Source: Publisher
Description: Roberto Fratelli, proprietor of the antiques store Waited4You, is the meanest man in Marthasville, Virginia. So when he puts the business up for sale, the other merchants in town are overjoyed. And now the business has a prospective buyer: local resident and the newly elected mayor's mom, Camille Benson, who’s thrilled at the prospect of getting into the antiques business. During a celebration in honor of Camille’s new venture, her best friend, Opal, tells her about finding a letter, purportedly from Sally Fairfax to George Washington, dated 1756, hidden under a chair in the shop. When they return to retrieve the cache, they find Roberto’s lifeless body on the floor and no letter.
Police question Ella Coleman, Roberto’s ex-wife, and discover that her current husband supplied Roberto with oh-so-faux Victorian furniture. Did the two cheat the wrong customer? Or could the murder be connected to an earlier theft of rare books from the shop—a theft Roberto never reported?
As Camille prepares to confront these questions and investigate the murder, she knows she might become the latest knock-off.
Genre: Mystery - Cozy
Why I Picked This Book: This combines a mystery with an antique store so it's two of my favorite things in one!
My Impression: There was a lot I liked about this book. The main character, Camille, is a bit older then the typical cozy heroine and is taking over the antique store as kind of a second profession. While she grew up in the antique store world she's new to running a store so she's having to scramble to get things figured out. I absolutely loved that Camille has dogs. Cats are the usual animal sidekick of choice cozy mysteries so I'm always absolutely delighted to see dogs. Camille is a long time resident of Marthasville and her son is the newly elected mayor so this makes for a nice community feel that always makes a cozy series more enjoyable.
What kept this book from being a winner for me was the pace. There's so much description and dialogue that it makes the book feel a bit blocky and awkward and made for a slower read then I prefer. The mystery was good and there's enough that I did enjoy that I will try the second book in the series but it's not on my list of must reads.
This has the potential to be a fun series. It has a likable main character, a good setting and an interesting premise. I'm hoping that now that world of the series has been setup the pace of future books will improve.
Would I Read More of this Series/Author? I will definitely look for the second book in the series.
Would I Recommend this Book? If you love antiques and cozy mysteries then I think you would like this read just be prepared for a lot of setup.
* I received this book in exchange for an honest review. As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *
Would I Recommend this Book? If you love antiques and cozy mysteries then I think you would like this read just be prepared for a lot of setup.
* I received this book in exchange for an honest review. As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *
That title just cracks me up!
ReplyDeleteAntique stores would make for a fun mystery setting. :)
ReplyDeleteIt does seem now that it has established place and characters that it could develop in the next one. Only reading it will tell.
ReplyDeleteI confess I could get lost in an antique store. Perfect way to spend the day :)
ReplyDeleteI have to add this to my list. It sounds great.
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy it when books feature older main characters. Too bad the pacing was off with this one.
ReplyDelete