A Bidder End by Ellery Adams and Parker Riggs

Good Day!  Bat Wings, Rings and Apron Strings by Erin Johnson comes out on April 6.  It is the final book in Spells & Caramels series.  I will be featuring this new cozy mystery on April 11 as part of the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour.  Bat Wings, Rings and Apron Strings is on pre-order for $2.99 and will be available through Kindle Unlimited.  Dragons of Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase releases on April 16.  It is the ninth novel in The Jade Calhoun Series.  The Mint Julep Murders by Angie Fox is the eighth book in The Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries.  It will be out on April 25.  I wonder what Verity and Frankie are up to this time.  Read on Arrival by Nora Page will be out on May 7.  It is the second book in  A Bookmobile Mystery series.

A Bidder End by Ellery Adams and Parker Riggs is the seventh An Antiques & Collectibles Mystery.  Molly Appleby is a reporter with Collector’s Weekly with a penchant for mysteries.  Atlas Dolan, retired actor, is auctioning off some of his antique collection and Molly is covering the event.  Molly’s friend, Brett Hamilton who owns Laurel Wreath Antiques & Auction House is hosting the auction.  After a successful auction, Molly notices Helen Hughes, Atlas’s assistant, looking agitated as she rushes to her car.  Brett, Helen’s boyfriend, later calls Molly.  He is worried about Helen because she has not answered her phone and has failed to return.  Molly puts in a call to Detective Lombardi who will investigate the matter.  The next morning, Molly receives an early morning call from Detective Lombardi.  Brett was found dead in his kitchen by Helen, and it looks like Brett took his own life.  Molly refuses to believe that Brett would commit suicide.  She is even more convinced Brett was murdered when she notices a McCoy cookie jar on Brett’s kitchen table with purple pawn inside.  Until the coroner makes a final ruling, Detective Lombardi’s hands are tied.  However, as a reporter, Molly is free to ask questions.  She soon discovers how little she knew about Brett.  When another person connected to Helen turns up dead with a cookie jar beside the body, Detective Lombardi gets swayed to Molly’s side.  Someone is playing a deadly game.  Is Molly up to the challenge?

A Bidder End returns us to Molly Appleby who is happily married to Matt Harrison, a surgical resident, and they are enjoying their ten month old son, Tyler Jerome Harrison.  Molly is thankful for Matt’s niece, Starling Harrison who agreed to be their nanny (I am not sure how they can afford her).  Molly is thrilled to cover the auction of actor, Atlas Dolan’s antique collection.  Atlas, as it turns out, is a fan of Molly’s articles (and her sleuthing).  Atlas does not want to sell any of his collection, but his latest wife, Whitney was insistent (she is not a fan of antiques).  This auction will put Brett Hamilton’s business on the map.  Brett was quite lucky to get this opportunity.  It helped that he hired Atlas’s daughter and is dating Atlas’s personal assistant (talk about stacking the deck in your favor).  When Brett is found hanging from an old beam in his home, suicide it the automatic assumption.  Molly, though, is not buying it.  She jumps right into investigative mode and begins questioning those who knew Brett the best.  There are multiple suspects in this whodunit and misdirection.  I liked the addition of the cookie jars and game pieces which relate back to a board game.  I am grateful that Molly works with Detective T. Lombardi and that he is a pleasant character (what a nice change from cozy mysteries I have read recently).  Avid mystery readers, though, will have no problem solving this crime long before the reveal (which was disappointing).  I enjoyed the friendly characters, the antiques described, the details on the board game and the lovely setting.  A Bidder End is well-written, engaging and proceeds at a steady pace.   I enjoyed the cozy moments as Molly interacts with her family and friends.  A Bidder End can be read as a standalone if you have not read the previous books in An Antiques & Collectibles Mystery series.  A Bidder End is a charming cozy mystery with realistic characters, beautiful antiques, and a multi-faceted mystery.

Thank you for joining me today.  I hope you have found my review helpful.  Tomorrow I am reviewing God's Acre by Dee Yates.  May you have a joyful day.  Take care of yourself and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader