‘A Collection of Lies’ unravels mystery of antique dress | Book Talk
"A Collection of Lies" is the fifth book in Delaware County author Connie Berry 's series about an Ohio antiques dealer who solves mysteries in England.
The series started in 2019 with "A Dream of Death," in which widowed Kate examines an antique chest for murder clues and meets her future husband. In "Lies," Kate is honeymooning in Devon with Tom, a police detective inspector. It's a working honeymoon, as the couple has been engaged by a Canadian investigations agency to research the history of an antique dress.
Paying for the research is a small Devon museum that's planning an exhibit called "Famous Crimes in Devon's History," and the dress is to be its centerpiece. It is believed to have belonged to a local lacemaker in the late 1880s, and it is covered with gruesome dried bloodstains. Kate and Tom are to confirm the dress's provenance and learn if the stains are of human blood; if so, they are to try to get a sample for a DNA test.
The dress was donated by an eccentric local man who lives in an 1838 house, wearing period-appropriate clothing and aesthetics. He has told his housekeeper "Outside the house it is the present day … but inside it is 1855."
Besides the bloodstains, the dress is remarkable because of its exquisite construction and highly wrought lace collar — uncommon for a village artisan who probably worked long hours by candlelight for little pay.
When Kate and Tom attend a fundraiser for the museum, the dress's donor is slightly wounded by a shot from an unknown assailant. Later, he is shot dead in his home. What this all has to do with the dress itself, and with a brash local member of Parliament, set Kate and Tom on their way to solving the mystery of what happened to the young lacemaker and her sister, an equally talented dressmaker.
The traditions and culture of the Romani, the traveling people who have been the subject of discrimination and persecution, are included in the investigation. Kate, fueled by startling quantities of scones and sausages, has some sort of tingly intuition when she sees an item that might contribute to the puzzle.
It's winter in Devon, which tinges Kate and Tom's honeymoon with a sense of heaviness; the wet moors and dangerous bogs add atmosphere, especially in one pivotal scene.
"A Collection of Lies" (336 pages, hardcover) costs $30.99 from Crooked Lane Books . The Kate Hamilton series also includes a Christmas novella.
Berry will talk about "A Collection of Lies" from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Middleburg Heights branch of Cuyahoga County Public Library, 16699 Bagley Road. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.
Events
Fireside Books(29 N. Franklin St., Chagrin Falls): MaryAnne Howland signs "Warrior Rising: How Four Men Helped a Boy on His Journey to Manhood," 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday.
Loganberry Books(13015 Larchmere Blvd., Shaker Heights): Mark Sullivan launches "Thrive When Trouble Visits: Being Your Best in Tough Times," 3 p.m. Sunday. At 4:30 p.m. Monday, H. Byron Ballard, who writes as The Village Witch," signs her books including "Roots, Branches & Spirits: The Folkways & Witchery of Appalachia."
Cuyahoga County Public Library(Parma-Snow branch, 2121 Snow Road): Lisa See discusses her historical novel "Lady Tan's Circle of Women," 7 to 8 p.m. Monday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.
Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library(University Heights branch, 13866 Cedar Road): Mark Sullivan talks about "Thrive When Trouble Visits," 7 to 8 p.m. Monday.
Cuyahoga County Public Library(Solon branch, 34125 Portz Parkway): Vince Guerrieri signs "Ten-Cent Beer Night: A Date Which Will Live in Infamy," 7 to 8 p.m. Monday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.
Cuyahoga County Public Library(Parma Heights branch, 6206 Pearl Road): Mark Dawidziak talks about "Stephen King and the Shawshank Redemption Revealed: How One Story Keeps Hope Alive," about the 1994 movie he covered from its early production, 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.
Geauga County Public Library: Kent State University alumna Kathy Schulz presents "Underground Railroad in Ohio" in a Zoom event from 11 a.m. to noon Tuesday. Register at geaugalibrary.net.
Cuyahoga County Public Library(Berea branch, 7 Berea Commons): Former TV anchor Jack Marschall talks about his inspirational "The Other Side of the Tracks," 2 to 3 p.m. Tuesday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.
Elyria Library(West River branch, 1198 W. River Road N.): Janice Mitchell, author of "My Ticket to Ride: How I Ran Away to England to Meet the Beatles and Got Rock and Roll Banned in England (a True Story from 1964)," tells of her secret trip from Cleveland Heights to London, 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Register at elyrialibrary.org.
Akron-Summit County Public Library(Goodyear branch, 60 Goodyear Blvd.): Lindsay Bonilla ("I Love You with All My Hearts") reads from her storybooks, 1 to 2 p.m. Wednesday. Space is limited.
Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library: Tiffany Jewell, author of "Everything I Learned About Racism I Learned in School," joins the Online Author Talk Series with "Unpacking a History of Systematic Racism in the American Education System," 2 p.m. Thursday. Register at smfpl.org.
Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library(Coventry branch, 1820 Coventry Road, Cleveland Heights): Poets Katie Daley, David Hassler and Theo Mesnick read from their works on the library's lawn, 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday.
Cuyahoga County Public Library(Bay Village branch, 27400 Wolf Road): Kyle Robinson discusses his memoir "Wandering Spark," 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.
Cuyahoga County Public Library(Orange branch, 31975 Chagrin Blvd.): Mark Sullivan talks about "Thrive When Trouble Visits," 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.
Wadsworth Public Library(132 Broad St.): Sujata Patel talks about "Poorly Wrapped Gifts: Rising and Thriving After Infidelity," 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday.
Learned Owl Book Shop(204 N. Main St., Hudson): Attalea Rose signs "When the Flowers Breathe," 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.
Email information about books of local interest, and event notices at least two weeks in advance to gmail.com and bjnews@thebeaconjournal.com. Barbara McIntyre tweets at @BarbaraMcI.
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This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: 'A Collection of Lies' is new novel by Ohio author Connie Berry
