Thank you net gallery for the advanced copy of this book. This is the second book in a series about an antique dealer/sleuth hunting down stolen artifacts and returning them, I enjoyed the story line and all the facts thrown in about different antiques. I would definitely recommend

4.5 stars

Antiques expert Freya Lockwood is back again in a second installment of 'The Antique Hunter's' novels. Freya, along with her Aunt Carole in their newly developed antiques detective agency and several new acquaintances, are ready to keep hunting the mysterious antiques for which her mentor, Arthur, left a mass of confusing clues and details. This time they are determined to attend an antiques cruise that Freya had been invited to as a professional speaker. Arthur had warned that The Collector, a figure of legend in the field of stolen antiquities, would be on this cruise, and this might be the opportunity to finally unmask them. Freya and Carole were initially told that Freya's presence was no longer necessary, but when contacting the cruise line directly, were informed that THEY were the ones who had apparently cancelled her appearance. Hmmmm...what exactly was going on and who was trying to keep Freya from attending this cruise?

A super enjoyable read, and easy to get through. There are quite a few of the same interesting characters from the first book, but the story being set on a glamorous cruise was great for adding some additional fun characters and locations. I'm definitely recommending a read!

Thanks to NetGalley, author C. L. Miller, and Atria Books for giving me access to a free digital ARC of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own and are provided here voluntarily.

I had the chance to read “The Antiques Hunter: Death on the Red Sea,” the second installment in this series. While I enjoyed the book, it didn’t captivate me as much as the first one did. I suspect this might be due to the character development, which I felt needed to be stronger in this sequel. Despite this, I still liked the book overall, but it didn’t quite match the impact of the original.

An absolutely fantastic second instalment in this newer series!!
One thing I think the author does exceptionally well is the "jumping heads" while also utilizing first person POV for only one character - Freya. This keeps Freya as the main character, but allows us to get the different perspectives of other characters, if only for a short period of time. It lets us get into the motivations of others, building sympathy for some and intrigue for others.

The mystery itself is detailed and layered, and not always as it seems, which we see via Freya's point of view as the original reason for being on the cruise (to get a painting back) becomes just a small mystery in a bigger scheme.

I found that when I got to the big conclusion of whodunnit, it was a long on ramp and then a sudden rapid closure. The follow-up of what happened to the culprit(s) was very quick - just a few paragraphs - and it felt abrupt. I would have liked to have seen it drawn out a bit so that it didn't feel like it ended so quickly and also to savour all of the work put into building the mystery, Freya and others figuring out what was happening, etc.

I really liked the very end, with five of the characters coming together and setting the stage for a group of antique hunters (I hope!) - people who have chosen to trust each other in pursuit of justice.

I will happily keep reading this series!

Thanks to Atria for the eARC of the book. All opinions are my own.

I loved the characters, and felt that this book started out great.

However, the middle of this book was slow and seemed meandering. It was hard to keep reading at this point, and I honestly had a hard time caring about the sinister secret society.

I liked the characters, and the unique hook. I also liked learning about antiques, especially ship wreck ceramics. However, it was hard to slog through the midsection of this book.

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC of this book to read and review.

Loved the mystery and suspense! The second book in the series finds Freya and Aunt Carole on a cruise with antiques and murder. Loved how some familiar characters re-appear and the potential romance? A fun series with antiques, adventure and coming into her own story.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

Freya Lockwood and Aunt Carol are on the hunt again in the newest book of the Antique Hunter's series. When a painting vanishes in a museum where a body was found, the clues lead to an antique cruise where Freya was supposed to be an expert speaker. As they work on finding the stolen painting, they learn of a dangerous art trafficker known as the Collector. Freya and Carol will have to work with friends both new and old, to help identify the collector and solve their first case.

I loved the first book in the Antique Hunters series and enjoyed this new cozy mystery. It was fun to see Freya taking over for her previous mentor and figure out her way of antique hunting while she solves her first case. I was excited to see familiar characters from the previous book make an appearance especially Carol and Phill. I hope to see Phill and Freya's relationship evolve in the next book. Overall, this was an exciting mystery in the antique world and would highly recommend this book for readers who enjoyed The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to review The Antique Hunter's Death on the Red Sea. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Antique hunter Freya Lockwood and her beloved aunt Carole are back for another round of murder, mystery, and of course, extremely valuable and rare artifacts. There’s quite a bit of action in the second edition as we trade a country manor for an elite cruise ship and the dunes of Jordan. (A very Christie-esque shift, really!)

This is another delight from CL Miller. There was a bit too much going on at the most climactic parts of the book but truly, these characters can carry the most chaotic of mysteries flawlessly. Counting down until we have the third in the series.

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the advance copy. All opinions are entirely my own.

This one just didn’t work for me . The first book was ok so I thought it give this one a try but definitely not the series for me and I will not be continuing with any future books

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review


I ended up going back and listening to this which was a bit better. The story is very confusing and has too many characters and too much going on , but it’s overall ok

The second book in the series just was more confusing than anything else - too many people keeping too many secrets from each other for no real reason .. . There were too many characters and too much going on … I also didn’t enjoy this narrator as much and that impacted my enjoyment a bit as well

C L Miller carries on in this sequel to The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder.: The Antique Hunter's Death on the Red Sea. A painting vanishes from a small museum and a body turns up. Freya Lockwood is called in to consult; the Lockwood Antique Hunter's Agency has their first case...She and her aunt Carole follow up on an antiquities' cruise on the Red Sea and Jordan. They are experts telling the cruisers about antiques; but they meet Philip, who is an undercover FBI stolen arts' agent who had met them in their previous case in which antiquities were for sale in an estate. All leads back to Freya's uncle Arthur and his mysterious past in the black market. He kept journals that all the thieves want to acquire. After a murder and underhanded behaviour by t hose on board Freya is going to have to straighten everything out. Great cozy.

I enjoyed this author’s first traditional mystery. She knows her antiques and how to tell a good story. Now, the Lockwood Antique Hunters (Freya and Auntie Carole) are back and on the high seas. How did they get there?

Well, a painting has been taken from a maritime museum and (worse), there has been a murder. From here the intrepid duo take a cruise where they discover many stolen artworks/antiquities, and a mastermind. Will they set the (art) world to rights? Readers know the answer; the enjoyment is in getting there.

Recommended to those who enjoy traditional mysteries, antiques and armchair travel.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book so much! It is shaping up to be a great series. There are lots of fun antique details and historical information and the author's background in antiques really shines through. The mystery was very twisting and turning and I had no idea what was going on until the very end. The characters were very well developed and the mystery was wonderfully complicated! I hope there will be many more entries into this wonderful series!

I loved the first book in this series and this second one did. or dissappoint! It was lovely being back with Freda and Aunt Carol. The mystery was twisty and so fun! I’m excited to read more of Freda and Aunt Carols adventures. I can’t wait to see what they getup to next.

“𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞… 𝐓𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞… 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞.”

Freya and Aunt Carole are back in this fast-paced adventure!

Arthur has left behind more clues and antiques for Freya and Carole to uncover, this time involving a stolen painting and a luxury cruise. It was very clever showcasing a newspaper article early on, as a way of both recapping what happened in the last book (without giving too much away) and planting clues for the action to come. The luxury liner is filled with passengers and crew who all seemed to know Arthur, alongside many detailed descriptions of antiques, which Miller draws from her own experience growing up and working with her mother, Judith Miller of Antiques Roadshow. Freya and Aunt Carole remain as entertaining as ever, with both women determined to not let life just pass them by. Returning characters Phil and Bella were worked well into the story, with smart development in the relationships between all four characters. I didn't necessarily love The Collector, as I don't always love storylines with a 'big organization' (it reminded me too much of the derailed second season of Revenge), with the ending feeling a bit convoluted where I was asking a lot of questions about all the double crossing. However, the crew that has gathered together to form the Lockwood Agency at the end gives me a lot excitement for books to come, especially with the hints of where book three will take place!

The Antique Hunter's Death on the Red Sea is less of a cozy mystery and more of an adventure store compared to The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder, but is an overall great addition to this series. Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for the ARC!

Carole and Freya had been invited to join a cruise as antiques experts. But the invitation was rescinded. Oh well. When asked to come to a local maritime museum where a picture donated by Freya's old mentor, Arthur, had been stolen, they are looking up information and discover that the cruise is, indeed, still on. And they'll be able to join.
Once they get there, they recognize some old friends, some of whom are not using the names they had the last time Carole and Freya saw them. Also on the cruise? Supposedly a big bad who is getting ready to turn over his name and his business of obtaining certain objects and then selling them off to the highest bidder. And a number of his usual bidders are on the ship as well, all of them wanting to keep their secrets.
This book took me awhile to get into it and I didn't remember all of the side characters from the previous book but there were a number of hints as to why they were important so I think new people would be fine as well. I think the transitions from third person narrator to another narrator to first person kept me from really ever immersing myself in the book but it was a good read.

Four stars
This book came out February 18, 2024
Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder #2
Follows Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder
ARC kindly provided by Atria Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Thank you so much for NetGalley for granting me early access to the digital copy of this new release. I loved the first book last summer and this second one was not a let down! It was a joy being back with this characters. This sequel gave just enough catch up to brush you back up with situations. the mystery was twisty and turning and so fun! I did feel like the end snuck up quickly and things were suddenly wrapped and done. But I’m excited for what is I’m sure more books to come!

C.L. Miller delivers another engaging mystery with The Antique Hunter’s Death on the Red Sea, a follow-up that builds on the intrigue, humor, and adventure of the first book. This time, Freya Lockwood and her ever-delightful Aunt Carole set sail on a Red Sea cruise, diving deeper into the murky world of black-market antiquities. With a stolen painting, a dangerous figure known as "The Collector," and a ship full of suspects, the stakes feel higher than ever.

The locked-room atmosphere of the cruise ship adds an extra layer of suspense, reminiscent of classic Agatha Christie mysteries. Freya, though still navigating her role as an antique hunter, shows growth as a character, balancing determination with moments of endearing uncertainty. Aunt Carole, as always, steals the show with her wit and flair, ensuring that even the tensest moments carry a dose of charm.

The narrative alternates perspectives, offering glimpses into the motives of various characters, including some rather shady figures. While this enriches the mystery, it also introduces a large cast that might be a bit overwhelming at times. However, the relationships—especially the slow-burn dynamic between Freya and Phil—keep the story grounded and engaging.

Miller’s writing is sharp, blending historical intrigue with a cozy-yet-dangerous feel. While it stretches the definition of a "cozy mystery" due to its suspenseful elements, it remains a thoroughly enjoyable read for fans of both traditional mysteries and treasure-hunting adventures.

Overall, The Antique Hunter’s Death on the Red Sea is a well-crafted, atmospheric mystery with a compelling mix of humor, danger, and antiquities. Fans of the series will love this next installment, and newcomers may find themselves eager to track down Freya’s first adventure.

Rating: 4/5

I enjoyed being immersed in history and antiquities on the cruise on the Red Sea, along for the ride with Freya and her Aunt Carole.
Aunt Carole is an absolute delight and this book would lack a certain pizazz without her. I am also enjoying the slow burn that is Phil and Freya’s undeniable attraction. This is not the end of these adventures and I am excited to see them partner even up for more forays into the black market of antique dealing. I grew up watching Antique’s Roadshow with my mother, so I feel connected to Freya, and the author for that matter, in this regard.
The multiple points of view are delivered in third person, to keep it separate from Freya’s, and each contributes well to giving the reader a good overall picture of events. The plot was engaging and kept me interested in the events and the fates of the characters,
I recommend this book to cozy mystery lovers and antique lovers alike. I look forward to further adventures with Freya (and Carole).
Many thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book. The opinions expressed are honest and my own.

pretty fun cozy(?) mystery that's not all that cozy for much of it, but it's still pretty good. the chars are just as good as in the first book, but the mystery is fine but not superb. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.