In Murder at the Mansion by Sheila Connolly, Katherine Hamilton has made a good life for herself as the manager of a high end hotel in Baltimore. Fifteen years earlier, Kate escaped from the small town of Asheboro where she grew up and graduated from high school. Now, Kate’s high school best friend, Lisbeth Scott, approaches Kate to ask a big favor. Lisbeth wants Kate to save Asheboro. The town recently bought a Victorian mansion still in its historic condition and which was originally owned by a Civil War veteran. But now the town council members don’t know what to do about the Barton House.
The one exception is Cordelia Walker, Kate’s high school enemy, who is determined to gut the building and turn the mansion into her own personal B&B. Then, just as Kate proposes returning the town to its Victorian roots in the mode of Williamsburg or Sturbridge Village, she learns that the hotel she manages has been bought out by a big corporate chain that has terminated her position. This change in events allows Kate to devote her time to revitalizing the town. While touring the Barton House with the caretaker, professor Josh Wainwright, Kate and Josh open the front door from inside the mansion, and they find the body of the murdered Cordelia.
Kate soon discovers a hidden closet in the office of Cordelia’s B&B, and inside Kate finds a letter written to Henry Barton by his cousin named Clara Barton. Excited at the prospect that this could be a genuine letter from the founder of the American Red Cross, Kate enlists Josh to help her search the attic for more letters, which they find. Could they be real? Could this be the motive for Cordelia’s murder? Kate finds herself in much more trouble than she ever expected to get in Asheboro.
Murder at the Mansion was a fascinating read with great plotlines. I appreciated all the historical elements that made it all the more interesting. The setting of the dying town with a mansion that never left the Victorian era provides plenty of room for imagination. In addition, it creates the setting perfect for a gothic creepiness as Kate and Josh sleuth throughout the mansion.
The characters are highly credible and relatable as humans, none completely good or completely bad. The book makes us readers connect to the characters and become interested in their lives and adventures. We find ourselves desiring happiness for Kate as she tries to find her place in the world and want to see her find real love.
Murder at the Mansion turned out to be an exciting, fascinating book. The historical research kept my focus and drew me to the book with interest. The inclusion of Clara Barton just made the book all the more exciting as we see Kate try to locate the other letters and get them authenticated. The book did an excellent job of keeping us readers attracted to it. I give the book five stars.
Disclaimer: I was given this book for free for review purposes, but that in no way influenced the content of my review.
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