As a fan of a cozy mystery the idea of antiques and crime suited me to the ground and was part of what appealed to me. The fact that it explained at the beginning that CL Miller was the daughter of Judith Miller who is well known for being an occasional Antiques Roadshow host and more lauded in the profession for co-creating Miller’s Antiques and Collectables which is a must buy for many in the trade.
Freya Lockwood has avoided the quaint English village in which she grew up for the last 20 years. That is until news arrives that Arthur Crockleford, antiques dealer and Freya’s estranged mentor, has died – and the circumstances seem suspicious.
I will start by saying this felt to me more TV Lovejoy than book Lovejoy, and that was fine with me! I really enjoyed the characters of Freya and Aunt Carole, and it was refreshing to have a middle aged female character who was trying to find herself but didn’t need anyone else to complete her. I love MC Beaton’s Agatha Raisin but her identity is always wrapped up in her love life – or she thinks it is. Freya was independent, strong, clever and human. Throughout the book she is faced with the actions of an event 20+ years previously and it becomes obvious that the somehow solving the mystery of Arthur’s death will provide some answers on the events which lead Freya and Arthur to become estranged, either directly, or just through understanding his reasons.
Its has a nice pace, you don’t feel like it’s moving too fast and that gives you time to reach your own conclusions and to try and solve as much as you can. It doesn’t feel particularly realistic or gritty but that’s fine I don’t expect my copy crime to feel real as real crime shouldn’t be enjoyable. It feels like the start of a series and I’d be happy to read more.
If you enjoy cozy crime with a bit of action, enjoyable characters, but not too many that you feel overwhelmed then this is the book for you. I really enjoyed it and hope to see more soon.
Perfect for fans of MC Beaton, and the Lovejoy TV Series.