Book Review: ‘The Secret Staircase: A Victorian Village Mystery’ By Sheila Connolly

The final novel in the Victorian Village series from Sheila Connolly is a satisfying ending to the story. For Kate Hamilton it’s full speed ahead in fixing up the Barton Mansion as the first step to saving the town. She interviews contractors and thinks she’s found the right one in Morgan. She wants the house to be as close to what it was back when it was built. But Morgan soon discovers a body behind a wall in the kitchen. It’s been there at least 100 years and it’s a man and he was murdered. After the police come and get the body, the work begins again until one of the men hired named Steve is found dead in the basement. So work is once again stopped while the police investigate. As luck has it old journals are found of Mary Barton and it reveals the secrets of the house and their lives, all of which were never known. With this information comes shocking reveals and a long-lost family tie, seems there’s a living relative after all these years and that could chance everything.

This is another fun story in the series, with a lot more character development and the answers we have been waiting for. It made me sad to read at the end that author Sheila Connolly passed away in 2020, shortly before this book was finished. I have been a fan of her books for years now and even got to interview her a few years ago. She will be missed.

You can pick up The Secret Staircase in stores on Tuesday, August 24th from Minotaur Books.