A Legacy of Murder: A Kate Hamilton Mystery

Berry’s fine sequel to A Dream of Death takes widowed Ohio antiques dealer Kate Hamilton to Finchley Hall, a stately home in Suffolk, to visit her daughter, a student at Oxford who’s interning at the home. Kate joins a tour group, whose guide explains that the place “is famous for three things—its fine Tudor brickwork, the magnificent treasure trove discovered here in the early nineteenth century, and... murder.” The guide goes on to describe the four unusual murders that have occurred there over the centuries. Then the group reaches Finchley’s lake, where the body of one of the interns is floating, and Kate phones her friend Det. Insp. Thomas Mallory, of the Suffolk Constabulary, to alert him to the grim discovery. Mallory later interviews a number of convincing suspects with a variety of plausible motives. This cozy has it all: well-developed characters, clever dialogue, a gentle love story that never slows the mystery plot, and insights into the antiques trade. Readers will eagerly await the next installment. [em]Agent: Paula Munier, Talcott Notch. (Oct.) [/em]