Books for sending me an arc in exchange for review!

This was the perfect cozy whodunnit and I couldn’t put it down! Fast paced and told in multiple perspectives The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder had me enthralled until the last page.