Murder at the mansion : a Victorian village mystery / Sheila Connolly.

By:

Connolly, Sheila

Material type: Text

TextSeries: Connolly, Sheila. Victorian village mystery ; Publication details: New York : Minotaur Books, 2018.Edition: First editionDescription: viii, 322 pages ; 22 cmISBN:

9781250135865
1250135869

Subject(s):

Genre/Form:

Summary: "Katherine Hamilton's goal in high school was to escape from her dead-end hometown of Asheford, Maryland. Fifteen years later she's got a degree in hospitality management and a great job supervising every aspect of the day-to-day operations of a high-end boutique hotel on the Baltimore waterfront. Then her high school best friend asks her to come talk with the town leaders of Asheford, but she won't say why. Kate can't cut her last link to her past, so she agrees to make the short trip across the state to Asheford. Once Kate arrives, the town council members reveal that their town is on the verge of going bankrupt, and they've decided that Kate's skills and knowledge make her the perfect person to cure all their ills. The town has used its last available funds to buy the huge Victorian mansion just outside of town, hoping to use it to attract some of the tourists who travel to visit the nearby Civil War battle sites. Kate has less-than-fond memories of the mansion, for personal reasons, but to make matters worse, the only person who has presented a possible alternate plan is Cordelia Walker--Kate's high school nemesis, who had a hand in driving Kate away from Asheford so many years. But a few days later Kate receives a call from the police--Cordelia has been found dead on the mansion property, and Kate is all-but certain that her name is high on the suspect list. She finds herself juggling the murder investigation and her growing fascination with the magnificent old house that turns out to be full of long-hidden mysteries itself. Kate knows she must clear her name and save her town--before she ends up in hot water"-- Provided by publisher.

Average rating: 0.0 (0 votes)

Holdings
Item type	Current library	Collection	Shelving location	Call number	Status	Date due	Barcode	Item holds
Adult Book	Phillipsburg Free Public Library	Paperback Collection	Paperback Collection	PB FICTION C	Available		36748002497255
Adult Book	Phillipsburg Free Public Library	Adult Fiction	Adult Fiction	FIC CONNOLLY	Available		36748002413252

Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The first in a brand-new series from New York Times bestselling author Sheila Connolly!

Katherine Hamilton's goal in high school was to escape from her dead-end hometown of Asheboro, Maryland. Fifteen years later she's got a degree in hospitality management and a great job at a high-end boutique hotel in Baltimore. Until, that is, the hotel is acquired by a chain, and she's laid off. When Kate's high school best friend calls with a mysterious invitation to come talk with the town leaders of Asheboro, she agrees to make the trip, curious about where this new opportunity might lead.

Once Kate arrives, the town council members reveal that their town is on the verge of going bankrupt, and they've decided that Kate's skills and knowledge make her the perfect person to cure all their ills. The town has used its last available funds to buy the huge Victorian mansion just outside of town, hoping to use it to attract some of the tourists who travel to visit the nearby Civil War battle sites. Kate has less-than-fond memories of the mansion, for personal reasons, but to make matters worse, the only person who has presented a possible alternate plan is Cordelia Walker--Kate's high school nemesis.

But a few days later, while touring the mansion, Kate stumbles over a body--and it's none other than Cordelia. Kate finds herself juggling the murder investigation and her growing fascination with the old house, which itself is full of long-hidden mysteries. Kate must clear her name and save her town--before she ends up in hot water.

"Katherine Hamilton's goal in high school was to escape from her dead-end hometown of Asheford, Maryland. Fifteen years later she's got a degree in hospitality management and a great job supervising every aspect of the day-to-day operations of a high-end boutique hotel on the Baltimore waterfront. Then her high school best friend asks her to come talk with the town leaders of Asheford, but she won't say why. Kate can't cut her last link to her past, so she agrees to make the short trip across the state to Asheford. Once Kate arrives, the town council members reveal that their town is on the verge of going bankrupt, and they've decided that Kate's skills and knowledge make her the perfect person to cure all their ills. The town has used its last available funds to buy the huge Victorian mansion just outside of town, hoping to use it to attract some of the tourists who travel to visit the nearby Civil War battle sites. Kate has less-than-fond memories of the mansion, for personal reasons, but to make matters worse, the only person who has presented a possible alternate plan is Cordelia Walker--Kate's high school nemesis, who had a hand in driving Kate away from Asheford so many years. But a few days later Kate receives a call from the police--Cordelia has been found dead on the mansion property, and Kate is all-but certain that her name is high on the suspect list. She finds herself juggling the murder investigation and her growing fascination with the magnificent old house that turns out to be full of long-hidden mysteries itself. Kate knows she must clear her name and save her town--before she ends up in hot water"-- Provided by publisher.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Timing is everything. Katherine Hamilton lost her job at a Baltimore boutique hotel after it was acquired by a conglomerate. Now, Lisbeth, her best friend from high school, wants her to help her hometown of Asheford, MD, which bought a Victorian mansion in a desperate attempt to attract tourists to the cash-starved community. The town council would like Kate's advice on how to manage the property, but offering an alternate plan is Kate's old high school nemesis, Cordelia Walker. When she pays a visit to the Barton house, she stumbles upon Cordelia's body on the stoop. Kate loses a job, consults on a historic property, and finds a body, all in one week. It's a heck of a week. VERDICT Connolly's (Cruel Winter) accomplished series launch avoids the tired tropes found in many cozy debuts, incorporating humor, a realistic setting, and well-developed, appealing characters. Fans of the author's "Museum Mysteries" will welcome the guest appearance of series protagonist Nell Pratt.-Lesa Holstine, Evansville -Vanderburgh P.L., IN © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

In this amiable if unsuspenseful series launch from Connolly (Many a Twist and five other County Cork mysteries), Baltimore hospitality manager Kate Hamilton loses her job at a boutique hotel being acquired by a Japanese conglomerate at the same time an old friend begs for help saving Asheboro, Md., where they grew up. Unremarkable Asheboro has been left nearly bankrupt after the town council purchased a long-empty local mansion in a deal gone sour. Kate has painful memories of both the mansion and Cordelia "Cordy" Walker, the onetime high-school bully who orchestrated the failed plan to turn the opulent Victorian house into a hotel, but the challenge inspires her. Exploring the home with hopes of finding out more about its original owner, Kate discovers Cordy's bloody corpse. As she sets out to solve Cordy's murder, Kate devises a plan to reinvent the town as a working Victorian village. The town council's cluelessness and other implausibilities won't bother cozy fans, who will enjoy Connolly's characteristically warm treatment of small-town life. Agent: Jessica Faust, BookEnds. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

After 15 years, hospitality manager Kate Hamilton returns to Asheford, Maryland, at the request of her high-school friend Lisbeth, to offer suggestions to the town council on how Asheford can utilize the large Victorian home the council purchased to help save the fading town. Cordy Walker, Kate's high-school nemesis and unpopular town-council member, wants to renovate the Barton mansion and use it as a high-end hotel with Cordy the manager, but the council disagrees. Soon after Kate arrives, she and the mansion's caretaker, Josh, on sabbatical from his university professorship, find Cordy's body. While investigating the murder and researching Henry Barton and his legacy, Kate perseveres with her plan to revitalize the village, growing excited by the possibilities for saving the town's Civil War history. Details of the Victorian Era frame this cozy mystery, with its comfortable small-town setting and possible romantic interests for Kate, leaving readers eagerly awaiting the next installment.--O'Brien, Sue Copyright 2018 Booklist

Kirkus Book Review

A Maryland businesswoman is caught up in a Victorian mystery.It begins when Katherine Hamilton's high school bestie, Lisbeth, arrives in Baltimore to ask for her help in saving their hometown of Asheboro from extinction. The local infrastructure has been damaged in a storm, and there's been no money for repairs ever since the town bought the Barton Mansion, a Victorian house built by a Civil War veteran whose factory long supported the local economy. As Katherine leaves for Asheboro, her boss informs her that the high-end hotel where she works has been bought out and her job is gone. As she strolls through the town's streets, she realizes that the paint and modern siding cover some lovely Victorian buildings that might better be restored than tarted up. Kate's high school nemesis, Cordelia Walker, is on the town board, which has roused her to fury by vetoing her plan to turn the mansion into a modern BB. Kate is hooked when she tours the mansion, a showstopper replete with Victorian furnishings that's hardly changed since its heyday. The current caretaker, Joshua Wainwright, is a history professor at Johns Hopkins who's using the on-site apartment to work on a book. Kate develops a plan to turn Asheboro into a living history site like Old Sturbridge Village, using the stunning Barton place as a centerpiece. Things get both better and worse when Cordelia is found dead on the steps of the mansion. Cleared by the police, Kate and Josh decide to do a little sleuthing. Since almost everyone in town hated Cordelia, the suspects are many and even include Kate's high school sweetheart, who married and divorced Cordelia. The backstory of Henry Barton, who died childless in 1911, makes for fascinating reading, and the discovery of a trove of letters from Clara Bartonthe real-life founder of the American Red Cross, who's supposedly related to the fictional Henryencourages Kate to hope that her plan might succeed if they can only put the murder behind them.The prolific Connelly (Many a Twist, 2018, etc.) kicks off a new series that skillfully combines history, romance, and mystery. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.