Connie Berry’s fifth Kate Hamilton mystery, A Collection of Lies, combines some of my favorite elements, a cold case, a contemporary murder investigation, and a drowned village. Kate Hamilton and her new husband, Tom Mallory, aren’t on the usual honeymoon as they’re plunged into a fascinating case.

Kate and Tom are on their honeymoon in Devon, England, a working honeymoon. Tom has accepted a case from an international private investigation firm, trying to decide if he wants to take early retirement from the Suffolk Constabulary and become a private investigator. This case provides an opportunity for Kate, an antiques and antiquity expert, to work with him. The client is the Museum of Devon Life, recipient of a donation of a bloodstained dress from the late 1800s. They’re to establish the provenance. Did the dress actually belong to Nancy Thorne who was supposed to have murdered someone in 1885?

All of the clues seem to lead nowhere. Then, on the night of a fundraising gala at the museum, there’s a shooter. Gordon Littlejohn, the man who donated the dress, is grazed by the bullet, but politician Teddy Pearce claims he was the target. However, it’s Littlejohn who becomes a murder victim, leaving Kate with so many questions about the donated dress. When the Devon constabulary ask Tom for his help, Kate is left to dig into the history of the bloodstained dress.

Kate’s search for answers leads her to stories of two accomplished working class women, lacemaker Nancy Thorne and her seamstress sister, Sally Tucker. But, it’s a local researcher and librarian who finds answers to many of Kate’s questions about the sisters, Romani in the area at the time, a village that no longer exists, and even people who might be involved in the current murder investigation.

If you enjoy cold cases, facts about working class life in the late 1800s, and cold cases, you’ll want to try A Collection of Lies. And, Berry leaves readers with just a hint of a new direction for Kate Hamilton’s investigatory interest. This latest is a terrific addition to the traditional mystery series.

Connie Berry’s website is https://connieberry.com/

A Collection of Lies by Connie Berry. Crooked Lane Books, 2024. ISBN 9781639106660 (hardcover), 336p.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a galley through NetGalley to review for a journal.