07 January, 2022

#BookReview :: Antique Mourning (Alicia Trent Mystery #5) by Eileen Harris - #Mystery #AliciaTrent

 

I loved the first four books in the series quite a bit. So, when Antique Mourning released after a big gap, I was apprehensive and excited at the same time. I went back and re-read one of the books to make sure that I remembered the characters and the overall arc of Alicia's character before picking up Antique Mourning.

Alicia Trent has received an offer that is quite irresistible. She has been invited to an college in New York to catalogue and assess an antique collection that has been left to the college by an alumni. As a part of a deal, the college has also offered to let Alicia take some classes for free. Her business partner Barry is neither happy nor comfortable about having Alicia gone for better part of a year. But to top it off, Laudine would be traveling with Alicia to go and train the staff at the college.

What could go wrong?

Alicia and Laudine land at Druthmar college looking forward to an work and fun filled year ahead, yet they find themselves handling murders in a complicatedly big old place that has a haunted feeling on a good day!

Eileen Harris never fails to deliver a good mystery with a dose a drama and a pinch of humour. As the series progresses, the mysteries are getting more complex and darker. In Antique Mourning, the setting of the college building almost has a life of its own. I found the different buildings and their layout very complicated at the beginning and wished I had a map of it. But with time I loved that feel of 'known confusion' help build up the tension and mystery. The cast introduced in the book played their parts in both building up the plot and the air of mystery.

There is always something happening throughout the book - both on and off pages and as such, the pace held steady. It took me a while to figure out the who, the why and the how - and as such the book had me in its hooks through out.

Those who have already read other books in this series are definitely going to enjoy this one. But, if you are someone who hasn't read any of Alicia's previous adventures, this book isn't the best one to dive into the series with because there is so much in the previous books that have shaped up Alicia the way she is in this book. Without that context, I am not sure whether someone will 'get' our protagonist completely.



Review copy received from the Author



Goodreads * Amazon.in * Amazon.com


Other Book Reviews:


No comments:

Post a Comment