American antiques dealer Kate Hamilton’s Christmastime jaunt to an English village turns into an investigation of a missing ruby and a series of baffling 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 … 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 in Connie Berry’s second Kate Hamilton mystery, a treasure for fans of traditional British mysteries.
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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.
This second book in the Kate Hamilton series will be out October 2019, and it is a wonderful sequel to “A Dream of Death.” This time Kate visits her daughter who is working at an Elizabethan manor in the small town of Long Barston, England. A crumbling mansion, a missing piece of jewelry, murders, and robbery all figure into the plot that twists and turns. Kate Hamilton is a wonderful protagonist, and I could see this series continuing in many British locations.
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.
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 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.
A LEGACY OF MURDER by Connie Berry
The Second Kate Hamilton Mystery
Kate Hamilton is happy to be in England, hoping to spend time with her daughter, who is interning at a stately home, but also spending time with Detective Tom Mallory. Kate’s first tour of the grounds is interrupted by the discovery of the body of one of the interns. Kate soon finds herself helping the lady of the manor with her upcoming exhibit, dealing with the romantic tribulations of her daughter, and jousting with Tom’s mother, who doesn’t like Americans. Kate is also making inquiries as to the death of the young woman, a death that is quite similar to that of another young woman killed at the home, working on the same project.
I enjoy reading about a level headed mature woman who finds herself embroiled in murder. Kate is smart and engaging, until the end when she loses it and makes a right mess of things with Tom. But other than that she’d a delightful protagonist. Tom is as dashing as ever and we also get a dishy vicar, who may not be as good as he seems, a lovable antiques dealer with bad hips, and a maid of all work with various personas. There are dueling pubs, interns with issues, and a crumbling manor house; great ingredients for a traditional mystery.
A LEGACY OF MURDER is a multifaceted mystery with events of the past coming back to haunt the present and future. Plotting as exquisite as the antiques involved and a variety of characters make this atmospheric mystery one you won’t want to put down.
FTC Disclosure – The publisher sent me a copy of this book in the hopes I would review it.
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.
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. 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. 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.”
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 enjoyed 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 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!
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.
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.
I categorize this as a cozy mystery
I did not read the first book in the series and maybe if I had I would have been less critical but Christine was really getting on my nerves with her childish antics.
I can understand her feelings about her mother having a boy friend. Many people have gotten the same reaction from their adult children but to attack violently the woman her boyfriend is cheating with is not something I would expect from a young adult attending University. The book does have a lot of good qualities. It show the love between Kate and her mother. The caring attitude Kate has for her children. The problems encountered with a new relationship when adult children are involved. You get to know a lot of interesting characters. The book does have a lot of unexpected happenings and I didn’t see the end coming till I was almost finished. The book all together is a fast and enjoyable read.
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
This is the second book in the Kate Hamilton Series some new characters in this one and some of the favorite ones from the first book are in this one as well. A Wonderful story with a continuation of Kate and Tristons relationship it is a murder mystery that keeps you reading very fast paced
Death Among the Medieval Artifacts
This is a great murder mystery. There are many medieval artifacts, several romances, several deaths, lots of suspects and few solutions. This book stands alone quite well. I have read the episode just prior to this and must say that reading the books in order gives a greater depth and color to the enjoyment of reading this book. This is a great series and I can’t wait to read the next. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.
law-enforcement, family-dynamics, museum, murder-investigation, England
All Kate wanted when she left the Cleveland airport was a pleasant holiday in England with her daughter at Finchley Hall and get to know better the interesting police detective she met not long ago.
What she got was confrontation with her daughter who thought her mother should mourn her father lots longer than three years, issues with the man she has fallen in love with because his duty to the law was in conflict with her personal issues. And a murder or two.
The characters are interesting and engaging, the investigation twisty and packed with misdirection, and the whole is simply riveting. Hope there’s another book in the offing!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!