A Collection of Lies, by Connie Berry (Crooked Lane Books, 2024)

An antique dress, purportedly worn by a murderess in years past. Some simple historical research in wintry Devon. What could possibly go wrong?

American antiques expert Kate Hamilton and her new husband, English Detective Inspector Tom Mallory, chose to spend part of their honeymoon attempting to authenticate a bloodstained old dress for a village museum’s crime exhibit.

Their last mystery nearly killed them… and left them arriving bruised and late to their own wedding. Kate fervently hopes this assignment will be safe, academic, and successful—and that Tom will decide to leave the police force and its dangers to take on the role of a private investigator.

It took me a few chapters to get into this one, but the village, the characters, and the food drew me in. I’ve enjoyed the Kate Hamilton mystery series (well worth starting with book 1, A Dream of Death).

Kate is clever, brave, and kind. She’s knowledgeable about antiques and possesses an indefinable instinct that occasionally reacts to the presence of a significant artifact—in the case of the dress, with the impression of a kneeling woman and the phrase, “So much blood!” Not the sort of thing she can share with her facts-oriented police officer husband.

First there’s a near-miss shooting. And ongoing threats. Then there’s a murder. Can this possibly relate to an old dress, or is something else afoot? Clues are scarce, lies are abundant, and everyone seems to have something to hide.

All in all, another fun installment in the Kate Hamilton mystery series (A Collection of Lies is book 5). I hope there are more to come.

To learn about author Connie Berry and her work, visit connieberry.com.

[Review copy from the public library.]