The Secret Staircase by Sheila Connolly

Trying to resurrect her hometown, Kate Hamilton is really feeling the weight of her own expectations. They have the Barton house and a chunk of money to refurbish it, but how will she find contractors? Will it be enough? 

She finds a contractor, Morgan, who seems like he will be good at the job but the day that he's inspecting the house, they find a body, more of a skeleton really, walled up in the kitchen of the Barton house. He obviously died in the 1800s so it's not of great concern but it is still curious. 

Katie is also dealing with Steve, one of Morgan's contractors who seems to have an ulterior motive for working on the house, as well as balancing her burgeoning relationship with Joshua, who seems to be distancing himself somewhat.

Then, another body is found in the house and this time it's someone that Kate knows. Of course, being a cozy, it is someone who totally deserves it. But that doesn't mean that it isn't disconcerting. And a little worrying.

The mystery in this one is not quite as tight as previous books in the series. Also, the ending was a bit abrupt, especially with a time jump that didn't make sense to me.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out August 24th, 2021
Follows Killer in the Carriage House
ARC kindly provided by St. Martin's Press and NetGalley
Opinions are my own