ARC Review: A Collection of Lies by Connie Berry

A Collection of Lies
Author: Connie Berry
Series: Kate Hamilton Mystery (Book 5)
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (June 18, 2024)

Description: In USA Today bestselling author Connie Berry’s fifth Kate Hamilton mystery, American antiques dealer Kate Hamilton follows bloodstained clues to discover the truth about the murder of a modern-day Victorian gentleman.

As Kate Hamilton and her new husband, DI Tom Mallory, honeymoon in Devon, a local history museum asks them to trace the provenance of a bloodstained dress said to belong to a Victorian lacemaker accused of murder. If genuine, the dress and its puzzling connections to a nineteenth-century Romani family who camped on Dartmoor will be the centerpiece of a new historic crimes exhibit—exactly Kate’s kind of mystery. But matters turn deadly when a shot is fired during a fundraising gala, injuring the man who donated the dress.

The injured donor, Gideon Littlejohn, is a cybersecurity expert who lives and dresses as a Victorian gentleman, but everyone believes the real target of the attack to be another attendee—a controversial politician intent on rooting out local corruption. This belief is overturned when Gideon is found dead in a pool of blood. But then the politician receives a death threat.

Who was the real target? Who would want to kill both a man with an obsession for history and a tough-on-crime politician? When asked to assist in the investigation, Kate races to discover the truth, as it becomes clear the killer isn’t going to come quietly.

My Thoughts: Tom Mallory and Kate Hamilton are on their honeymoon in Devon when a local history museum asks them to trace the provenance of a bloodstained dress that they want to use as the centerpiece of a Crimes in Devon exhibit. 

This investigation seems to be just what they are looking for. Tom is contemplating changing careers from the police to private investigation and Kate has had success in unraveling other historical puzzles. And Kate is pleased that the investigation won't put them in danger since they are both still bruised after their last adventure. 

But a gunshot at a museum fundraising gathering and the murder of the man who donated the dress to the exhibit put both of them back in the middle of a danger-filled mystery. The first mystery is just who the supposed victim of the shooting was supposed to be. The donor, Gideon Littlejohn, is a cybersecurity expert who is determined to live as a Victorian gentleman and is busy making his home into what was typical for the time period. But standing next to him was Teddy Pearce who is a newly elected member of Parliament who comes from a troubled past. 

While Tom is drafted into working for the local police, Kate finds herself investigating the bloodstained dress and its supposed owner Nancy Thorne who was a lacemaker. With no documentation but a forged note saying the dress belonged to Nancy who was also accused as a murderer, Kate begins research with the help of a local librarian who is a great researcher and intrigued by the mystery.

While it seems that the two investigations are separate, it soon begins to come clear that the investigations are related and finding out the provenance of the dress could lead to the contemporary murder. This was an interesting mystery with lots of local history in the story. From a drowned town to Romani culture, there are all sorts of interesting details. 

Fans of the series will enjoy this latest episode.  

Favorite Quote:

"Actually, I was thinking about historical mysteries in general. Uncovering the past. Everyone involved is long gone. No crime, no danger."

I never learn.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.