This was a good story. Quite a few things took me by surprise: like the *gardener* - his identity and role in the entire operation and also the identity of the murderer. Not for a moment have I suspected that character of any wrong doing. I obviously cannot be more specific than this without the risk of revealing too much. Also a nice narrative to set the scene for a series of this little cosy mystery/crime novels, featuring Freya and Carole.

But the writing....uhhh cringe. When I think about the writing, I feel like saying the one could definitely say this was a debut novel..it needs work. A lot of work. First of all the hesitation: at first it felt like the author was not really sure where to take the story. Secondly: the repetition: how many time can one read the same lines about what ever happened back then and how it made Freya become a shell of herself without becoming frustrated?? Thirdly: the pace could have been a little bit more alert and the chapters a little bit longer. But I am sure the writing will improve with time and experience.

That being said, if time allows, I would mind reading another instalment and see Freya truly coming out of her shell.

This is a cracking murder mystery, written by an obviously very talented author. I absolutely loved it, devoured every word right up to an ending I just didn’t see coming. I would love to read the next book for obvious reasons. I am trying very hard not to give anything away but trust me it’s been difficult. If you like mysteries you will love this, it’s one of the highest quality. Highly recommended

Rather awkward debut

Freya Lockwood, 46 years old, has been divorced from her narcissistic husband for nine years but still keeps ruminating about her past, her multiple anxieties and self-doubts and stubbornly holds on to decade old grudges. When her estranged former partner in their joint antiques business dies under suspicious circumstances, she suddenly transmogrifies into a fearless Lara Croft and singlehandedly targets a gang of antiques frauds…The author obviously is an antiques expert, her parents having produced the famous Miller’s antiques guides, resulting in her rather awkward and at times patronising style of writing. Don‘t quit the day job!

It was quite a good read but it didn't grip me the same way other cosy crime books have. I felt it a bit predictable in places, and found he main character annoying at times.

I really thought I'd like this but about a third of the way in I realised I was increasingly bored. It had all the right ingredients but somehow it didn't come together for me. I found the protagonist a bit entitled somehow and this led me to not really care how it all turned out for her. Sorry, not for me.

Freya is a late 40s empty nester with a bully for an ex-husband and a love of antiques. She grew up hunting down stolen artefacts with father figure Arthur until it all went wrong in Egypt and she left that world behind. But now Arthur is dead, possibly murdered and has left her his antiques shop, clues to what happened to him and explaining what really happened in Cairo. Will she solve the mystery before someone comes for her and her aunt too? And will she get her confidence back and find herself again?

This was a lovely cosy crime based in the world of antiques that the author herself grew up in. It’s kept me guessing as to whodunnit and had enough twists and turns to keep me interested without being too taxing. It has all the hallmarks of being the first in a series and I’ll look forward to reading any further adventures of Freya and aunt Carole.

Freya Lockwood hasn't spoke to her old mentor Arthur Crockleford in years, ever since a disasterous trip to Egypt. She's still shocked to hear of his death though, and immediately makes the trip to support her aunt Carole, Arthur's best friend. Arriving at Carole's house Freya receives a letter from Arthur, penned just days before his death, asking for her help. Freya senses something fishy going on, and has no choice but to help investigate things.

The world of antiques is a foreign language to me, I know absolutely nothing about it! Luckily that didn't pose a barrier to being able to enjoy this novel. Miller did a great job of keeping it accessible, whilst managing to confer the reverence that collecters have for rare items.

Freya was an intriguing character for me, it's clear that as a young women she was confident and competent, and had a strong passion for antique hunting and repatriation. Then something awful happened and she retreated into her shell, becoming meek and beaten down over the years. I enjoyed reading about her finding her strength again, and being able to re-find the joy in her former life.

The supporting characters aren't quite as well developed as Freya, but still give plenty food for thought. Carole is the epitome of eccentric aunt, and was borderline too much at times, but did bring some humour to the story.

I liked that the book was split into chapters narrated by different characters. It's made clear at the start of each one who is narrating so there's no confusion, and that added depth to the story by giving different perspectives. It's clear from very early on that not all is as it seems, and there are some very bad people involved in the antiques game. The main question is identifying who.

The drawbacks for me were that I thought it took a bit too long to explain what happened in Egypt and why Freya and Arthur fell out, and then when things were revealed they were resolved all too quickly too. I also wasn't sold on the romance aspect of things, it felt like it was being forced too hard and could actually have been left out of this one.

There's definitely potential for this to be made into a series of books, and I'd like to see where things go. With Freya having regained her fire I think she could be a great character to follow for future books.

Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder is a debut novel and it’s a mix of cozy murder and mystery book. It is a funny story set in the antiques collecting world but with a lot of tension and where nothing is what it seems. We have a bit of a puzzle to be followed to unravel the story, but it doesn't last long.

We are introduced to Freya, a forty-something woman that lives in London and needing a chance of scenery goes visiting her aunt and ends up investigating her mentor and friend’s death. I felt like the story was a bit confusing at times but C.L. Miller knowledge in antiques was quite impressive and made it seemed even more intriguing. It has a bit of resemblances to Christie's books, and i think they're an inspiration to this book.

Overall, it was a nice read, and I really enjoyed discovering the details about antiques. The hunt we dive in was satisfying enough and the quotes at the beginning of each chapter was a such a great touch to the story. It has the right amount of both mystery and intrigue, but I found it a bit confusing.

Thank you, NetGalley & the publisher, for approving me to read this arc and write this review.

Ooh, I really enjoyed this cosy mystery. Great characters and a lively plot. Auntie is my favourite character, she is wonderfully eccentric. Can’t wait for the next one.

I enjoyed this story although felt it dragged a little in the middle. I enjoyed the characters and Freya's backstory and history with Arthur.

I really enjoyed this debut novel!

The premise drew me in with all the ingredients of a cracking story: antiques, murder, mystery, country house setting, interesting characters and even some good humour.
Multiple viewpoints sometimes put me off when there are a few, but I think these snippets from other characters added something to the story and it was interesting to see Freya and Carole through the eyes of others.

The Antique Hunters Guide to Murder does hit all those sweet spots of the cosy crime genre and is an immersive read. I will definitely be reading the next book by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, C L Miller and to Pan Macmillan for the opportunity to read this advance copy.

This is a difficult review to write, I was really looking forward to reading this book as I love murder mystery stories. I found the characters difficult to relate to especially Freya, she wasn’t a likeable character. Unfortunately the book went on for longer than expected but I did keep reading because I wanted to see if it got any better and because I really did want to find out who killed Arthur.

The description of this novel really drew me in. I thought it started really well but drifted a bit in the middle. It was definitely a cosy crime novel and I did enjoy it, however it was a very easy book to put down and not rush to pick up again. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me access to an early copy of this novel. I would recommend for readers who enjoy a slow paced cosy crime.

I absolutely loved this murder mystery story. This is a brilliant debut its incredibly clever set in a country house mansion. Where are my Saltburn fans at. This book is well-written even hilarious and out right sassy at points, well plotted and not everything is as it seems.

The pacing was perfect for me, the clues were clever, and nobody could be trusted. This book was exceptionally structured and didn’t get muddy at any point. A lot of whodunnits cosy crime novels have been published recently and it can feel like they are all becoming a little bit samey, but that thought didn’t even cross my mind while reading this book. Without giving too much away this book has an edge which helps it stand out.

This book is filled with forgeries, past histories, and murders have to be solved. I am stupidly excited that this is the first book in this series, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for C L Miller and she is now on the auto buy list. We all know the antiques world can be worth a fortune, but there is a darker side to the antiques business.

Our main protagonist Freya is a former antique hunter who has kept herself to herself and avoided her past and the village of Little Meddington for over two decades. Freya is braver and smarter than she thinks, and I enjoyed seeing her confidence start to bloom and seeing her reclaim her identity. The story is mostly told from Freya's point of view, however there are occasional chapters that are told from the points of view of other characters. This was a clever tool used by C L Miller as it gave us as the readers the chance to know what was going on without having to know a great deal about antiques and antiquities.

I can wait to see what happens next.

I really wanted to enjoy this book but sadly it didn’t quite do it for me. I love antiques and Agatha Christie novels so this was right up my street. Complete with a typical Poirot denouement, I just felt it was too clumsy in its approach. Most of the story is told by Freya in the first person but there are too many interruptions by to many other people written in the third person and not all them necessary.
I liked the set up but gave up in the middle to read something more interesting and came back to this after finishing that. I hate leaving books unread once started, but by the time I came back to it I just didn’t care about the characters.
Yes the denouement is fun, and yes the killer wasn’t who I was expecting, but it was just a painful slog, for me anyway, to get there.
Sadly I won’t be reading any more in this series, but I can see that a lot of people will enjoy it.

When Freya receives a mysterious letter from her old mentor Arthur after his death, she ends up back in her old village. Teaming up with her elderly Aunt, she must tap into her investigative skills and find out happened to Arthur and how it relates to the death a local Lord whose estate he was due to look at.

A cosy mystery with some great characters, I enjoyed this easy listen.

Is that a bandwagon I can hear? Quick jump on it!!

Here we have another entrant to the vogue for cosy crime, sadly it lacks something. There is a reasonably good plot but it gets muddled a little after a good start. There will be some who are delighted in this world but it was far too steady for me with little to excite. The final section does move a bit faster but by then my patience had worn thin, I know that had I been reading purely for myself I would have given up on this book. I don't think I would read another by this author.

I did enjoy this novel even though I felt the middle part dipped in interest and events. There was also the early references to the “Cairo Incident” that made me feel I’d started part way through a series. That said, events in the dark and murky underbelly of the antiques world proved entertaining. The two main characters Freya and Aunt Carole have potential to become an interesting crime fighting duo, maybe with input from Bella.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this arc. This book really did leave me guessing throughout and I didn't guess the ending at all which can happen in murder mysteries. The two lead characters Freya and Carole were well developed and such great fun characters to go on this ride with. Based around solving a murder within the antique world it was different to alot of stories I've read before. I will admit I found a few parts confusing and trying to remember who everyone was and how they linked but I would definitely read a follow up.

Up on Goodreads now, live on the blog on 6 March:

Hi and welcome to my review of The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder!

I must admit that the blurb of The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder created expectations that the story itself didn’t quite live up to. Not to me, in any case.

The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder starts off rather mysterious and I was instantly tickled, wanting to know more. So I do feel it has a strong beginning. However, as the story progressed, it sort of lost me.

I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I think I perhaps expected more exciting antiques business and to learn a thing or two about the intricacies of the business, maybe? The author clearly knows her stuff, no argument there, but I don’t know, I guess I expected… More? Sheesh, what a review this is turning out to be 😅

I also felt the middle dragged somewhat and my concentration (already rather precarious due to brain fog) waned. Too many (unnecessary) points of view? Too repetitive? Too slow? (All of which I don’t need when I have the attention span of a gnat.) All I know is that as the pace of the story slowed, so did my reading pace, which is never a good sign.

I do need to stress that the final part more than makes up for the slower pace of the middle part. Three quarters in, I was fully caught up in the story and I blew through that final 25% or so.

I think it helped that the main character, Freya, whom I found a tad bland at first, is undoubtedly more plucky in that part. And let me just say literally everyone needs an aunt Carole! I loved her to bits!

It would seem that The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder is the first in a cosy crime series and although I wasn’t fully convinced by this debut, I do feel the author has tons of potential and I will be looking forward to a Freya in full hunting mode.

Massive thanks to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.