The Secret Staircase By Sheila Connolly

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing  "The Secret Staircase" the third instalment in the “A Victorian Village Mystery” by Sheila Connolly. Sadly this will be the last book in the series as the author has passed away.

From New York Times bestselling author Sheila Connolly, The Secret Staircase is the third Victorian Village Mystery, which finds Kate Hamilton discovering a long-dead body in a hidden staircase.

Kate Hamilton is feeling good about her plans to recreate Asheboro, Maryland as the Victorian village it once was. The town is finally on her side, and the finances are coming together.

Kate's first goal is to renovate the Barton Mansion on the outskirts of town. Luckily, it's been well maintained in the century since the wealthy Henry Barton lived and died there. The only substantial change she's planning is to update the original kitchen so that it can be used to cater events in the building. But when the contractor gets started, he discovers a hidden staircase that had been walled in years earlier. And as Kate's luck would have it, in the stairwell is a body.

After her initial shock wears off, Kate is relieved when the autopsy reveals that the man had died around 1880. Unfortunately, it also reveals that his was not a natural death—he was murdered. And serious questions remain: who was he and what was he doing there?

Kate begins a hunt to identify the man and figure out what he was doing at the Barton Mansion. But when a second body is found—this time from the present day—Kate realizes that real dangers lie in digging up the past...

This is a story of past and present generations, and family that Kate and Carroll unravel, much comes to light when they find Mary’s diaries.

The setting of Asheboro, Maryland and the Barton mansion is detailed and I could picture it in my mind. I love the history in Ms. Connolly’s books.

The mystery is interesting and well plotted, with enough twists to keep you interested.  I kept guessing and second-guessing myself on whodunnit right to the very end.   I recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends.

I highly recommend this book to anyone that loves mysteries.

I requested and received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Minotaur Books and NetGalley.  All thoughts and opinions are my OWN.

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