I always look forward to the annual Josie Prescott Antiques mystery by Jane K. Cleland. Over the course of the series, we’ve watched Josie grow from an insecure young woman in a strange community to a confident woman, a successful businesswoman, owner of Prescott’s Antiques & Auctions in Rocky Point, New Hampshire, part of a close-knit chosen family. Hidden Treasure marks one more step in Josie’s life.

Josie and her husband, Ty, have found the perfect home in Rocky Point, a place called the Gingerbread House They’ve hired a team to renovate it before they move in. Before they even start the work, Josie receives a call from Celia, one of the nieces of the previous owner. She says her Aunt Maudie is getting forgetful, and left a trunk behind in the house, a trunk that contains a valuable family heirloom. Maudie’s other niece, Stacy, even shows up at Josie’s, insisting the trunk is still there, while insinuating her aunt has dementia. When Josie finds the trunk hidden in the house, it contains a jewel-encrusted box and the sculpture of a cat. But, Josie refuses to turn it over to the nieces, insisting she’ll turn it over to the rightful owner, Maudie.

Josie doesn’t find a forgetful woman with dementia. She finds an active senior who subjugated her wishes to others for years. Now, Maudie is determined to live her own life. She regrets moving to the retirement home, which she did because her nieces pushed. She wishes she had traveled and written, gone snorkeling and had adventures. And, she wants some suggestions for appraisers who will look at her treasures. Josie likes Maudie, and doesn’t see the qualities her nieces insinuated their aunt had.

Once again, Maudie’s nieces push Josie. Celia needs money because her husband lost his job, and they have four children. Stacy wants money for her business. Instead of siding with the nieces, Josie goes to visit Maudie after receiving a phone call from her. She finds a dead woman in Maudie’s apartment, and her new friend is nowhere to be found. A 911 call brings the police, including Josie’s friend, Ellis, the police chief.

While the mystery, the murder and Maudie’s disappearance, are the central elements to the story, Josie Prescott isn’t a one-trick pony. She has a personal and business life, and those elements don’t disappear because she’s involved in a mystery. She still has a business to run, and the reader is reacquainted with Josie’s staff and the day-to-day business, including a hunt for the story behind a chandelier removed from Josie’s new house. Then, there’s the complicated personal issues as Josie’s best friend, Zoe, faces an empty nest, and fear, when her only daughter enlists in the Marines. Cleland skillfully incorporates all of these elements in the story.

I actually only have one complaint about the TSTL (too stupid to live) scene in the book. Josie knows better than to enter a place when a door is slightly open and there’s a murderer out there. She does a little too much sneaking around in this book. I’d never say an amateur sleuth deserves what happens, but, darn. She’s been involved in enough mysteries that she should know better.

Even with my one minor complaint, Jane K. Cleland’s Hidden Treasure is another satisfying mystery in a gem of a series.

Jane K. Cleland’s website is www.janecleland.com

Hidden Treasure by Jane K. Cleland. Minotaur Books, 2020. ISBN 9781250242778 (hardcover), 278p.

FTC Full Disclosure – The publisher sent me a copy of the book, hoping I would review it.