Rated 4.5/5

The writing was engaging and there was always something going on. I enjoyed the rich descriptions of the settings and objects surrounding the characters. They really brought the story to life.

The chapters were a good length which meant that whilst you were given a lot of information, you moved well through the story.

Some of the chapters were written from different character points of view. It was always clear which character you were reading the point of view from by the title. This technique made me more invested in each of the characters that we heard from and altogether gave the story a well rounded feel.

There was a good flow between the chapters despite you hearing from different characters. There was a lot going on so you had to pay close attention to what you were reading and the good flow helped with that.

The characters were excellent. They all had something to hide. I enjoyed the following the main characters on their hunt (as I did last time). I loved Carole's faith in Freya and her zest for life. She helped Freya come out of her shell and gave her confidence to carry on in their hunting. Their close relationship was lovely to read about and their loyalty to one another was also nice to see in a book that was full of deception and mystery. At the end you still didn't really know who you could trust.

Lastly the settings. I loved being on a Cruise Ship on the Red Sea. There were some nice descriptions of the Ship, antiques and Jordan that brought the story to life.

Overall an exciting mystery full of deception and wonderful descriptions.

I have honestly no idea where to start. This was like finding yourself on a cruise, then being upgraded with added extras.

I’ll explain, I expected a treasure hunt, and boy, did I get one! The plot of this book had drama, revelation after revelation, and new lines of inquiry kept popping up. You daren’t lose your concentration once we set sail with Freya and Carole.

It all adds up to another page turning adventure. Some of the action scenes put me in mind of an American crime TV show. I felt like the sequel was written more for an American audience, whereas the first one had good old-fashioned British crime novel vibes.

I enjoyed the continuation of Freya’s inner journey, and it was nice to see her moving on from her past. Carole brought the glamour combined with her down to earth, family first approach.

For me, with all the antiques mentioned, it was at times like being in a virtual museum, which I loved. I was hoping that the painting would play a bigger role in the story, although that’s probably just me.

The new characters introduced added extra layers to the story. Overall, it was an intriguing mystery set on an anything but ordinary cruise. 4.5 stars

Freya has been invited to talk as an expert on a cruise to Egypt and Jordan. Then she isn't. The she is asked to investigate the theft of a painting from a maritime museum, where a mysterious man was found murdered.. She is convinced that is a clue left by her uncle pointing towards the cruise. She gets herself back on board and bumps into Phil from the FBI who is undercover as a crew member. She discovers that the cruise is a cover for smuggling antiquities and this particular one is going to announce the replacement of "The Collector", a mysterious character who appears to behind many thefts of antiques and antiquities worldwide. Phil is there for the same reason as his previous partner was killed during a prior operation to catch The Collector. They left new employee Sky back in the shop and she has been compromised by another member of the Collectors team as they want Arthur's journals. +
After a crew member is murdered, Freya must use her wits and initiative to catch the killer, Freya instigates a plan to keep everyone safe and catch The Collector as well.
Very entertaining read.

This was a book of two halves for me. Started off slow, picking up around halfway, but the ending felt a little bit abrupt. Still a solid addition to the series and nice to see the characters developing.

The Antique Hunter’s Death on the Red Sea is a fun and exciting cosy mystery - whilst it is booked two of the Antique Hunter’s series, it can be read as a standalone however I would recommend starting with book one.
This instalment follows antiques dealer Freya Lockwood and her lively Aunt Carole as they set off on an antiques-themed cruise from Egypt to Jordan. Their task is to find a stolen painting, but they soon get caught up in a bigger mystery involving smuggling, hidden identities, and even murder.
The story is full of twists, with crime, treasure hunting, and even a hint of romance with FBI agent Phil.

With great characters, a fast-moving plot, and plenty of surprises, this is a perfect read for fans of cosy mysteries!

The Antique Hunter’s Death on the Red Sea is the second instalment in a cosy mystery series featuring antiques dealer Freya and her (fabulous!) aunt Carole, but I feel it could be read as a standalone if you missed the first one. While I had some issues with the first book (ICYMI), I had a great time with Freya’s second outing.

What changed, you might ask. And well, for one, I think I went in with the right expectations. While C.L. Miller clearly knows what she’s talking about antiques-wise, I now knew not to expect many details and intricacies of the business itself, although one does pick up a few things along the way.

The setting worked for me as well, I do love bookish travel and I loved that The Antique Hunter’s Death on the Red Sea took me all the way to Egypt and Jordan. The many mysteries to solve on this trip kept up the pace and kept me glued to my Kobo.

I think Freya is really finding her feet in this new business she’s inherited and one cannot help but love Carole. Their interactions and banter often made me smile and I found I really enjoyed spending time in their company. I also gobbled up the will-they-won’t-they thing between Freya and Phil, and I loved the scene in which the entire town comes to the rescue together.

With its strong female characters, strong plot, fast pace and many mysteries and threats, The Antique Hunter’s Death on the Red Sea is an engrossing, somewhat cosy, mystery, reminiscent of the Golden Age mysteries and detective fiction. Recommended to fans of the genre.

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

A fabulous sequel, I loved the setting, the mystery and the twists and turns with the plot. The characters are so much fun and it’s just a perfect read for me. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this.

Last year, I picked up a copy of CL Miller's The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder. I was expecting a gentle cosy mystery, and that's how it started out. Protagonist Freya Lockwood is called back to where she grew up, as her Aunt Carole's best friend, Arthur Crockleford, has been found dead.

What starts out with a dead body in a village antiques shop leads to uncovering a massive international black market antiques operation. In doing so, Freya rediscovered her independence and strength and begins to rebuild her life post-marriage. Now the joint owner of Crockleford Antiques with Aunt Carole, Freya also decides to return to investigating missing antiques; work that she used to do decades ago with Arthur, before they became estranged.

This second book in the series sees Lockwood Antique Hunters Agency pick up their first case, with a painting stolen from a small Lowestoft museum (the dead body found behind the museum is of lesser concern to the curator!). The painting is tracked down to an exhibition on an exclusive antiques cruise through the Suez Canal into the Red Sea, where Freya secures an invite onboard as an antiques expert, accompanied of course by Aunt Carole.

We're taken on a high-stakes adventure at sea and through historic sites on land, as Freya and Carole find more evidence of shady antique dealing and art theft, and the sinister mastermind behind years of high profile thefts could be on board the ship.

I love that Freya is slowly regaining her confidence, and Aunt Carole is just a fabulous character - providing light relief and wise counsel in equal measure.

Part mystery, part adventure, fast paced and twisty - I found myself completely immersed in this book, stopping only to web search images of the antiques and places mentioned. I always feel I've learned something after I've read one of CL Miller's books; she hooks the reader into wanting to know more, giving key information without overwhelming and slowing down the story.

I'd recommend reading the first book before diving into this one, as it sets up the premise of the series and introduces all the characters, and is a great read in itself. This second book sees the series really hit it's stride, making me hungry for more adventures.

The Antique Hunter's Death on the Red Sea by C L Miller is out on February 13th.

I loved this book and hghly recommend it to others who like crime stories with a different approach. I thught that the characters were amazing and all so different, but I think that i found Carole to be the most loveable as she was a scatty, loving person who just wanted to have fun.. I look forward to the follow ups to this as the team has not been established as Freya, Carole, Bella, Sky and of course - lover boy - Phil.
The story is full of such outrageous momentsm description of antiques and scenery that was being visited, all tied neatly together in a crime story

This second in the series reunites us with Freya Lockwood and her aunt, Carole. Freya, in her mid-forties used to join with her late mentor, Arthur, in the hunt for stolen antiques. Now, following his death - see book one - she and her aunt have opened ‘The Lockwood Antique Hunter’s agency’ As in the first book, the pair are being led by the deceased Arthur. In his journals he has lists of stolen antiques and now the theft of a painting from Lowestoft Museum, a painting that he had donated, sends the pair off on an antique cruise to Jordan because the police aren’t interested in recovering the painting, they are more interested in the dead body that was found outside the museum. On this speciality cruise there are experts from TV shows as well as not so well known names. There are collectors and there is also a special collection of maritime antiques. The whole cruise seems to be a cover for black market dealing, led by The Collector. This person is spoken about but no force has ever been able to arrest him - they don’t know who he is but the rumour is that he is stepping down and his successor will be unveiled on the cruise. There are familiar faces from book on on the cruise - Phil, the handsome FBI art crimes agent and Bella who might be on the side of good, or not so good. Freya cannot quite decide. There is action in this book, there is murder, there are twists and of course there are antiques as our author’s parents were well know antique experts and so she is very knowledgeable. As before, my favourite character by far is Carole - a woman with a zest for life who likes people to think that she knows less than she does. Her eccentricity is joyful and we all need a Carole in our lives. An enjoyable read and as Freya has at least four more of Arthur’s journals hidden away, I am pretty sure that there will be at least four more adventures to come.

The second entry in the Antique Hunter series combines all my favourite things! There’s crime, adventure and a treasure hunt - not to mention, the whole thing is set on a cruise. Out 13th February, make sure you pre-order this hugely entertaining book!

It was lovely to catch up with Freya Lockwood and her Aunt Carole Lockwood at their inherited antique stop called Crockleford Antiques in the Suffolk Village of Little Meddington. Arthur Crockleford was Freya's mentor and teacher in the world of Antiques. Freya and Carole are keen to set up the Lockwood Antique Hunter's Agency to search for hidden and lost treasures. Soon, they are asked by a local maritime museum to find a stolen painting and how is a dead body connected? Freya is asked to be an expert on a Antique cruise from Egypt to Jordan and along with Aunt Carole, find themselves in the hunt for stolen art and a mysterious person called "The Collector!" More Freya and Carole please!!!

The first half of this book was super slow, but the second half definitely made up for it. This cosy mystery was set on a cruise ship which was a fun location, along with several countries as settings also. It was great to revisit the characters from book one and see what was going on, I whizzed through the book and will be looking forward to the next book!

When a painting goes missing and a dead body is found nearby, the Lockwood Antique Hunter’s Agency acquire their first case. But Freya soon discovers that her old mentor, Arthur, is still pulling strings from beyond the grave, and that she has placed herself and those she cares about in far more danger than she realised…

The Antique Hunter’s Death on the Red Sea is the sequel to The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder, but it can also be read as a standalone. I love the twist C.L. Miller’s knowledge of antiques brings to the crime fiction genre, creating a book that is part treasure hunt and part murder mystery, and providing some fun facts along the way. I also loved the settings this results in: from the antiques shop in a small village in Suffolk to the Hurghada Museum in Egypt, and from the locked-room setting of a cruise ship to the evocative Treasury in Petra.

While I thought it was a bit of a shame that Arthur was still driving the action, in this book, I enjoyed seeing Freya grow in confidence, especially with the support of the wonderful characters she surrounds herself with. I really liked the way The Antique Hunter’s Death on the Red Sea ended, with Freya realising her own vision for Arthur’s legacy, and I look forward to seeing where this series goes next. I would especially love to see more of the much-needed modernisation this book brings to the Indiana Jones trope.

A second helping of Freya and Carole’s antique hunting skills. Freya had worked in Arthur’s antique shop as a teenager and helped him hunt for stolen antiques. Freya and Carole are asked to investigate a stolen painting and end up on an antiques cruise through the Suez Canal trying to locate not only the painting but also a legendary art thief known only as The Collector. Lots of twists and turns make for a great read and there are moving acknowledgments at the end.

The second in this series that I have read. I love these characters - Aunt Carole in particular.! She’s so flamboyant and fun; something for us all to aim for in our golden years! Freya is really likeable too, but not an ‘in your face’ lead character. I like that the author doesn’t play out the vulnerable woman trope you often see, Freya and co are strong; determined women who set the pace in this novel.

The story follows on from Book 1 - but you don’t have to had read this first as everything is well explained here. The trail of The Collector leads the team onto a cruise for antiques lovers and the plot thickens from there. Fast paced and really enjoyable.

I really enjoyed this book, it has a great plot, lovely characters and a warm heart. Also it was obviously written by someone with a love and knowledge of antiques.

I love this series of books! I adored the first and thoroughly enjoyed the second.
I liked that this one was a bit more about antiques and I liked the characters, and how much I knew about them.
I'll definitely read the next!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

Unfortunately due to ill health I have been unable to read as much as I normally do. So when I started this book I was not sure how long it would take me to finish it. I need not have worried as 3 days was all. This is the second in the series and was better than the last and that one was very good. You can tell the author knows her subject of antique and this is what makes the books so enjoyable. Another good read and keeping my fingers crossed for a third.