The Secret Staircase

Description

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...

SHEILA CONNOLLY (1950-2020) published over thirty mysteries, including several New York Times bestsellers. Her series include the Orchard Mysteries, the Museum Mysteries, The County Cork Mysteries, and the Victorian Village Mysteries. She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Society of Mayflower Descendants.

The search for historical clues keeps you turning pages. --Kirkus Reviews Praise for Killer in the Carriage House: The layers of history and the obstacles encountered in the process of trying to save a small town provide a fascinating frame story for this smart mystery. --Booklist Enjoyable . . . Cozy fans will be curious to see what Kate gets up to next. --Publishers Weekly Praise for Murder at the Mansion: Readers who like inheritance drama will enjoy this diverting story. --BookPage Exceeded my expectations. It blew me away. I will definitely be picking up the next one. --Night Owl Reviews I fell into this novel head over heels. The author's description of the mansion is sheer bliss to read of, and a murder to go with it is always appreciated by a mystery fan. Don't miss this one. --BookLoons A good, fast-paced read that's perfect for a plane ride. Warning: once you start reading Connolly's books, you can't put them down. --IrishAmerica Magazine