I am really enjoying everything about this series. I am a little late coming to it but I have read and enjoyed other works by this author and knew I had to read about Sarah Winston, too. I’m glad I did! Each book stands well alone but start at the beginning and add a little more knowledge about Sarah, Ellington and Fitch Air Force Base, Massachusetts, and Sarah’s dilemma where C.J. and Seth are concerned with each book you read.

This time Sarah has turned the town of Ellington into one giant garage sale. It’s a resounding success – until she finds the dead body, of course. It’s a treat to watch Sarah investigate, get herself in trouble and in danger and try to navigate a life that is not quite what she’d had for the past 19 years as a military wife in a place she loves and calls home but is still adjusting to.

The C.J. and Seth triangle is fun. C.J. is her ex – she thought he betrayed her and they were divorced. When she learned he didn’t betray her after all, she’s left wondering why it was so easy for them to separate and if they should ever get back together or not. But he was her husband for a long time, her great love and he’s still in the picture. Also in the picture is Seth, handsome, sexy, obviously cares about her, and stirs up some feelings she can’t ignore. What to do? I have no idea how it will all be resolved but it’s fun to go along for the ride. To see Sarah wanting to be independent but at the same time worrying about C.J.’s seeming lack of attention to her or feeling – is it jealousy? – when Seth dates gorgeous Victoria’s Secrets models.

A great series. Great setting – Ellington is the perfect smallish town where everybody seems to know everybody else, and an Air Force Base is also a perfect setting, a good place to create a lot of characters, because someone is always coming and going who knows someone else. Lots of books left in the series, enjoying working my way through them. Highly recommend. ( )

The Longest Yard Sale by Sherry Harris is the second book in her Sarah Winston Garage Sale mystery series. It has been quite awhile since I read the first book, so this was almost like visiting small town of Ellington, Massachusetts for the first time.

Sarah Winston is divorced ex-military, now Sheriff, C.J. Because she needed to earn money, she began helping people organize and hold their own profitable garage sales. She was a great success and because of this, the Ellington Town Council hired her to organize and run New England's Longest Yard Sale. The hugely successful yard sale creates problems for the police department. There are traffic jams, several small fires set and a stolen painting. As the story progresses, we find out how these things all link together. When Sarah's best friend, Carol, finds a murdered man in her Art shop/studio the next morning, she calls Sarah before the police. As the investigation proceeds, Carol is the main suspect in the murder. Sarah is anxious to clear her friend and is on the case. Her involvement isn’t welcomed by C.J. her ex-husband the police chief or Seth, her current love interest, who happens to be the county DA. There are actually several mysteries in this book, the murder, stolen art, fraud and embezzlement as well as theft on the Air Force Base. Because of Sarah's friendship with military wives, she finds herself right in the thick of things. Try balancing all that and two men at the same time.

The Longest Yard Sale’s plot is well paced, and the characters are well developed. It is easy to get a good sense of Sarah Winston through her interactions with the other characters and there are many. At the end of the book there are some tips for yard sale buyers and sellers. I thoroughly enjoyed this cozy mystery, and I plan to get right to the third one in the series. ( )

I just finished The Longest Yard Sale by Sherry Harris. It is the second book in the Sarah Winston Garage Sale Mystery series. Sarah Winston is up early for New England’s Largest Yard Sale. She suggested the idea and Nancy Elder, the town manager, ran with it. Sarah was in charge of organizing the event. The police department (run by her ex-husband, C.J. Hooker) was against the idea but Nancy slowly overcame their objections.

Things are going well until Sarah hears sirens. Someone has set four fires in various parts of the town. The next morning Sarah is awakened by her friend, Carol Carson. Carol drags Sarah over to her shop Paint and Wine to find Terry McQueen dead in the shop! A painting that Carol was working on is also missing. It was a replica of the painting Battled (a picture of the Revolutionary War done by ware hero Patrick West and hangs in the town library). Carol and Sarah do not know who he is but find out thanks to a little eavesdropping. C.J. is on the case and Sarah hopes to wheedle some information out of him (C.J. seems to have developed a resistance to Sarah’s charms). Sarah sets out to prove Carol is innocent of the crime (people will not go into her shop). The next morning Sarah hears that Battled has been stolen from the library and copy is in its place (guess who painted the copy).

Sarah really has to get to work to prove Carol is innocent and did not know that her painting would be used for nefarious means. Terry (the dead guy) had started a new investment business with David “Bubbles” Jackson. Sarah and C.J. know David from the Air Force. David is getting ready to retire and needed a business venture (he has a lot of clients from the military). David is also seeing Sarah’s landlady, Stella (who is a singer and gives lessons). You can always tell when Stella is in a good mood at night because she bursts out in song. Sarah is hoping David can provide some insight on Terry that will help her solve the case. Turns out that Terry was receiving threatening notes before his death and now David is getting similar threats. How did someone get on the base to leave the notes? Who is behind Terry’s death?

I enjoyed reading The Longest Yard Sale. I liked the characters, the town, and the information about garage sales (as well as fixing up items). The mystery was interesting, but not too complex (and was not easily solved). I did not understand Sarah’s relationship with her ex-husband or with new beau, Seth. She divorced her husband based on allegations (there had to be more to it) and now she is seeing Seth. But she will not let herself enjoy her time with Seth. Is she still in love with her ex-husband or is it comfortable/familiar? I think this storyline needs to be wrapped up quickly. I give The Longest Yard Sale 4.5 out of 5 stars.

I received a complimentary copy of The Longest Yard Sale from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The review and opinions expressed are my own. ( )