The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder, by C.L. Miller (Simon & Schuster, 2024)
Twenty years ago, tragedy and betrayal wrenched Freya Lockwood out of the career she loved: hunting stolen antiques and restoring them to their rightful owners. Now, when her estranged mentor dies and the police see nothing suspicious, Freya accepts her aunt’s plea to investigate. Not for the dead man’s sake but for Aunt Carole, who loved them both.
Returning to the English village where Aunt Carole raised her, Freya discovers that Arthur anticipated his death. He left enough clues to draw the two women into a hunt for truth—a truth his letter promises will reveal to Freya what really happened in the past.
As the title suggests, antiques (real and fake) abound. As Freya is drawn into the present mystery, she also finds closure for the past. She’s a 40-something empty-nester with a miserable ex who’s selling her home out from under her, so we can’t call this a coming-of-age story. I’ll call it a rebirth story, a second chance at the career she loved.
I like how each chapter begins with a quote from the dead man, Arthur. Even though he’s dead, his influence is everywhere. I’m not so much a fan of having Freya’s scenes in first person and the peeks into other people’s heads in third person. Some of those peeks felt a lot like overt explaining instead of organically revealing information. Back to the positives: Carole is a former actress who’s not above adding drama to a scene. And Bella is a character who takes on dimensions as the story progresses and who I suspect will return in the next book. There’s a potential love interest who may return as well.
Fans of Connie Berry’s Kate Hamilton mysteries will appreciate this book, which clearly sets up for a sequel. (The Antique Hunter’s Death on the Red Sea is expected to release in 2025.)
The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder is C.L. Miller’s first novel, drawing on her family history in the world of antiques. To learn about the author and her work, visit clmillerauthor.com.
[Review copy from the public library.]
