The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder
by C.L. Miller
Summary from Goodreads:
Freya Lockwood is shocked when she learns that Arthur Crockleford, antiques dealer and her estranged mentor, has died under mysterious circumstances. She has spent the last twenty years avoiding her quaint English hometown, but when she receives a letter from Arthur asking her to investigate—sent just days before his death—Freya has no choice but to return to a life she had sworn to leave behind.
Joining forces with her eccentric Aunt Carole, Freya follows clues and her instincts to an old manor house for an advertised antiques enthusiast’s weekend. But not all is as it seems. It’s clear to Freya that the antiques are all just poor reproductions and her fellow guests are secretive and menacing. What is going on at this estate and how was Arthur involved? More importantly, can Freya and Carole discover the truth before the killer strikes again?
This mystery had all the potential to be a new favorite and seemed like it would be right up my alley. It also happened to be my latest choice for my book club. But I’m going to let you in on a little secret: I don’t have the best track record for picking the greatest books for our group, Literal Trash. Luckily they are all much less critical than me and they usually enjoy my picks. It takes a lot these days to elicit more than 3 stars from me. I’m mildly jaded. I did like it - but I didn’t really like it or LOVE it.
For such a short book - it took me well over a month to read and I think that’s because it just wasn’t very gripping. I could easily put it down or decide to binge watch a show at night instead of reading. The cast of characters were all pretty one-dimensional – including Freya and Carole. I feel like the group at the manor house could have been bigger and maybe cover more time to be a bit more entertaining. I also kept waiting for something more to happen. Everything felt too easily solved in the most probable of ways. I think I’m used to the narrator getting it a little bit wrong along the way and there to be a final shocking twist or revelation. No such luck, though. I finished the book feeling vaguely unsatisfied. Mostly just glad I finished it for my book club and I could complain about it to them. Isn’t that what book club is for??
I respect that this is the author’s debut novel and writing is difficult. Sometimes it feels way too judgey of me to talk about poor writing when I struggle to get my thoughts in order for just a single review. However – I honestly would not recommend this to mystery connoisseurs. If you think this premise sounds interesting like I did and you want a quick read to pass time… sure, go for it! But I might snag it from the library instead of splurging on the hardcover. It’s a pretty book, though. Loved the cover design!
