Mint Condition Murder by Ellery Adams and Parker Riggs

Mint Condition Murder

Book Summary

Mint Condition Murder by Ellery Adams and Parker Riggs has Molly Appleby, a reporter with Collector’s Weekly, off to interview Charlotte Blair who has recently moved to town to open A Checkered Past.  Molly’s mother, Clara joined her so she can check out the new antiques shop. They enter the shop to find Charlotte dead.  Molly is quick to call Detective Anthony Lombardi who knows Molly will investigate and share what she learns.  Before departing the shop, Lombardi has them look at the victim’s desk.  Molly ends up finding a hidden compartment that holds an old tin with a gun and Civil War era coins.  Molly can tell that something has been bothering her mother since she picked her up.  She learns that her father, Nathan is coming to town and would like to meet with her.  Nathan left Clara and Molly when she was eight days old. Molly has not seen or heard from him since then.  Molly is not sure if she will meet with him or not.  After doing a little digging into the victim, Molly discovers a connection between Charlotte and her father’s new wife, Pamela.  She agrees to meet her father and his wife for dinner in the hopes she will get to ask a few case related questions.  Molly investigates the rare coins and learns they are connected to a fifteen-year-old murder that has yet to be solved.  The more Molly learns about Charlotte, the more potential suspects she has to add to her list.  Molly has a plan to reveal the killer, but she needs the help of her father to accomplish it.  Can Molly unmask the guilty party without putting herself and her family in danger?

My Thoughts

Mint Condition Murder by Ellery Adams and Parker Riggs is the 9^th An Antiques & Collectibles Mystery.  This cozy mystery can be read on its own if you are new to the series or if you have missed a book.  I enjoyed reading this story.  Molly Appleby is a strong female protagonist who is friendly and tenacious.  She reminds me of my dog, Doozy when he has a bone.  Once he gets it, he is not giving it up.  That is Molly with a case. She was unable to interview Charlotte Blair for her column in Collector’s Weekly, but there is a story.  Molly also wants to get justice for the victim.  We get to catch up with Matt, Clara, Starling, Detective Lombardi, and little Tyler.  Ellery Adams and Parker Riggs have a good writing style (conversational).  I was instantly engaged, and my attention held until the end of the book.  The whodunit was clever the way it all tied together. There was misdirection plus multiple suspects.  I had a good time solving this mystery.  We also got to learn more about Molly and her mother as well as meet her father.  I loved the descriptions of the antiques.  There were some wonderful pieces mentioned as well as rare coins.  Mint Condition Murder combines family, friends, antiques, and mysteries into one charming cozy mystery.  

Mint Condition Murder releases Tuesday, April 20 and is available from Amazon*.  You can find the other eight An Antiques & Collectible Mysteries here.  Ellery Adams has Murder in the Cookbook Nook coming out April 27.  It is the 7th A Book Retreat Mystery.  Thank you for joining me today.  I will be back tomorrow with When a Stranger Comes to Town by Michael Koryta.  I hope you have jovial day.  Take care, be kind, and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

*This post contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

A Killer Keepsake by Ellery Adams & Parker Riggs

Happy Sunday!  It is National Banana Bread Day.  Are you a fan of banana bread?  My father was the only one in the family who enjoyed it.  It is also National Dog Biscuit Day.   Does your canine like dog biscuits?  Mine prefer the bacon treats.  Now for my pun of the day. . .Why does the elephant use his trunk as a bookmark?  So he always nose where he stopped reading!  

A Killer Keepsake by Ellery Adam sand Parker Riggs takes us back to Burlington, Vermont.  Molly Appleby wrote an article for Collector’s Weekly on the Forget Me Not Doll Club and attends a meeting to share the article with them.  Sierra Davis, a member, deals in rare antiques and is an expert on haunted dolls.  Miranda Perry, another remember, has been hounding Sierra because she wishes to purchase her reportedly haunted Emma doll (a German bisque doll in a white and gold dress which is over eighty years old).  At the end of the meeting, Miranda is not feeling well, and Luke Kearns takes her home.  The next morning, Molly arrives early at Sierra’s shop as they arranged and finds it has been broken into.  Sierra’s Emma doll is gone.  Molly and Sierra go to Miranda’s house where they find Miranda dead.  The Emma doll is discovered in Miranda’s bedroom.  Detective Tony Lombardi brings Molly on board as a consultant to help solve this perplexing crime.

A Killer Keepsake by Ellery Adams and Parker Riggs is the sixth book in An  Antiques and Collectibles Mystery series.  I enjoy visiting Molly Appleby to find out what antique she is researching in each new book and what mystery she will find herself embroiled in this time.  Our regular characters are back (Matt, Tony, Sean Murphy, Clara) as we return to Burlington, Vermont.  Molly has grown since the series began and I am curious how her sleuthing will tie in with married life.  I thought the story contained good writing and steady pacing.  A Killer Keepsake can be read on its own if you are new to this series (or if you have missed a couple of books).  I was slightly overwhelmed by the number of people introduced in this book (Forget Me Not Doll Club members, Sierra’s father, Miranda’s assistant, a nurse, estranged hubby, etc.).  It is hard to keep track of all the characters.  I thought the mystery was interesting with it involving an 80 year old German bisque doll that is supposedly haunted.  We get to find out more about the doll and how Sierra came to own it (we dive back in history to the late 1930s).  Molly is brought on a consultant for her antique and collectible knowledge.  We must suspend our disbelief about this as well as Molly questioning suspects without a detective present (it’s fiction). I had no difficulty pinpointing the guilty party early in the tale.  There are good clues to help readers solve the whodunit before the reveal.  I am glad that Molly is not having to keep her promise to give up sleuthing.  I knew the writers would find a way around it.  The ending of A Killer Keepsake was so sweet.  A Killer Keepsake is a cute cozy mystery with a disturbing doll with a haunting history, a romantic relationship, a motivated murderer, and a collector correspondent as a cop consultant.

A Killer Keepsake 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 called The Antiques & Collectibles Mysteries.  I will return tomorrow as a stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Here Comes the Body by Maria DiRico (this is a pen name for an author who writes another cozy mystery series--find out more tomorrow).  It is the debut novel in A Catering Hall Mystery series featuring Mia Carina.  I hope you have a relaxing Sunday.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

*This post contains affiliate links.

A Fatal Faberge by Ellery Adams & Parker Riggs

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!

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.

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.

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

*This post contains affiliate links.

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