Killer in the Carriage House: A Victorian Village Mystery

In bestseller Connolly’s enjoyable if somewhat rambling sequel to 2018’s Murder at the Mansion, former hotel hospitality manager Kate Hamilton draws up a plan to transform the center of Asheboro, Md., her hometown, into a Victorian village. In particular, she wants to restore the Barton mansion, the home of wealthy Henry Barton, who started a shovel factory outside of town after the Civil War. Asheboro’s citizens accept her proposal, and she and her new beau, Johns Hopkins professor Josh Wainwright, begin surveying buildings. Meanwhile, Carroll, a library science student, starts sorting through documents in the Barton mansion that haven’t been read in more than a hundred years. Shortly before moving the documents to the local library, Kate and Carroll discover the body of a young man in the library. As the police work to identify the victim, Kate and Josh research the source of Barton’s wealth, but somebody is prepared to kill to prevent the exposure of old secrets. Realistic characters compensate for the relatively weak plot. Cozy fans will be curious to see what Kate gets up to next. Agent: Jessica Faust, BookEnds. (July)