Jane K. Cleland

Josie Prescott is the employer at Prescott Antiques in Rocky Point, New Hampshire, instead of an employee at someone else’s auction house. Josie needed a new beginning, distancing herself from New York for multiple reasons. However, as Josie’s life becomes more manageable with employees becoming a trusted and cohesive team, she becomes a prime suspect in a murder investigation in the eyes of a local police chief.

I enjoyed this mystery! By the end of the cozy, I had learned a lot about the behind-the-scenes business of an auction house as information was seamlessly woven into the storyline, not lecture/teaching sentences, as I call them, in-between forward movements of the storyline. I loved learning of the creative hiding places in antiques, wonders of days gone by, which also added possibilities to solving the investigation clues. As Josie needed a confidence boost, she’d remember her father’s advice, and I liked the format of his counsel in italics. Although I had my suspicion about the arrest, the twists had me second-guessing myself, taking me back to the reminder to stick with your 1st choice in multiple choice questions.

I’m curious about the new developments as Josie continues implementing her business ideas and moves forward, hopefully with more self-esteem and confidence. I look forward to reading more of the series.… (meer)