Molly Appleby loves her job at Collector’s Weekly covering auctions and estate sales all over the South. When her latest assignment takes her to Richmond, Virginia, to interview the staff of the hit TV show Hidden Treasures, she’s expecting a quick, fun trip. But when one of the show’s appraisers is found murdered, Molly realizes that once again she’ll have to put on her detective’s cap until the … the culprit is captured.As Richmond locals flock to the show hoping their family heirlooms turn out to be valuable antiques, Molly’s busy behind the scenes interviewing the show’s staff and tracking down clues. When yet another staff member is gruesomely murdered and Molly herself is threatened, she’s determined to discover which of the expert cast members of Hidden Treasures might be hiding a sinister secret, because no matter how priceless, she knows that no antique is literally to die for.
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“Fewer and fewer Americans possess objects that have a patina, old furniture, grandparents’ pots, and pans – the used things, warm with generations of human touch… – Susan Sontag, On Photography
Ellery Adams opens chapter 1 with this quote and I tell you I was blown away. It hit me like a ton of bricks because it is so true. Everyone wants new, new, new and nothing from their parents or grandparents. The thought is, “Just throw it away.” I look around my house and I have a lot of hand-me-downs from my parents and grandparents and those items seem to be my favorite things to use. I am currently using a blender and food chopper from my great aunt who bought them new in the early 80s. Every time I get them out I think of her and miss her. I feel as if she is in the kitchen with me. This is what Adams does when she writes, she makes you think and reflect on your life. I have no idea if she is aware she does that but she does.
A Fatal Appraisal is one of her earlier books she originally published under Jennifer Stanley. I really liked it and you can see she has always been a gifted writer. Molly, her main character, in The Antiques and Collectibles series is a gem. She is, what I call, average size, but she thinks she is too heavy and is wanting what most of us what in life, someone to love and share our daily life with. Unfortunately, her current interest gets called away on a family emergency to Ohio and she gets to sent to North Carolina to write an article on an antique and collectible show. Of course, she finds a dead body or two.
I could not put this book down and then when I finished I listened to the audiobook. I wanted to see how well the narrator portrayed the characters and I was impressed. Either way, you read this book I do not think you will be disappointed. I suggest starting with the first book in the series, A Killer Collection but you do not have to.
This is the second novel in the adventure of Molly Appleby and just as good as the first! As a writer for an antique collectibles magazine, Molly is sent on assignments to cover ermarkable happenings in the antique and collectibles world. Last time she had been to a kiln opening and learned about potters. This time she will mingle with the esteemed appraisers of a popular antique hunting television show.
You have to understand that wherever Molly travels, trouble seems to also make an appearance.
Fortunately she has valuable help in the form of her mother and an auction house owner named Lex. Molly also manages to make friends along the way. The trouble this time is, could one of these friends be a killer?
I learned a lot, it was fun to go behind the scenes, there is a bit of romance, a lot of deception, and most importantly, I love that Molly always tries to do the right thing, even when the consequences may not always be the best she could hope for.
Another interesting addition to the Collectible Mystery series. The main character is quite different from the norm. She is a normal sized almost 30 year old who is confident and loves herself with flashes of insecurity about her weight paralleled by flashes of grandiose visions of being a famous journalist who helps solve crime. It is interesting and intriguing to follow her as she deduces the who, how, when, where and why of each mystery. Sprinkle in unique characters that have been well developed and you have an entertaining story to spend some time with. While I love the author, I will say this isn’t my favorite of her series, but it is still quite good and I will finish listening to all the books in the series.