A new book in the Antiques & Collectibles mystery series by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Ellery Adams and Parker Riggs!In the world of antiques and collectibles, it helps to have a sharp eye for quality, a good ear for gossip, and a nose for murder.In the grips of a cold and drab autumn, Collector’s Weekly reporter Molly Appleby is thrilled to be attending a festive … Appleby is thrilled to be attending a festive black-tie fundraiser hosted by the very private Natasha Gordon, an heiress known for her charitable events and aversion to the limelight. It’s Molly first chance to see the stunning interior of the Gordon estate, but when a rare book dealer is pushed from a high window to his death, she’s confronted with a sight that’s become all too common for her. And despite the fact that the crude and pompous victim was roundly disliked by all who knew him and that any number of people may have wanted him dead, Molly agrees to look into the murder for his surviving son.
As the police go about their steady business of interviewing the dozens of people in attendance that night, Molly decides to look closer to home and begins questioning the staff and anyone else connected to the estate and the victim. More and more stories of the dead man’s troubled life and marriage begin to emerge, including a potentially lucrative deal that’s gone bust and an old Gordon family heirloom that’s gone missing—a rare jeweled Fabergé egg once owned by the Empress Alexandra of Russia.
When clues to the murderer’s identity begin to accumulate, so too do the threats to Molly, and she knows she’s getting close to the truth. But with a secret family history and an untold amount of money on the line, Molly knows she’ll need to tread carefully before she becomes the latest victim of a killer trying to cover their tracks . . .
“A wonderfully written, captivating cozy novel with likeable main characters and an interesting plot!” —Goodreads review on A Treacherous Trader
About the Authors:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Ellery Adams lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with her husband, two children, and three cats. She’s written multiple series including the Supper Club Mysteries, the Book Retreat Mysteries, the Secret, Book, and Scone Society Mysteries, and more.
Parker Riggs is also the author of the mystery novels A Treacherous Trader, A Devious Lot, A Killer Keepsake, and A Bidder End (all with Ellery Adams), along with a stand-alone mystery, Finding Jessica. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband.
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Another solid cozy mystery from Ellery Adams. Amateur sleuth, Molly, is a joy to follow as she investigates local murders wherever she is. In the eighth installment, we find her at home in Vermont during a cold winter. Her little one is growing like a weed, her family is settled and she feels apart of her community. While attending a fundraiser, a local rare bookseller has died under mysterious circumstances. Molly’s curiosity gets the best of her and she finds herself in a world of privilege. The center of the investigation is around a Faberge egg that has been hidden within a local family for years.
I admit I love to read about the Russian era centered around the Faberge eggs. I cannot even say why but I find myself drawn to the stories writers have weaved. My only wish is there had been more history given about the egg but that is a personal wish as what is given in the story is perfect.
A Fatal Faberge can be read as a standalone. There is enough backstory given without dragging down the readers who have read the entire story but gives new readers the connections needed. The mystery provides the necessary red herrings to make the reader question their guesses to the killer.
An entertaining read for cozy mystery fans of all ages.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, Beyond the Page Publishing, through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review is entirely my own.
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 Fabergé (Antiques & Collectibles # 8) by Ellery Adams and Parker Riggs is actually the first book in this series I’ve read. I completely enjoyed this book from start to finish and can’t wait to binge read the rest in the series. I highly recommend this book to everyone that loves a good mystery.
Everything that Ellery Adams writes is worth reading!
This is the eighth book in the series, but my first book. I enjoyed this book without any issue, so it can be enjoyed as a stand-alone. The characters are interesting and realistic. The mystery moves at a face pace with several twists and turns to keep the reader engaged in the story. I look forward to reading more in this series.
All thoughts and opinions are my own, and in no way, I have been influenced by anyone.
A Fatal Fabrege is the eighth book in the Antiques & Collectibles Mysteries series by Ellery Adams and Parker Riggs, but it can be read as a stand alone. I hadn’t read any of the earlier books and I didn’t feel like I was missing anything – the authors do an excellent job of filling in the background without the explanation being obtrusive.
Molly Appleby, writer for Collector’s Weekly has a history of helping the police solve murders. When the owner of the failing antiquarian bookstore Rarus Books plunges to his death in the middle of a fundraising gala, Molly gets involved in figuring out who-done-it and why.
Molly’s observational and reasoning skills makes her an ideal unofficial colleague for Detective Lombardi. There are several red herrings and secrets and complex characters – enough to keep me reading late into the night. I will probably start at the beginning of the series, although it wasn’t necessary to the enjoyment of this short novel.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. The opinion is my own.
Molly is excited to be attending a fundraiser hosted by the ever private Natasha Gordon. Natasha has an amazing home and getting the chance.to have a look behind the doors is something Molly just can’t pass up. When a man is pushed from a balcony during g the event chaos insues. Molly is there right after it happens and she realizes the man is the owner of a bookshop in town. She soon learns that he is Natasha’s brother-in-law and husband to her late sister who died from drowning not that long ago. The man’s so asks Molly for her help and she just can’t refuse, helping is just in her DNA. Molly soon comes to learn that the whole family has secrets and figuring out fact from fiction is the only way she will find the truth. Follow along as Molly asks questions, digs into everyone’s background, and puts the pieces together in hopes that the answers she seeks will be brought to light.
This was a very twisty mystery. I really enjoyed it. Molly is clever and smart. She shares the information she gathers with Detective Lombardi. Some cozy’s the main characters always holds back and that gets old. It’s like they think they know more than the police and are smarter. The writing is easy to read and the story moves along quickly. It kept me turning the pages and I wanted to see who Molly would speak to next and what secret would be revealed. I did guess some of the secrets, but not all.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and offer my honest opinion of this book.
A Fatal Faberge is the 8th book in this cozy series and each one is a great read. Molly is a senior staff writer for the Collector’s Weekly magazine and is now living in Vermont because her husband, Matt, has been given a surgical residency at the University of Vermont Medical Center. That ties in with the Black Tie Gala to be held at the mansion owned by Natasha Gordon to raise money for the Medical Center. While talking to the owner of a local antique store, Molly’s attention is drawn to the book store across the street. Maybe she and her niece, Starling, will go there next.Then they are informed that the store owner is a nasty piece of work, a drunk and that his business is on the verge of closing down. End of story for Molly or so she thinks. While at the Black Tie event, in a mansion that is never shown to the public, she is approached by the book store owners son who is also the nephew of their hostess and owner of the mansion. Right there is a story to be told. The son wants Molly to write an article about the book store with the hope of boosting sales and saving the store. Molly meets the father but declines to promise anything. She is very put off by the man. Soon she is focusing on him when he takes a header off the roof and almost literally lands at her feet. Was it a drunken accident or was there a killer in their midst?
Molly isn’t new to homicide investigations and the detective in charge was dating Starling and is a friend. Plus her editor is happy to have her write about the crime. Will Molly be able to untangle the family secrets to find out who is top of the list of those who hated the victim enough to murder him before she becomes the focus of the killer and put herself in danger? Lots of depth and twists, turns and red herrings to keep this reader guessing to the reveal.
Another great read from Ellery Adams and Parker Riggs. This series is highly entertaining and the books are a fast, easy read. It doesn’t matter if you start at the beginning or with this book, the series is great and you can easily pick up the storyline if you haven’t read the other books in the series yet. But, you’ll want to read them all!
(Note: I was gifted a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.)
A Fatal Faberge’ by Ellery Adams and Parker Riggs is the eighth in the series. This is only the second one I have read. It can be read as a stand alone.
This is a well written story with plenty of plot twists that have you guessing to the end. The characters are relatable and likable as is the Vermont setting. There is the perfect amount of family life in the story.
I was given an ARC by NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.
Intriguing Cozy Antiques Mystery
In this episode, there are more incredible missing antiques as well as too many deaths. The plot is captivating and well done. The story develops in a logical manner. The author is excellent at describing a scene so the reader can envision everything perfectly. This truly is a mind movie. This book stands alone well. I have read a couple of the prior stories, but each book is complete in itself. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.
A Fatal Faberge by Ellery Adams and Parker Riggs is the eighth in the Antiques and Collectibles series. We rejoin Molly Appleby, her husband Matt, her mother and her life in Vermont where she works long distance for Collector’s Weekly magazine, drawing all of her stories from stores and murders around her town. The editor really likes murders: they boost sales. This evening, Molly and Matt are off to a fund raising gala for the hospital Matt works at. It is taking place at a local historical (Misty Vail) mansion where normally people are not allowed and Molly is beyond excited. She wore the wrong shoes, though. Once there she meets the nephew of the hostess, a young man named Maxim who asks her to meet his father, in hopes of generating an article about his bookstore, which could use the publicity. It is not a cordial meeting; he is a very unpleasant man, drunk to boot. Before you know it he is dead, apparently having “fallen” onto the patio from a third story window. Lombardi is the local detective in charge. As Molly asks around, she learns about a family heirloom …a Faberge egg. Could this be the motive? Can Lombardi, or anyone, keep Molly from investigating?
Molly is a terrific character whose intrepid sense of curiosity gets her in trouble more often than not. She is lucky to have a supportive husband, as well as the ear of Detective Lombardi, but she has a mother who worries… understandably so as she has gotten herself into danger before. In this story, among other things, several people offer her bribes, and she is very concerned about why they seem to think she can be bought. She is a great character: outgoing, loving, interested, and thoughtful. She is clever and finds the murderer in this twisted little mystery. This is a very enjoyable series: one that I recommend to cozy readers, for sure, as well as anyone else looking for a character driven series with a mystery sideline.
I received a free ARC of A Fatal Faberge from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #afatalfaberge