A Dream of Death

Starred review from April 1, 2019

Antiques dealer Kate Hamilton hasn't been back to the Isle of Glenroth, Scotland, since her husband died there three years earlier. His sister, Elenor, begs her to come, saying she needs help. Kate arrives for the Tartan Ball at the hotel Elenor owns, but Elenor turns secretive and won't talk to her until after the ball. Too late: Elenor is dead the next day, killed in a style that replicates a 200-year-old unsolved murder. When Kate's husband's best friend Bo is arrested, she teams up with DI Tom Mallory, who's in Scotland on vacation. She's determined to prove Bo, who has a few disabilities, is incapable of killing anyone. Evidence piles up while romantic sparks fly between Kate and Tom. VERDICT Newcomer Berry turns in well-written, intriguing debut mystery that combines history, an unforgettable setting, and mature, relatable characters in a story that blends an old island legend with a contemporary whodunit. It will appeal to readers of Paige Shelton's "Scottish Bookshop" series and Jane Cleland's antiques mysteries.--Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2019
After her husband died while sailing off the Scottish Inner Hebrides, where he grew up, Kate Hamilton vowed not to return to the islands. But the invitation to the annual Tartan Ball, along with a plea for help from Eleanor, her sister-in-law, brings her back, if reluctantly. Before the ball, Eleanor only has time to show Kate an antique chest and press an envelope into her hands, urging her to read it. The morning after the ball, Eleanor is dead. Kate, now an antiques dealer in Cleveland, is questioned, along with everyone else, but when Bo Duff, an island resident who had been her husband's childhood friend, is taken into custody, she knows she needs to investigate. With stories of other murders on the island and legends of the Jacobite Rebellion swirling in her mind, not to mention anonymous threats and noises in the walls of the manor house, Kate suspects everyone. A closed-house?or, in this case, closed-island?frame, nicely drawn characters with realistic backstories, a romantic historical subplot, and a modern-day flirtation combine to make this a promising start to a new series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)