A classic whodunnit with twists and questions and false leads. I appreciate the “accidental detective” angle, and the characters added some fun and intrigue to the whole story. While there were some issues with pacing and story flow, I enjoyed the story and premise, and look forward to reading more about Freya and Aunt Carole.

A solid 3.75 stars for me!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I loved the characters most of all - the aunt was perfection and I sure hope she's in the next book - and the relationships between them. I loved the back story building and the sense of finding some sort of reconciliation after years of estrangement, even if it happened after the death of one of the parties. I really liked the Agatha christie -esque atmosphere at the estate and how it tied in with all our favorite treasure hunter stories. It was a fun mash up of two really great genres.

Read if you like:
* a strong female character Or, better yet, a woman reinventing herself INTO a strong MC
* a senior lady as the MC's sidekick
* a bit of a locked door mystery
*anything treasure hunters (think National Treasure)
* the story of. one's past being reframed and retold with new facts

Such a good find. I can't wait for the next one.

Not an engaging read. This book had many moments of excitement and interest but it was short lived. There was no even pace, it was not that gripping, and at times hard to care about the characters or the storyline.

A fun who-dunnit, The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder kept me guessing right up until the end. The characters are well-developed and easy to root for - Freya's metamorphosis was especially satisfying. I love too, when a book seamlessly sets itself up for a sequel - I can't wait for the next one!

An enjoyable murder mystery. Pretty good premise. I unfortunately didn't LOVE it, but did like it.

Thank you for the copy netgalley and Simon and Schuster.

This book reminded me of stories such as those written by Agatha Christie or like a Sherlock Holmes mystery or playing clue or movies like Knives Out.
If you’re a mystery fan of the whodunnit genre you will enjoy this book. While not faced or overly gripping the mystery itself is intriguing, the characters held my interest and it was a very pleasant read.

Really enjoyed this novel and how it was based around the antiques world. The two main characters played very well off each other. It is a quick read because you easily fall into the story and it carries you along. Looking forward to the next in the series! Highly recommended.

I absolutely loved this book!! I couldn’t put it down.
I just loved all the characters. I highly recommend this book.

Freya Lockwood has been avoiding her past of antique hunting for twenty years, including the mentor she believed betrayed her resulting in the death of the man she loved so many years ago in Cairo. And it’s kind of worked for her. She has her beloved daughter, but her marriage is over. She has built a home she loves, but her ex is forcing its sale.

But her life is about to change forever. Freya’s Aunt Carole informs her that her former mentor Arthur Crockleford has died. Then Freya receives a letter from Arthur informing her she’s in danger. Was Arthur murdered? Why? How is it linked to Freya.

Suddenly, Freya, with Aunt Carole’s help, is following the clues left by Arthur to figure out who killed him and how it’s linked to her past. Finding Arthur’s journals and receipt of an invitation to an antiques fan weekend sets her back on the antiques hunting trail. Her skills are rusty and her confidence is shaky, but with perseverance both improve as Freya digs into discovering the past’s secrets.

Freya’s journey starts with her in a vulnerable state of mind with little self-confidence, but she grows and develops assurance in her own abilities, solving the mystery and understanding her own past much better.

I really enjoyed this book, there are a lot of twists to the plot. Arthur Crockleford knows that his time is near and that he will be killed because of something he knows. He sets up clues for his friend Carole and her niece Freya to help them find his killer and find out the truth of what happened in Cairo. Freya starts out as an insecure woman who is losing the safe life she knows, but as the story progresses her character grows stronger. It was interesting watching her get more confident and figuring out what happened. You never knew who was good and who was bad. I would recommend reading this book. I received a free book and the views and opinions are my own.

I really wanted to like this book more than I did, but it couldn't quite settle down to being either the lighthearted (but with serious moments) tale the title implies or the nuanced examination (but with lighter moments) of a woman reclaiming her old self/meeting her new self after child-rearing and divorce. As a result it did both okay, but neither well.

There was clearly research and interest behind the antiques game, and some welcome snippets of information about the various artifacts and other treasures encountered. That will be enough to keep some readers entertained.

The main character sounded intriguing and I'm all for giving women a fresh start at an exciting life after divorce. But this one was, well, mopey for longer than the mystery needed her to be. Both she and her aunt had fascinating back stories that were dribbled out in flavourless mentions, like stale supermarket olive oil on a salad, rather than bursts of full-bodied memory or flashbacks like a dash of aged raspberry balsamic. Several successive chapters came to us in different characters' heads - some of whom died before we got much about them, and others seemingly random bystanders whose observational scenes added little to our understanding of the main characters or the mystery plot - and the jumping around made settling into the protagonist's mindset and goals more difficult.

Hopefully those are teething pains of a new series and not hallmarks of this one going forward. I'll check back in a couple of books (if it keeps going) to see how they settled out.

3.5 stars.
Arthur Crockleford, antique dealer and mentor to Freya Lockwood (the main character), is murdered in the novel's opening. Freya is shocked and bereft, but also nurses lingering feelings of anger for Arthur, who shut her out of her antiques hunting and authentication career years earlier after a violent incident.

Freya is even more shocked when she receives a letter from Arthur, asking her to investigate his murder. With her free-spirited and exuberant aunt Carole, Freya travels to a manor house for an special weekend for antiques enthusiasts.

Though Freya's skills are rusty, she soon finds that her instincts are on point. There are other dealers and enthusiasts there, and Freya gets the distinct feeling that something strange, and possibly criminal is going on, as the antiques on view are poorly made reproductions, everyone seems to have secrets, and there seems to be possiblly underhanded dealings occurring using the stated event as cover.

Freya is also processing the trauma of the incident years ago that sent her away from Arthur and the life she loved. We do get to see what happened, and why Freya bears so much pain. But she's still sharp enough to deduce what is happening, and to solve Arthur's murder.

Author C.L. Miller clearly has a great feel for this industry, as her descriptions of pieces and the attitudes at play in the field have the ring of authenticity. The mystery is enjoyable as we follow in Freya's footsteps as she slowly gets past her pain and begins to really use that analytical side of her brain to cut through the lies and fakes.

I liked her interactions with the other characters, though Carole seemed a little over the top at times. I'll let that pass, as I think C.L. Miller has set the stage for an interesting series.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Simon & Schuster Canada for this ARC in exchange for my review.

I struggled to get into this book. The premise had a lot of potential. but I found the story to be very slow and dragged on which made it difficult for me to get excited to pick it up. The characters were interesting with many indications that they have fun back stories, but they are still not being shown almost halfway through the book and that was one of the reasons I was still reading this book. In the end I DNF'd this book after chapter 23 (44%). I might go back to finish later, but right now I have a lot of other books I am far more interested in that I would like to spend my time with.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder was a fun take on the classic who done it! The beginning was a bit tough to get into, but right around the middle mark it really picked up and had me flipping page after page until the end. I did enjoy that there were many characters who I was suspicious of and I genuinely didn’t guess who done it until the very end! However some POV changes and changing between the first and third person at times did get slightly confusing!
Overall, I thought this was a quick and enjoyable read and I would interested in reading other future works from the author

3.5 stars.
This was an interesting book. It was like a cozy mystery on a bigger scale crossed with a murder mystery game.
I couldn’t really like any of the characters and it kind of dragged in a few spots but overall it was a good story.

Thanks for the opportunity to read this book.

3.5 stars
I really enjoyed this book overall. It kept me engrossed start to finish. There were a few components I didn’t love -I thought the relationship with ex husband and daughter was not well thought out and I understood the phone calls were to give some character building to our main fmc but they felt unnecessary. I didn’t love the ending wrap up either. I was expecting something grander I think and felt too many loose ends. Overall pretty good for a debut novel!

I enjoyed the mystery aspect of this book, but the storyline was a little too slow for my liking. I feel like the clues dragged and that it was very Agatha Christie leaning in which our main character tells you what happened at the end to the room full of suspects. I think I enjoyed the antiques part the most, in which the main character uses her knowledge to figure out who the murderer was, as well as things about her past.
Overall, just a mid book.

A delightful murder mystery! Great pacing, and an authentic antiques POV (given he author's background and experience).

Explores loss and the "what ifs" of life, reclaiming your sense of identity and self worth. And how paying attention to those little details, even when others may not care, pays off.

Super fun read and I'd definitely read another from Miller!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for a advanced copy of this novel!

2.5 stars

The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder by C.L. Miller  is a mystery novel.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Simon & Schuster and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

 
My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
When Freya Lockwood was 12 years old, she lost her parents in a fire, and went to live with her Aunt Carole in a quaint English village.  From her aunt's close friend Arthur Crockleford, she learned about antiques, and developed her passion.  Arthur's side business of finding stolen artifacts and returning them to their real owners may have caught up with him.

It's been 20 years since Freya has been back in town, but when her estranged mentor dies, she is called back by her Aunt Carole.  It was due to Arthur's betrayal that Freya could no longer work in the antique business, but in his death, he is trying to correct things.  But Freya may have to put her life on the line to follow his clues.  Once again, Freya is on the hunt, this time with her Aunt Carole by her side.

 
My Opinions:
I fear that this is the start of another series, and I'm not sure I want another one.  However, the premise of an antique hunter as the protagonist is definitely unique.

However, I'm not sure I like the characters.  Freya is finding her strengths again, after 20 years of being a doormouse, so she may grow on me.  Carole is too into herself, and must always be the center of attention.  I would have loved Arthur.

The plot was quite good, but there was so much repetition as they tried to work things out, that it got boring.  As well, the overall pacing fell short, and it lacked excitement.  The actual perpetrator seemed obvious (to me, anyway).  I did, however, learn quite a bit about the world of antiques - the shadier side.  The author does know her subject matter, and was able to explain things quite well.

Overall, this one just missed the mark for me, and at this point I am unsure whether I would read a second in this series.

I was a bit let down by this one. The pacing and writing were just not for me, which is disappointing because the plot and idea were so promising. If you can get past the writing style, it’s an enjoyable story, but the way it was written really made it difficult for me to feel invested.