Barb's Book Reviews: Review of "A Killer Collection: Antiques and Collectibles Mystery #1" by Ellery Adams

Saturday, February 11, 2017

Review of "A Killer Collection: Antiques and Collectibles Mystery #1" by Ellery Adams

The amateur sleuth in this story is Molly Appleby, a thirtyish, former elementary school teacher who now writes for a specialty publication called 'Collector's Weekly.' As the story opens, Molly - who's writing a series on North Carolina potters - is attending a kiln opening (exclusive pottery sale) with her mother Clara, a partner in an auction gallery.

The sale is about to begin when avid collector George-Bradley Staunton arrives, loudly drawing attention to himself as he pushes to the front of the line. Once the event starts George-Bradley is relentless - shoving and grabbing - to get the pieces he wants. Afterwards, when buyers are collecting their wrapped purchases, George-Bradley collapses....and later dies. It turns out George-Bradley was murdered and Molly intends to find the killer.

George-Bradley isn't a popular guy and there are plenty of suspects, including his wife; his mistress; potters who disliked him; collectors he's cheated; and so on. As Molly investigates George-Bradley's death another murder occurs, which complicates her inquiries.

Meanwhile, back at the offices of 'Collector's Weekly', Molly has a crush on her co-worker Matt.... but has hardly said more than 'hello' to him. Things get friendlier when Matt assists Molly with her investigation, and the amateur sleuth hopes for a real date.

But Molly - who's self-conscious about her zaftig physique - soon spots a slim beautiful blonde flirting with Matt.....uh oh!

As Molly interviews various potters the tale is interspersed with details about pottery such as: processing the clay; throwing pots; kinds of glazes; building kilns; burning pots; everyday pottery vs. collector pieces; and so on. All this is interesting and adds a nice informative element to the book without distracting from the story.

Molly eventually solves the murder cases, exposing a few surprises and a valuable pottery bunny along the way. Molly's a bright, likable heroine, and this is an engaging cozy mystery. Recommended to fans of the genre.

Rating: 3 stars

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Barb's Book Reviews

Saturday, February 11, 2017

Review of "A Killer Collection: Antiques and Collectibles Mystery #1" by Ellery Adams

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