Hello Readers,
Thank you, NetGalley for giving access to an eBook copy of The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder by C L Miller for free in exchange for an honest review. As this is a publication day review my post will be spoiler free. The eBook I received from NetGalley doesn't do the cover justice, so I am using a cover image I have found through google (Fair use under the copyright act sections 29 and 30 under use for a review).
Happy Publication Day
Title: The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder
Author: Murder by C L Miller
Genre: Mystery, Cosy mystery, Thriller, Crime
Fiction, Humorous Fiction
Pages: 331
Cover Image:
Synopsis:
Freya, it’s down to you to
finish what I started . . . Freya Lockwood has avoided the quaint
English village in which she grew up for the last 20 years. That is until news
arrives that Arthur Crockleford, antiques dealer, and Freya’s estranged mentor,
has died . . . and the circumstances seem suspicious.
You will uncover an invitation;
I implore you to attend . . . But when a letter from Arthur is
delivered, sent just days before his death, and an ordinary pine chest
concealing Arthur’s journals are revealed, Freya finds herself sucked back into
a life she’d sworn to leave behind.
But beware, trust no-one. Your life depends on it . .
. Joining forces with her eccentric Aunt Carole, Arthur’s staunch best
friend, Freya follows both clues and her instincts to an old manor house for an
‘antiques enthusiasts weekend’. But not is all as it seems; the antiques are
bad reproductions, and the guests all have something to hide. Can Freya and Carole solve the mystery and unearth the killer
before they strike again?
Miniature Review
I absolutely loved this murder mystery story. This is a brilliant debut its incredibly clever set in a country house mansion. Where are my Saltburn fans at. This book is well-written even hilarious and out right sassy at points, well plotted and not everything is as it seems.
The pacing was perfect for me, the clues were clever, and
nobody could be trusted. This book was exceptionally structured and didn’t get
muddy at any point. A lot of whodunnits cosy crime novels have been published recently
and it can feel like they are all becoming a little bit samey, but that thought
didn’t even cross my mind while reading this book. Without giving too much away
this book has an edge which helps it stand out.
This book is filled with forgeries, past histories, and murders have to be solved. I am stupidly excited that this is the first book in this series, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for C L Miller and she is now on the auto buy list. We all know the antiques world can be worth a fortune, but there is a darker side to the antiques business.
Our main protagonist Freya is a former antique hunter who has kept herself to herself and avoided her past and the village of Little Meddington for over two decades. Freya is braver and smarter than she thinks, and I enjoyed seeing her confidence start to bloom and seeing her reclaim her identity. The story is mostly told from Freya's point of view, however there are occasional chapters that are told from the points of view of other characters. This was a clever tool used by C L Miller as it gave us as the readers the chance to know what was going on without having to know a great deal about antiques and antiquities.
I can't wait to see what happens next.
L x
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