I am a sucker for a good Christmas cozy, and this one was as festive and fun as they come. I thoroughly enjoyed the charming setting, and the mystery was a pretty good one. It was a bit slow in the middle, but other than that I found the book to be extremely enjoyable and one I'd recommend to mystery lovers.

I always thought the phrase “the butler did it” was a bit of a cliche but in this case, I’m sorry folks the spoiler is, the butler did do it, I just couldn’t resist saying that. To think he did it all for the Lady of the house, he is a loyal and faithful crazy, that much I can say. Intriguing and some times frustrating read, all in all, it was very entertaining.

This was a very interesting book. It had a lot of History to read about from England and America.

It starts out with a tour Group finding a body of a young girl intern at a well known English estate. The people who own the estate need to have tours of the buildings and grounds in order to keep the estate in their name.

The body is one of the young people they have hired to make the estate ready for the big show of the antiques that are going to be shown at a big show.

The book is well written and kept my interest, it was very informative and interesting. Well worth the time to read and I will be recommending it to everyone I know.

four star review!

law-enforcement, family-dynamics, museum, murder-investigation, England *****

All Kate wanted when she left the Cleveland airport was a pleasant holiday in England with her daughter at Finchley Hall and get to know better the interesting police detective she met not long ago.
What she got was confrontation with her daughter who thought her mother should mourn her father lots longer than three years, issues with the man she has fallen in love with because his duty to the law was in conflict with her personal issues. And a murder or two.
The characters are interesting and engaging, the investigation twisty and packed with misdirection, and the whole is simply riveting. Hope there's another book in the offing!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

It's Christmastime and antiques dealer Kate Hamilton is off to visit her daughter, Christine, in the quaint English village of Long Barston. Christine and her boyfriend, Tristan, work at stately-but-crumbling Finchley Hall. Touring the Elizabethan house and grounds, Kate is intrigued by the docent's tales of the Finchley Hoard, and the strange deaths surrounding the renowned treasure trove. But next to a small lake, Kate spies the body of a young woman, killed by a garden spade.

Nearly blind Lady Barbara, who lives at Finchley with her loyal butler, Mugg, persuades Kate to take over the murdered woman's work. Kate finds that a Burmese ruby has vanished from the legendary Blood-Red Ring, replaced by a lesser garnet. Were the theft and the woman's death connected?


Thank you to net galley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book it was a great experience. It had me on the edge of my seat

This was a well written book. I enjoyed the twists and turns in this murder mystery.
You get to know each of the characters and how their lives intertwine with the evolving
story line.

This book was just beautifully written. This is the first book by this author that I've read, but it certainly won't be the last. The characters are likeable and the story line was descriptive and well crafted. I am definitely looking forward to reading more in this series.

Read this author's previous book set in Scotland. Really enjoyed it. Also enjoyed this one. Quick easy mystery to read on a plane or in a car on a long trip.

This one started off well enough with a good setting and interesting premise, and I enjoy an older heroine, but the characters and mystery were not compelling enough for me to finish the book. Part of the problem was the heroine's spoiled brat adult daughter, but characters and plot seemed a bit tedious.

Kate Hamilton makes a trip to Long Barston in the UK to visit her daughter, spend some time with her boyfriend, and to hunt down some antiques for her shop back in the States. Staying at the historic Finchley Hall where her daughter is going an internship, Kate decides to take a tour of the estate upon her arrival, during which a young boy in her tour group finds a dead body in the water. It turns out to be another intern at the estate and Kate’s boyfriend arrives on the scene, which puts a crimp in their plans to spend some quality time together.

When Kate hears that the planned exhibit the dead intern was working on may be cancelled, she steps in to help to help so that the proceeds will help restore and update some portions f the estate. While regal and classy, the elderly Lady Barbara is barley keeping the estate from sinking. As Kate familiarizes herself with the work the intern had done in preparation she find some discrepancies and believes that the intern did as well. Is this what has caused the death of two interns at Finchley Hall who were both working on exhibits of the estates treasures? Hopefully Kate won’t be the next victim.

On the personal side, Kate meets Tom’s Mother, who truly does not like Americans, or women who may capture her son’s heart and take him away from her. No matter how old you are, love always has a few thorns that we have to work around.

I’ve been finding myself reading more and more British mysteries as of late and I enjoy this series as we have an American main character who seems to do quite well in the British domain. Looking forward to the next installment and seeing what life has in store for Kate.

Connie Berry's "A Legacy of Murder" is a wonderful read for people who like British mysteries about crumbling mansions. (That would sure be me!) Kate Hamilton, an American antiques dealer, is visiting her daughter Christine who is working as an intern at the stately home of Lady Barbara in Long Barston. It is widely known in the area as Finchley Hall. No sooner does she arrive than the body of a murdered woman--also an intern--is found on the Finchley grounds in a lake. The murdered intern had been working on the Finchley Hoard, a legendary collection of treasures owned by the family through generations. Soon, Lady Barbara persuades Kate to take over the work for a huge celebration the family is having to display their treasures. It isn't long before Kate realizes something is amiss with the items in the collection. Add several family emergencies, a gang of robbers in the area, and another murder, and you have a intriguing mystery full of twists and turns.

I really enjoyed Berry's mystery, the second in the series. Now I plan to read her earlier book. She has a romantic subplot that is perfect, not too overwhelming to the mystery. The main characters are highly likable, and the minor characters are intriguing, especially an elderly antiques collector who helps Kate with the history of the manor and its earlier murders. Put it on your "to read" pile because it's a pleasurable read.

What a wonderful mystery! This is my first book by Connie Berry and second in a series with our amateur sleuth and antique dealer Kate Hamilton. Ms. Berry has a knack for creating the story in a way that it plays as a movie in your mind. The story takes place at Finchley Hall in the UK while Kate from the US is visiting her daughter a intern. It flows well and Kate just happens to fall into the mystery. This book has it all, mystery, an old mansion, romance ( thankfully at a tasteful level), love, a dream British village and a host of memorable characters but best of all, throw in Christmas! I really did enjoy this and will certainly read more.

This is a strong second book in the series. Kate is visiting her daughter Christine and expecting to celebrate am English Christmas. Unfortunately, while taking a tour of the estate where her daughter is interning a dead body is discovered, Kate's curiosity is piqued and she can't help but ask some questions. This book sees Kate's new relationship with Tom navigate troubled waters and Kate tries to work on her relationship with her daughter as well. I look forward to more in this series.

A Legacy of Murder by Connie Berry. A Kate Hamilton Mystery (#2). Crooked Lane Books, 2019.

Kate, an American antiques dealer, is in her forties and widowed. She is likeable, sensible, intelligent, realistic and a good mother. Christine, Kate's university-aged daughter is an intern at a stately home with a long history of treasure and murder. While visiting Christine, Kate becomes involved in what appears to be a series of crimes. And she has fallen in love with an English detective whose intrusive, overbearing mother is another cross for Kate to bear. It does not take long to care about Kate and completely engage with this story.

There’s quite a bit going on; even the dishy vicar has a suspicious past. Yet there is everything to like and enjoy about this book: the writing style, the characters, Kate’s situation, her realistic view of her daughter all contribute to its appeal. It even ends nicely, tying up all the loose ends in a way that is not completely predictable yet does not seem contrived. I really enjoyed it and warmly recommend it.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of A Legacy of Murder via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.