The Antique Store Detective and the Riverside Murders
(A Bella Winter Mystery Book 4)
by Clare Chase
A priceless statue, two mysterious deaths, and a missing body… it can only be a case for the antique store detective!
Bella Winter is happily settled in Hope Eaton, with her business flourishing: antiques sold and problems solved. So when Margie Fleming approaches her to sell a family heirloom, a beautiful marble statue of a mother and child, Bella jumps at the chance.
But the day before the sale, Margie is found dead: drowned in the river Kite, a year after her older sister Bethan died the same way. Everyone is convinced it’s a tragic accident, but Bella isn’t so sure. One mysterious death might be a coincidence. Two feels a lot like murder…
Bella’s spine tingles when she realizes Bethan also had plans for the statue. Could someone have killed to make sure it wasn’t moved? It feels far-fetched… but when they shift the statue, there’s a bloodstain beneath it. Someone is trying to conceal a crime. But who was the victim, and where is the body?
As she investigates the Flemings’ friends and family, Bella becomes convinced the strange graffiti appearing all over Hope Eaton holds answers… Can she paint a clear picture and solve the case, or will she find herself facing a watery end?
A completely charming cosy murder mystery, perfect for fans of Faith Martin, Emylia Hall, and Agatha Christie.
My Rating:
Favorite Quote:
It was horrific to think they’d probably been killed with no inkling they’d got in someone’s way. It made life feel so chancy.
My Review:
This was a complicated and well-nuanced cozy murder mystery with several different family drama storylines tossed in for a bonus. Clare Chase is a crafty minx with her red herrings, agile word skills, and sleight of hand. The little pea in my brain was spinning in circles as it conjured and discarded theories. Her characters are remarkably unique and colorfully drawn, with amusing and vivid descriptors that bring them fully to life in my mind’s eye. I always enjoy picking up one of her engaging tales, and this one is exceptionally well plotted. I’m eager to see what she does with the next installment, given the little tease of romance she tucked in at the end of this tale.
Clare Chase writes classic mysteries. She aims to take readers away from it all via some armchair sleuthing in atmospheric locations.
Her debut novel was shortlisted for Novelicious’s Undiscovered Award, as well as an EPIC award post-publication, and was chosen as a Debut of the Month by LoveReading. Murder on the Marshes (Tara Thorpe 1) was shortlisted for an International Thriller Writers award.
Like her heroines, Clare is fascinated by people and what makes them tick. Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked in settings as diverse as Littlehey Prison and the University of Cambridge, in her home city. She’s lived everywhere from the house of a lord to a slug-infested flat and finds the mid-terrace she currently occupies a good, happy medium.
As well as writing, Clare loves family time, art and architecture, cooking, and of course, reading other people’s books.
