The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder by C L Miller @CLMillerAuthor @panmacmillan @EmmaHarrowPR #TheAntiqueHuntersGuideToMurder #BookReview

 

Freya, it’s down to you to finish what I started . . .

Freya Lockwood has avoided the quaint English village in which she grew up for the last 20 years. That is until news arrives that Arthur Crockleford, antiques dealer and Freya’s estranged mentor, has died – and the circumstances seem suspicious.

You will uncover an invitation, I implore you to attend . . .

But when a letter from Arthur is delivered, sent just days before his death, and an ordinary pine chest concealing Arthur’s journals are revealed, Freya finds herself sucked back into a life she’d sworn to leave behind.

But beware, trust no-one. Your life depends on it . . .

Joining forces with her eccentric Aunt Carole, Arthur’s staunch best friend, Freya follows both clues and her instincts to an old manor house for an ‘antiques enthusiasts weekend’. But not is all as it seems; the antiques are bad reproductions and the guests all have something to hide.

Can Freya and Carole solve the mystery and unearth the killer before they strike again? Find out in The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder, the unputdownable cosy crime caper from C L Miller.

The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder by C L Miller was published by Pan Macmillan in hardback on 29 February 2024, the paperback will be published on 26 September 2024. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

This review appeared in The Mature Times - March edition 

Freya Lockwood grew up in a small English village, she’s not been back there for over twenty years.

When she hears that her old mentor Arthur Crockleford has died and there appears to be some mystery around his death she is drawn back to the village. Freya had worked as an antiques hunter with Arthur for many years, tracking down missing antiques and returning them to their owners. She gave up that life and had no more contact with Arthur after a shocking tragedy in Egypt.

However, Freya and her Aunt Carole receive a letter written by Arthur before he died, along with a trunk containing his journals. It becomes clear that Arthur’s death was no mystery and Freya and Carole find themselves at an old manor house for an antiques weekend.

The other guests at the manor are all connected to Arthur in some way, there’s the gardener from the USA, the squabbling siblings, the sly solicitor and the hapless housekeeper. Along with the ditzy blonde who appears downtrodden and subservient. Each and every one of them appear to have some sort of motive to get rid of Arthur, and as Freya delves deeper, she learns more about what happened so many years ago too. 

Agatha Christie meets the Antiques Roadshow in this delightful cosy crime novel from talented debut author Miller. 

A classic whodunnit with a very fresh voice. The mystery is fast paced and intricate, the setting is wonderfully described and the characters are rounded and believable.

C. L. Miller started working life in publishing as an editorial assistant for her mother, Judith Miller on the Miller’s Antique Price Guide and as a researcher for the Antique Hunter’s Guide to Europe and then went into hospitality and events. 

After she had children, she decided to follow her long held dream of becoming an author and began writing full-time. 

She was an Undiscovered Voices winner 2022 and showcased in UV 2022 anthology.

C.L lives in a medieval cottage in Dedham Vale, Suffolk with her family.

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