A Grave Deception - (A Kate Hamilton Mystery) by Connie Berry

Book Synopsis

Antiques expert Kate Hamilton dives into the past to solve a fourteenth-century mystery with disturbing similarities to a modern-day murder in the sixth installment of the Kate Hamilton mystery series.

Kate Hamilton and her husband, Detective Inspector Tom Mallory, have settled into married life in Long Barston. When archaeologists excavating the ruins of a nearby plague village discover the miraculously preserved body of a fourteenth-century woman, Kate and her colleague, Ivor Tweedy, are asked to appraise the grave goods, including a valuable pearl. When tests reveal the woman was pregnant and murdered, the owner of the estate on which the body was found, an amateur historian, asks Kate to identify her and, if possible, her killer. Surprised, Kate agrees to try.

Meanwhile, tensions within the archaeological team erupt when the body of the lead archaeologist turns up at the dig site with fake pearls in his mouth and stomach. Then a third body is found in the excavations. Meanwhile, Kate's husband Tom is tracking the movements of a killer of his own.

With the help of 700-year-old documents and the unpublished research of a deceased historian, Kate must piece together the past before the grave count reaches four.

Review Quotes

Praise for A Grave Deception
"A treat."
--Kirkus

​"Berry's intriguing new book featuring her antiques dealer/amateur sleuth​ . . . adeptly ​weaves the past and the present together into a complex plot.​"
​--Library Journal

Praise for the Kate Hamilton Mysteries
"Suspenseful layers of intrigue and intelligent characters. Riveting . . . I couldn't put it down."
--Hannah Reed, national bestselling author of the Scottish Highland mysteries

"I'm looking forward to many more installments in this intriguing series."
--Bailey Cates, New York Times bestselling author of the Magical Bakery mysteries

"Deliciously atmospheric and beautifully written."
--Peg Cochran, USA Today bestselling author of the Cranberry Cove mysteries

"A Scottish delight that will keep you on your toes until the very end."
--Carlene O'Connor, USA Today bestselling author of the Irish Village mysteries

"Masterfully plotted with compelling characters and a setting rich in history."
--Gretchen Archer, bestselling author of the Davis Way Crime Caper series

"I can't imagine a better way to spend an afternoon."
--Molly MacRae, national bestselling author of the Highland Bookshop mysteries

"A seamlessly plotted mystery for fans of English puzzles."
--Library Journal, starred review

About the Author

Connie Berry is the author of the Kate Hamilton mysteries, set in the UK and featuring an American antiques dealer with a gift for solving crimes. Like her protagonist, Connie was raised by antiques dealers who instilled in her a passion for history, fine art, and travel. During college she studied at the University of Freiburg in Germany and St. Clare's College, Oxford, where she fell under the spell of the British Isles. In 2019 Connie won the IPPY Gold Medal for Mystery and was a finalist for the Agatha Award's Best Debut. She's a member of Mystery Writers of America and is on the board of the Guppies and her local Sisters in Crime chapter. Besides reading and writing mysteries, Connie loves history, foreign travel, cute animals, and all things British. She lives in Ohio with her husband and adorable shih tzu, Emmie.