On a remote Scottish island, American antiques dealer Kate Hamilton investigates a brutal killing, staged to recreate a centuries-old unsolved murderAutumn has come and gone on Scotland’s Isle of Glenroth, and the islanders gather for the Tartan Ball, the annual end-of-tourist-season gala. Spirits are high until an unexpected turn of events takes the floor.A recently published novel about island … published novel about island history has brought hordes of tourists to the small Hebridean resort community. On the guest list is American antiques dealer Kate Hamilton. Kate returns reluctantly to the island where her husband died, determined to repair her relationship with his sister, proprietor of the island’s luxe country house hotel, famous for its connection with Bonnie Prince Charlie.
Kate has hardly unpacked when the next morning a body is found, murdered in a reenactment of an infamous unsolved murder described in the novel—and the only clue to the killer’s identity lies in a curiously embellished antique casket. The Scottish police discount the historical connection, but when a much-loved local handyman is arrested, Kate teams up with a vacationing detective inspector from Suffolk, England, to unmask a killer determined to rewrite island history—and Kate’s future.
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Very well written and an entertaining read. Highly recommended.
A fun trip through the modern Scottish highlands with an interesting historical note.
Just ok
New to me series that is really fun. Lovely setting, fun characters and good mystery. Can’t wait to rip into #2…
A Dream of Death is a fabulous book. It felt like I was right there on the remote Scottish island with Kate Hamilton—in the ancient manor house turned hotel, at the Tartan Ball, confronting the colorful local characters…and on the island’s wild shoreline that held deeply emotional memories for her. I especially enjoyed how the exciting mysteries in the present and diary entries from the past meshed together for an exhilarating and unpredictable climax. My favorite relationship in the book was between Kate and Bo, a disabled handyman. Her protectiveness and drive to help him made Kate a woman I could root for.
I really enjoyed this series starter. The American amateur sleuth is in Scotland and finds herself embroiled in a murder set in a hotel, right alongside an attractive British policeman on holiday…bits of history entwine with the modern mystery to add interest. Just the sort of book I like!
Loved this debut in the Kate Hamilton series. Its setting is Scotland with all the interesting cultural and geographical references. Set on an island, “A Dream of Death” follows widow and antiques expert Kate Hamilton on a bittersweet trip to make amends with her sister-in-law three years after Kate’s husband died on the island. Murder, suspects, and historical connections make it a great read. A tiny bit of romance encourages readers to check the next book.
A Dream of Death is a fine, intricate mystery set in the Hebrides Islands of Scotland. The book has it all-intertwining historical and contemporary mysteries, a poignant love story, and a detailed setting. Kate Hamilton is a complex character well-suited to carry on a series, and the secondary characters are also deep and well-drawn. The ending was a bit longwinded, but otherwise, this book is well worth your time if you’re a cozy fan.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with an advance digital read copy of A Dream of Death by Connie Berry. In this novel, antique dealer and store owner, Kate Hamilton has returned to the remote Scottish Isle of Glenroth at the request of her previously estranged sister-in-law, Elenor. The trip is a difficult one emotionally for Kate, whose husband died off the island’s coast three years ago and Elenor has had no contact with Kate since as she has blamed Kate for the death of her brother and protector.
For her part, Kate has lots of resentment toward Elenor since she thinks of Elenor as being completely self-centered and sees her of having taken advantage of everyone around her to satisfy her own selfish ends. The only reason she has agreed to go is because her husband asked her to take care of Elenor if anything ever happened to him, as he has thought of that as his responsibility all his life.
When Kate arrives, in part to attend the annual Tartan Ball on the island, Elenor seems truly frightened and tells Kate she needs her help. When Kate tries to learn more, Elenor says she will explain all after the ball. The only information Kate has is an antique chest, called a casket, that Elenor shows her and wants her to appraise. Kate takes a preliminary look and begins research, but before much can be done, it’s time for the ball.
At the ball Elenor has several announcements, none of which make her very popular with the people of the island. The ball ends abruptly with everyone frustrated after Elenor makes a pronouncement, clashes with the matriarch of one of the families, and leaves the ball before it has had much time to get started. Before Kate can learn what is frightening Elenor so, she learns that Elenor has been murdered and she begins an effort to learn what Elenor wanted and who murdered her.
The book is well plotted, and some of the characters are interesting. It is an interesting beginning to a new series. Kate does come across as mercurial at times, with a tendency to snap judgments and decisions. At times her behavior seems more consistent with a young thirty year old than a woman who is the mother of two adult children. Her snap judgements lead her to bounce from one suspect to another, deciding they are the murderer, often based on conclusions leapt to upon learning partial information. Because there is not a consistent building of clues and red herrings, it is difficult for the reader to determine who the murderer is except through intuition.
There is also a minor love interest developing that might have merit, but which seems to develop sporadically and rapidly in the same way Kate approaches solving Elenor’s murder. Because there isn’t much development of the relationship in its early stages, it’s difficult to get any feeling of connection between Kate and her possible love interest.
The book merit, and the series has potential. Much depends on how well future books develop characters, themes, clues, etc. I would like to read the next book in the series before deciding if it is one I would be interested in reading in depth.
A DREAM OF DEATH by Connie Berry
The First Kate Hamilton Mystery
Kate Hamilton never intended to return to Glenroth, but a call for help from her estranged sister-in-law brings Kate back to the Scottish isle where her husband was not only born, but died just three years earlier. Now she’s faced with a best selling novel about a two hundred year old unsolved murder, a surprise engagement, and news that Elenor has sold the family home, now a posh hotel. But before Elenor can tell Kate the reason for her call, she’s murdered in the same manner of young Flora Arnott in 1810. What was Elenor afraid of? Did it have something to do with the ornate antique casket? Or did she push the wrong person too far? As Kate finds herself in the midst of the investigation she’ll have to use all her wits else she become the murderer’s next target.
I loved just about everything in this first Kate Hamilton Mystery. There is a strong cast of characters, deeply developed and multi dimensional. Kate is an engaging and likeable protagonist with a good head on her shoulders. Not only is she forced to deal with a murder, but she has to relive her husband’s last days and deal with feelings she’s starting to develop for a man for the first time since she became a widow.
Connie Berry ingeniously entwines history with a contemporary plot. It was fascinating to read from Flora Arnott’s diary and I was as invested in her murder as I was in Elenor’s! The attention to detail brought crisp imagery and almost made it seem as if I was watching a film.
A DREAM OF DEATH is a fantastic start to what looks to be an amazing series. There’s action, suspense, and a hint of romance. Combined with an atmospheric backdrop, authentic characters, and historical depth, A DREAM OF DEATH is a standout.
FTC Disclosure – The publisher sent me a digital ARC provided through NetGalley, in the hopes I would review it.
Scottish Castles and Antiques and Murder
This is a wonderful cozy mystery that takes place on a Scottish Isle. The mystery involves Scottish history an old manor a centuries-old murder and Bonnie Prince Charles. It is fantastic for anyone who enjoys a good mystery mixed with history. The author does a very good job of dealing with all of the aspects of this story and portrays the characters realistically. I will be looking for more of this author’s work. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.
A Dream Of Death is the first book in the Kate Hamilton Mystery series.
It’s been three years since Kate Hamilton’s husband Bill had passed away in a tragic boating accident off the coast of a Scottish island where he had lived prior to his marriage, with his sister in the family home. After his marriage to Kate, he had sold his interest in the family estate to his sister and she had turned it into a luxury hotel. Bill’s sister, Elenor, and Kate had never gotten along and the last person Kate expected to hear was Elenor. Elenor calls, begging Kate to come to Glenroth for that annual Tartan Ball. She also adds that she really needs her help.
When Kate arrives, Elenor is busy putting the finishing touches to the Tartan Ball to really talk with Kate about what is bothering her but does tell Kate that there is a package that she wants Kate to look at as soon as she gets to her cottage. The package that is awaiting Kate is a miniature casket. Kate who has an antique store back in the states can tell that it definitely is an antique. Also, she finds a copy of The Diary of Flora Arnott, Volume One by Dr. Hugh Parker Guthrie, a local author. The Arnott’s were the first settlers on Glenroth and Kate is somewhat familiar with the story.
That evening things are going nicely at the Tartan Ball until Elenor makes a couple of announcements that shock everyone at the ball. First, she will be selling the hotel and second, she has recently gotten engaged to Dr. Guthrie. The next morning Elenor is found dead with an arrow in her neck. As Kate begins to read the book Elenor gave her, she learns that Flora Arnott had died the same way.
There are many suspects as Elenor was not well liked by many of the residents of the island. Plus, some of the descendants of the original owners of the house, have for some time questioned whether the sale was legal. There is only one guest at the hotel at the time the story begins, Tom Mallory a policeman from Scotland who claims to be on holiday. She is able to convince him that some ideas as to what might have happened seem possible and begin to share information and attempt to uncover the killer.
This is a very enjoyable beginning to a new series. The story proceeds at a steady pace, is well-plotted and has many red herrings and kept me guessing until the end. I will be looking forward to learning more about the residents of the island in future books.
This is the first book in the Kate Hamilton Mystery series by Connie Berry, who is a new author to me. I very much enjoyed this book. It has a good steady plot and mature characters that appealed to me. While the main character, Kate Hamilton, owns an antique store, this book read more like a traditional mystery but with cozy elements. Kate is called to Scotland by her sister-in-law, Eleanor, only to have her murdered the night after she arrives. Eleanor is murdered in the same way as a young woman nearly two hundred years prior. Form this point, the story weaves in aspects of the historical mystery and how is is eerily similar to the modern day events. There were plenty of suspects as well as twist and turns to keep me engaged and guessing. I was surprised at the identity of the killer in what was a climatic reveal.
This was a very enjoyable read and I will definitely be back for future installments in the series. I voluntarily read a digital ARC provided to me by the publisher through Netgalley.
A Dream of Death by Connie Berry was a suspenseful mystery that kept me turning the pages until the end.
Ms. Berry is a “new to me” author but I will be looking forward to more of her books in the future. Her descriptive writing regarding the Scottish island, the home and characters made me feel as if I was with Kate every step of the way. I liked Kate and admired her tenacity as she tried to ferret out clues in order to prove that the gentle handyman, who was her husband Bill’s oldest friend, didn’t commit the murder. The plot was smoothly paced with well hidden clues, red herrings, few suspects and enough twists to keep me guessing until the dramatic reveal.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own.