Review of The Antique House Murders

 

The Antique House Murders

Oakwood Mystery, Book #2

Leslie Nagel

5 Stars

Synopsis:

In this irresistible cozy mystery from the author of The Book Club Murders, amateur sleuth Charley Carpenter fights to avenge a crime that hits far too close to home.

Mulbridge House stood, silent and decaying, deep in the woods at the heart of Oakwood, Ohio, long before the passing of Augusta Mulbridge. Yet suddenly everyone in town seems to have a stake in its fate: the greedy heirs, eager to tear it down for a tidy profit; the local preservationists, determined to maintain it as an historic site; the angry neighbors, staunchly opposed to the construction of a modern subdivision. Even Charley Carpenter is forced to admit that her beloved shop, Old Hat Vintage Fashions, could use an infusion of the estate’s treasures.

The clock is ticking. The wrecking ball is ready to swing. All that stands between Mulbridge House and oblivion is one final vote. That, and murder . . .

The trouble begins when Charley walks into auctioneer Calvin Prescott’s office to find her cherished family friend crumpled on the floor. Detective Marcus Trenault quickly connects his death to a string of increasingly violent burglaries plaguing Oakwood. But when Charley uncovers a link to a massive land swindle worth millions, not to mention a drug ring operating out of the manor’s abandoned outbuildings, that theory crumbles faster than Mulbridge House. Now Charley’s racing to catch a killer before everything falls apart.  (Goodreads)

Review:

The characters are well developed and well rounded.  Charley is a hard working business woman, clever and feisty.  She is not afraid of hard work or putting her nose where it does not belong.  When a friend of hers is murdered, she is more than ready to put her sleuthing skills to work to figure out the killer.  With the help of her friends, and to the dismay of her detective boyfriend, she is ready to tackle the mystery and find out the truth.  There were times when I just shook my head and wanted to shake her, for the chances she took while investigating.  The secondary characters added a lot to the story.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read.  The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and through much of the book I felt like I was right there, watching all of the action taking place.  The author is also very talented in weaving together different story lines and mysteries into a great book.  There were so many suspects to consider and clues to sift through that it was very difficult to solve this mystery.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well plotted, well crafted mystery. This book is a lot grittier than the typical cozies that I read.  The language is stronger than what is normal in a cozy mystery.  This did not bother me at all, in fact to me it made the book seem more real.  

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.  I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Alibi for the opportunity to read and review this book.