The shadow of memory by Connie Berry

Name of Book: The Shadow of Memory

Author: Connie Berry

ISBN: 9781643859088

Publisher: Crooked Lane

Part of a Series: Kate Hamilton Series

Type of book: modern times, England, mystery, antiques, sixty years ago, scandals, mental illness, paintings, hiding, decisions, marriage, 

Year it was published: 2022

Summary:

In Connie Berry’s fourth Kate Hamilton mystery, American antiques dealer Kate Hamilton uncovers a dark secret buried in Victorian England.

As Kate Hamilton plans her upcoming wedding to Detective Inspector Tom Mallory, she is also assisting her colleague Ivor Tweedy with a project at the Netherfield Sanatorium, which is being converted into luxury townhouses. Kate and Ivor must appraise a fifteenth-century painting and verify that its provenance is the Dutch master Jan Van Eyck. But when retired criminal inspector Will Parker is found dead, Kate learns that the halls of the sanatorium housed much more than priceless art.

Kate is surprised to learn that Will had been the first boyfriend of her friend Vivian Bunn, who hasn’t seen him in fifty-eight years. At a seaside holiday camp over sixty years ago, Will, Vivian, and three other teens broke into an abandoned house where a doctor and his wife had died under bizarre circumstances two years earlier. Now, when a second member of the childhood gang dies unexpectedly—and then a third—it becomes clear that the teens had discovered more in the house than they had realized.

Had Will returned to warn his old love? When Kate makes a shocking connection between a sixty-year-old murder and the long-buried secrets of the sanatorium, she suddenly understands that time is running out for Vivian—and anyone connected to her.

Characters:

Main characters include Kate Hamilton, a widow with two grown up children who is soon to be married to an English detective Tom Mallory. Kate is highly intelligent, knowledgeable, observant and trusts her instincts. At the same time her life is filled with very close relationships with that of her friends and family. Tom Mallory tends to be a bit easygoing but very dedicated to helping Kate figuring out what is going on. I would imagine secondary characters would be Vivian Bunn a lively and vivacious woman who doesn't let age stop her from living her best life and who has also recently revealed a secret to Kate. 

Theme:

Things aren't what they seem, disparate events have surprising connections 

Plot:

The tale is in first person narrative from Kate Hamilton's point of view. It deals with Kate and her husband to be debating on where to live, either England or USA as well as why. ( More like indecision.) Also we are introduced to quite interesting characters and are given to understand right away the matter of whether or not a certain painting is genuine, with a lot riding on that outcome. Right away I was able to understand and pick up pieces of what is going on in the story, and right away this is a story that will draw the reader in with the fascinating world building. Aside from the plot and mystery, I also enjoyed the characters a great deal, in particular how well they are drawn and how one admires them. 

Author Information:
(From goodreads)

N/A

Opinion:

This was a pretty fun read for me. I hadn't read the previous three books, and in my opinion this is a stand-alone novel. ( crime and mystery is linked to to this book, not previous books, although I imagine previous books will give more details about the characters we meet here.) The story is very informative and I highly enjoyed learning about the world of antiques as well as mental illnesses. Also, would this novel be considered a cozy mystery that I hear a lot about? 

This was given for review 

4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)