Do you love classic British mysteries with a manor house setting? Love The Thursday Murder Club? Then you’ve got to check out my Review of The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder.
Written and edited by Jen Ryland. Last updated on:
Jen’s Quick Take on The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder
- An intergenerational crime-solving team
- A Thursday Murder Club feel
- An English manor house setting
- A focus on antiquities
- Some readers weren’t a fan of the “cozy” writing
The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder
Published on February 6, 2024 by Atria Books. Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review. I read this book in January 2024.
Plot Summary for The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder
Freya is saddened to learn that Arthur Crockleford, an antiques dealer and her estranged mentor, has died. But what really shocks Freya is that Arthur left a letter asking Freya to investigate his own death.
Joining forces with her eccentric Aunt Carole, Freya ends up a guest at an old manor house for an antiques enthusiast’s weekend. But Freya realizes that the antiques are all poor reproductions and her fellow guests are secretive. Can Freya and Carole discover the truth before the killer strikes again?
Review of The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder
I’m a huge fan of The Thursday Murder Club, which has re-popularized the idea of senior citizen detectives.
In The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder, the crime-solving team is Freya, a recently divorced woman in her forties, and Carole, her very dramatic and outgoing aunt, a “woman of a certain age.”
Years ago, Freya assisted Arthur in finding and repatriating antiquities, but a tragedy drove a wedge between them. Now Arthur is dead and has left a letter asking Freya to find an item “of immense value.”
This letter leads Freya and Carole to an antique hunter’s weekend at the manor house of a member of the aristocracy who has also recently died. Freya is perplexed that all the art and furnishings in this grand house seem to be fake.
If you are craving a solid, classic mystery with a British setting, definitely check this one out. It has the wry humor of The Thursday Murder Club. Cautious Freya and exuberant Carole make a fun crime-solving team. There’s even a hint of romance!
Some readers found the writing distracting, which I understand. If you read cozies, you will recognize the chatty conversational tone.
If you’re looking for a light, cozy read, you might see if your library has this one!