The Art of Betrayal
A Kate Hamilton Mystery
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- 13,99 €
Description de l’éditeur
In Connie Berry's third Kate Hamilton mystery, American antique dealer Kate Hamilton's spring is cut short when a body turns up at the May Fair pageant.
Spring is a magical time in England--bluebells massing along the woodland paths, primrose and wild thyme dotting the meadows. Antiques dealer Kate Hamilton is spending the month of May in the Suffolk village of Long Barston, enjoying precious time with Detective Inspector Tom Mallory. While attending the May Fair, the annual pageant based on a well-known Anglo-Saxon folktale, a body turns up in the middle of the festivities.
Kate is even more shocked when she learns the murder took place in antiquity shop owner Ivor Tweedy's stockroom and a valuable Chinese pottery jar that she had been tasked with finding a buyer for has been stolen. Ivor may be ruined. Insurance won't cover a fraction of the loss.
As Tom leads the investigation, Kate begins to see puzzling parallels between the murder and local legends. The more she learns, the more convinced she is that the solution to both crimes lies in the misty depths of Anglo-Saxon history and a generations-old pattern of betrayal. It's up to Kate to unravel this Celtic knot of lies and deception to save Ivor's business.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
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.
