A Grave Deception, by Connie Berry (Crooked Lane Books, 2025)

How on earth can an antiques expert in contemporary England put a name to a remarkably well-preserved woman secretly buried 700 years ago?

Researching a long-ago murder seems safe enough, but when a member of the archaeological team is found dead Kate is drawn into that investigation as well.

The present-day killing has a classic British house-party vibe, with its limited pool of suspects. Complicating things are the abundance of personal motives within the team and the dig protestors lurking on the fringes. There’s also a possibly unrelated fugitive on the loose.

Readers familiar with the Kate Hamilton Mystery series know to expect a clean, engaging mystery with engaging characters, charming Suffolk village settings, and delicious references to food.

If you’re new to the series, you can start here with book 6 without feeling lost since each story is self-contained. Kate’s relationships with Tom and Ivor develop along the way, so for the full experience you may prefer to begin with book 1, A Dream of Death.

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

[Review copy from the public library.]