I enjoyed the first book in the series, so I expected to enjoy this book and was not disappointed. There is plenty in here, from the background redolent of Southern charm to the antiques information slipped in here and there, the enjoyable plot (but it is fairly easy to guess whodunit) and Molly and her mother Clara. An extra bonus here is the parallel story of how the desk was made, and its own interesting story although this is not expanded on as much as it could have been. Anybody who reads UK writer Kate Ellis’s mysteries will enjoy this aspect of the story, as did I. As she did in the first book with clay, these flashbacks are important to show the stories behind antiques and the magic of working with wood. The Civil War aspect is played fairly low-key, and strangely the desk dates from the 1770s, but I guess if you are not a Civil War aficionado before you pick up this book, nothing can make you one in the space of one short novel! Once again, each chapter in this skillfully paced novel is headed by a quote about antique furniture and at the back of the book are examples of secret compartments and a short discourse on them. There is a lot to enjoy in this book, and I aim to read the whole series if they are all as good as the first two. One of my favorite cozy writers.