Book Review: The Shadow of Memory by Connie Berry (Kate Hamilton Mysteries #4)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Strong main characters; puzzling, well-plotted mystery

Cons: My memory doesn’t recall any cons

The Bottom Line:

Case with ties to past

Lots of threads to unravel

Engrossing story

Is a Cold Case Leading to Modern Murders?

I’ve been looking forward to The Shadow of Memory by Connie Berry for a while.  I’ve enjoyed the first three books in her Kate Hamilton Mysteries, so I figured this one would be great as well.  I wasn’t disappointed.

It’s late summer, and Kate Hamilton should be planning her upcoming wedding to Detective Inspector Tom Mallory.  However, the two of them are having a hard time making decisions about where they will live after they get married.

Fortunately, Kate’s work with fellow antiques dealer Ivor Tweedy has landed her a distracting assignment.  They’ve been asked to handle the auction for some antiques that the former Netherfield Sanatorium is looking to sell to help finance the conversion of the property into luxury townhomes.  The highlight is a painting that should fetch millions.  However, Kate thinks something might be off about it.

Then there’s the murder that has taken place back in Long Barston, where Kate is living.  The victim is a retired criminal inspector.  He was also the first boyfriend of Kate’s friend Vivian Bunn.  Vivian hadn’t seen Will in decades.  Learning of his death reminds Vivian of the week they’d spent together poking around an old house where two deaths had taken place – a house with connections to the Netherfield Sanatorium.  The more Kate learns, the more she can’t help but wonder if everything is connected.  Can she figure out what is happening?

If this sounds like there is a lot going on here, that’s because there is.  But don’t worry, the story expertly weaves all these various plot threads together into a satisfying whole.  Even with a story that spans decades between what happened in the past and what is going on today, I was never lost about what was happening and who the players were.  It helps that we don’t have flashbacks but instead the story of what happened in the past as Vivian and others remember it now.

While there is a who done it element to the plot, there is so much more to the story.  And yet, even with all the pieces we are getting to various puzzles, nothing is dropped along the way.  Everything is accounted for when we turn the last page.

The book takes place in the Suffolk region of England, and the countryside is brought to life perfectly.  I felt like I was right there with Kate as she worked to figure out what was going on.

Kate and the other returning characters are strong.  We continue to see growth in them and their relationships.  The new characters are as strong as they need to be to make the plot work.  We don’t see as much of some of them as others, but everyone feels real and feels like they could be a key to the story.

Yes, this is a cozy, but this is a more serious cozy than some of the books I read.  The more serious story and the cozy elements are blended together perfectly.

Life got in the way of my reading time when I was working on this book, and that was a frustration for me.  I wanted to keep reading and find out what was going to happen next.

The Shadow of Memory is another strong enjoy in a great series.  Kate Hamilton fans will be glad they picked up this book.  If you have missed this series, do yourself a favor and pick up a book in the series today.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Kate Hamilton Mysteries.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.