Saturday, February 22, 2020

A Fatal Faberge by Ellery Adams & Parker Riggs

A Fatal Fabergé (Antiques & Collectibles Mysteries Book 8)
Welcome!  Break out the tequila and triple sec because it is National Margarita Day!  It is also the day George Washington was born.  I want to share a book related pun with you today.  We all need more laughter in our lives. Why does the ghost always needs more books?  He goes through them too quickly!
Kensington Palace in London, England. Click through for more pictures on the A Lady in London blog. #kensington #kensingtonpalace #palace #royalpalace #london #england
A Fatal Faberge by Ellery Adams and Parker Riggs has Molly Appleby attending a lavish fundraiser hosted by Natasha Gordon at Misty Vale.  It is Molly’s first time to get a glimpse at the beautiful art collections and antiques inside the manor house.  Molly is approached by Maxim Gordon Cobb who requests that Molly do an article on his father and rare book shop (in financial distress).  Curtis Cobb is rude and insulting which has Molly giving a firm no as her answer.  All too soon the fairytale party takes a dark turn when Curtis Cobb is found dead on the patio after a long fall.  Detective Antony Lombardi quickly arrives, and it is determined that Curtis did not fall on his accord.  Maxim asks Molly to use her sleuthing skills to find his father’s killer and she agrees.  Molly uses the article as an excuse to ask questions of Curtis’s family and friends.  She soon discovers that a rare Faberge egg belonging to the Gordon family is missing and there are a number of people who disliked the victim.  Molly needs to tread carefully, or she could find herself in the killer’s clutches.

Mad Men - Don Draper
A Fatal Faberge by Ellery Adams and Parker Riggs is the eighth An Antiques & Collectibles Mystery.  Molly Appleby is happily married to Dr. Matt Harrison and they have an adorable 14 month old son.  She enjoys her job of writing articles for Collector’s Weekly and sleuthing when the occasion calls for it.  A Fatal Faberge can be read on its own if you have not read the other books in the series (or skipped a book or two). I find the characters to be developed and I enjoyed the depictions of Burlington, Vermont.  A Fatal Faberge contains good writing. While the two authors writing blends together, I can tell the difference between this book and one written by only Ellery Adams (such as The Book of Candlelight). I found the pacing to lag in the middle of the book.  Curtis Cobb is murdered at a fundraising gala hosted by Natasha Gordon at Misty Vale.  The victim’s son, Maxim Gordon Cobb asks Molly to use her skills to solve his father’s murder and Molly agrees (you know she would anyway).  There are a couple of suspects and good clues to help readers solve the crime.  There is a twist near the end that I did not find surprising because of something mentioned earlier in the book.  I like how the Faberge egg was included in the mystery.  I find them fascinating and beautiful.  Faberge eggs are unique items with delightful hidden surprises.  I did find some areas of the mystery a little disbelieving.  However, as my mother likes to remind me, it is a work of fiction.  I wish there had more action as well as less speculation and repetition of case details (some of the same details are repeated several times).  A Fatal Faberge is a lighthearted cozy mystery with a smart, friendly sleuth who is knowledgeable in antiques.  A Fatal Faberge has a fabulous Faberge egg, a vulgar victim, a deadly deception, a pesky PI, and a searching sleuth.
The Rosebud Egg was presented by Emporer Nicholas II to his wife (Empress Alexandra Feodorovna) on Easter 1895.
A Fatal Faberge is available from Amazon* along with the other novels in An Antiques & Collectibles Mystery series.  The first three books (A Killer Collection, A Fatal Appraisal and A Deadly Dealer) are available in a boxed set.  You can find other novels by Ellery Adams here (like A Book Retreat Mystery series).  Books by Parker Riggs can be found here on Amazon.  If you would like to learn more about Faberge eggs, click this link.  Thank you for dropping by today and reading my review. On Sunday, I am sharing my review of A Killer Keepsake by Ellery Adams and Parker Riggs.  Sunday is when I feature books that I could not when they were released (Blasts from the Past).  I hope you have a restful day.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris
The Avid Reader
Reading and Art: Ricardo Cejudo Nogales
*This post contains affiliate links.

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