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Key to a Murder on August 12, 2016 Pages: 176
Format: eARC
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A mysterious woman appears on the doorstep of Great Aunt Sybil’s Attic in the middle of the night. Owner Anne Hillstrom lets her in, only to have the woman die in her arms. With no final words, and only an old lantern clutched to her chest, the dead woman provides Anne and her partner CC precious few clues to discover her murderer or why she spent her last moments in their antique store.
The two Antique Hunters search for clues, finding themselves entangled in a centuries-old mystery leading them to a cemetery in Ireland where a ghost from the past has left them a cryptic message, and a killer has left them no choice but to discover his identity before he kills again. On their journey, the two best friends encounter antiques, romance and the key to a murder.
Key to a Murder by Vicki Vass
is the fourth book in the Antique Hunters Mystery Series. I have read one other book in the series. This is a series that is more fun to read when you are familiar with the characters. While you can enjoy the mystery on its own, the characters and their relationships make more sense if you have read earlier entries in this series.
When an older woman with a fatal injury shows up on the doorstep of the antique store, Anne doesn’t know what to make of it. Clues about the woman’s death and her identity make things even more confusing. Anne and CC feel they owe it to the woman to find out what happened to her and why.
Anne is such a difficult character for me to like. I don’t know why that is. I think part of it is her dismissive, snarky attitude toward people. She is unrealistic about responsibilities and maintaining her relationships. I’ll share an example. [Maybe a spoiler: Anne skipped out on paying parking tickets; after wrecking her car into a toll booth barrel (after drinking 3 cocktails), her license is suspended and her car is impounded. She doesn’t take this seriously at all, and is mostly just mad about it. She goes out and buys a flashy SUV, which then gets towed because she continues to drive on her suspended license.] As a team working together, I do like CC, Ingrid and Anne. But I think if Anne was the only main character, I wouldn’t be able to read this series.
That aside, the mystery in this book is well-written. I was intrigued right from the beginning, wanting to know why the woman went to the antique shop after being injured, rather than seeking help from the hospital. Key to a Murder by Vicki Vass packs a lot of action into a cozy mystery. I like CC, Ingrid, and many of the secondary characters. I want them to solve the mystery and I want everything to turn out great for them. This is a fast-paced story.
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Thank you so much for highlighting this book and author. I off to explore more Vicki Vass books…
“Key to a Murder” sounds like a really fun read. Love the cover.!