Author: Tracy Gardner
Published: June 8, 2021 by Crooked Lane Books
Format: Kindle, 328 pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Avery Ayers Antique Mystery #1
First Sentence: Avery Ayers rushed through the kitchen of her parents' upstate New York home, grabbing a bagel from the spread Aunt Midge set out everyone morning.
From the Publisher: After her parents' deaths, Avery Ayers takes over the family business, Antiquities & Artifacts Appraised, from the home office in Lilac Grove and a branch in Manhattan. Now living back at home with her younger sister Tilly and their newly moved-in, eccentric Aunt Midge and her Afghan hound, Avery's life is filled with jewels, tapestries, paintings, and rare finds. But their world is rocked when Avery learns that the theft of a priceless ruby may be connected to her parents' demise.
The trouble starts when the Museum of Antiquities hires Avery to appraise a rare, resplendent ruby. It bears a striking similarity to a solitary stone in the museum's prized Xiang Dynasty bejeweled dragon medallion exhibit, which has long been missing one of its ruby eyes. Now, Avery and her colleagues--ostentatious Sir Robert Lane and fatherly Micah Abbott--suspect they may have the missing gem. But facets of the case remain cloudy. Security guard Art Smith is always underfoot but is not what he appears. Another body turns up connected to the appraisal. And Avery receives mysterious notes that begin to put her life in danger.
Avery enlists possible ally Art's help in cutting the list of suspects who might have polished off her parents and swiped the jewel. Was it art collector Oliver Renell? Curator Nate Brennan? Acquisitions Liaison Francesca Giolitti? Actor Tyler Chadwick? Was the crime impersonal or perpetrated by someone all too close to Avery? If she can't find the culprit, lovely Lilac Grove may be the setting for Avery's own death. (Penguin Random House)
My Opinion: At first, I wasn’t sure where this was going. Was Avery Ayers walking into a business, complete with her college degree in hand but no practical experience, which her parents had spent their lives cultivating, or was she the real deal and more than capable? Not until midway through the book did I have confidence in her -- and I know that wasn’t the point -- but I could now concentrate on the other ongoing escapades surrounding a recently found ruby that has brought misfortune to those who encounter it.
Tracy Gardner stirs up a diverse set of characters; fortunately, they are well defined and easy to follow. Of course, there isn’t a cozy mystery without the requisite love interests and a devoted dog, but they both work without too much stress.
I will keep a lookout for the next in the series since I want to see more Aunt Midge. There is something about her that remains a mystery, and now that one missing piece of the Ayers' puzzle has been found, I am convinced that there are more. And that more will be coming from Midge herself.
From the Publisher: After her parents' deaths, Avery Ayers takes over the family business, Antiquities & Artifacts Appraised, from the home office in Lilac Grove and a branch in Manhattan. Now living back at home with her younger sister Tilly and their newly moved-in, eccentric Aunt Midge and her Afghan hound, Avery's life is filled with jewels, tapestries, paintings, and rare finds. But their world is rocked when Avery learns that the theft of a priceless ruby may be connected to her parents' demise.
The trouble starts when the Museum of Antiquities hires Avery to appraise a rare, resplendent ruby. It bears a striking similarity to a solitary stone in the museum's prized Xiang Dynasty bejeweled dragon medallion exhibit, which has long been missing one of its ruby eyes. Now, Avery and her colleagues--ostentatious Sir Robert Lane and fatherly Micah Abbott--suspect they may have the missing gem. But facets of the case remain cloudy. Security guard Art Smith is always underfoot but is not what he appears. Another body turns up connected to the appraisal. And Avery receives mysterious notes that begin to put her life in danger.
Avery enlists possible ally Art's help in cutting the list of suspects who might have polished off her parents and swiped the jewel. Was it art collector Oliver Renell? Curator Nate Brennan? Acquisitions Liaison Francesca Giolitti? Actor Tyler Chadwick? Was the crime impersonal or perpetrated by someone all too close to Avery? If she can't find the culprit, lovely Lilac Grove may be the setting for Avery's own death. (Penguin Random House)
My Opinion: At first, I wasn’t sure where this was going. Was Avery Ayers walking into a business, complete with her college degree in hand but no practical experience, which her parents had spent their lives cultivating, or was she the real deal and more than capable? Not until midway through the book did I have confidence in her -- and I know that wasn’t the point -- but I could now concentrate on the other ongoing escapades surrounding a recently found ruby that has brought misfortune to those who encounter it.
Tracy Gardner stirs up a diverse set of characters; fortunately, they are well defined and easy to follow. Of course, there isn’t a cozy mystery without the requisite love interests and a devoted dog, but they both work without too much stress.
I will keep a lookout for the next in the series since I want to see more Aunt Midge. There is something about her that remains a mystery, and now that one missing piece of the Ayers' puzzle has been found, I am convinced that there are more. And that more will be coming from Midge herself.
No comments:
Post a Comment