Connie Berry

Author Interview: Connie Berry

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I was lucky enough to do interviews for the late, great Mystery Scene, sadly no longer even accessible online.  One of my favorites is this interview with Connie Berry, who writes a binge worthy series set in England.  I’m publishing it here because Connie’s latest book,  A Collection of Lies, is nominated for an Agatha this year.  

Connie’s Kate Hamilton books feature an American antiques dealer who has family ties in England through her British husband.  As the series opens she’s a recent widow visiting her Scottish sister in law, and she meets an English man who will change her life.  He’s a Detective, naturally.  Berry’s books are a wonderful combination of tricky plots, rich characters, and beautiful settings, and for anyone who adores a British village mystery, this is the series for you. Each novel focuses on a story in the past, often highlighting some specific antique element.  In the latest novel, that element is lace making and fabric restoration.  I binged the entire series this summer. read more

Favorite Reads of 2024

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This year was a slow burn – sometimes I find a book early in the year that I’m completely passionate about.  This year I didn’t find “the one” until November, when I devoured Christina Lynch’s utterly original Pony Confidential.  I read lots of other great books along the way though, some by tried and true writers – Elly Griffiths, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Ann Cleeves, Anthony Horowitz, Deanna Raybourn and Ragnar Jonasson – and particularly in the historical novel category, lots of wonderful debuts that give us lots to look forward to. These recommendations are divided into categories.  Full reviews for all of these can be found on this website, just search by title or author. read more

Connie Berry: A Collection of Lies

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Kate Hamilton #5

Even though this is book five in an established series, I was able to comfortably settle in with Berry’s characters, setting, and story right away. The series features antiques expert Kate Hamilton, and in this instalment she’s on honeymoon in Devon with her police detective husband, Tom Mallory.  In true mystery tradition, it’s a busman’s honeymoon, as they’ve also taken on a private job to verify the provenance of a blood covered dress from the 1880s, which supposedly belonged to a murderess. read more