cover image The Art of Betrayal: A Kate Hamilton Mystery

The Art of Betrayal: A Kate Hamilton Mystery

Connie Berry. Crooked Lane, $26.99 (336p) ISBN 978-1-64385-594-3

In Agatha finalist Berry’s disappointing third mystery featuring antiques dealer Kate Hamilton (after 2019’s A Legacy of Murder), Kate is filling in for the recuperating Ivor Tweedy at the Cabinet of Curiosities, Ivor’s shop in the Suffolk village of Long Barston. Customer Evelyn Villiers asks her to handle the sale of an ancient Chinese funerary jar worth thousands of pounds. Complications ensue when the jar is stolen and Evelyn is stabbed to death. After police engage Kate to prepare an estate inventory, she finds more questions than answers. Why was Evelyn living like a recluse, and why are jewelry and photos missing from the house? Where is Evelyn’s estranged daughter, Lucy? Far-fetched scenarios, insufficient suspects, and transparent clues make it easy for readers to finger the perpetrator, and the preoccupation with Kate’s romantic life at the expense of the plot may cause impatience. Hopefully, Berry will return to form next time. Agent: Paula Munier, Talcott Notch Literary Services. (June)