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valeris29's review
4.75
My degree in journalism was as fake as the Baroness’s pearl necklace.
In a classic locked room mystery art retrieval expert Carmen and her titled partner encounter more than they bargained for when a man ends up dead and Carmen becomes a suspect. Add a eccentric yet hilarious cast of suspects and an expertly woven storyline and you get a very entertaining read.
jen_baroness_mom's review
5.0
Collecting Can Be Murder by Jennifer S. Alderson is a wonderfully plotted mystery with exciting characters and fabulous settings.
Will Carmen and the Baroness find the stolen books and the killer? Are they one and the same?
Carmen De Luca
Our sleuth is Carmen. However, she is actually a fine arts and antiques recovery specialist. Ya, my first thought was like a Robin Hood spy. Not wholly incorrect, but still not right. She retired after her husband's tragic death, but now she is back at it with her favorite partner Lady Sophie aka Baroness. We learn a lot about Carmen's upbringing and past, along with who her best friend is and her professional history. All of that made me like Carmen. She is realistic, intelligent and is trying almost too hard to complete this mission and come out of retirement permanently.
Lady Sophie Rutherford
Carmen's partner is Lady Sophie. Lady Sophie dropped Carmen as a friend after Carmen's husband disappeared. Baroness has a title and money that allow her to be part of the wealthy class that purchases the fine arts and antiques. Although Lady Sophie assists in the cases, she is cautious not to let anyone discover her actions for fear of being ostracised from society. I like Lady Sophie too, but she seems to be hiding something. However, that could be her personality.
The Case
Go to the Villa Saint Marie in France and confirm Mr. Moreau has the stolen prayer book. This whole fine art thing is a popular subject right now, at least in the last couple of books I have read. I am not an art critic, nor do I claim to know the differences between the masters. But there has to be a huge black market with the different countries' laws and how art is claimed. Value is deceiving at best; one man may pay way more than another that isn't impressed with the art piece. Anyway, Carmen is given a chance to see the prayer book in question, but before she can get it to safety, she is injured and the current owner killed. There are so many things moving this story forward. The red herrings are numerous, and all with good motives.
Our victim isn't an outstanding man. In fact, he is a putz who thinks only of himself. This man honestly shouldn't have had children. He uses his money to control other people and doesn't follow through with what he says. His word means nothing. He has always led a life of privilege and wants his name to stand out above the rest. However, he died as part of his collection.
Five Stars
My rating for Collecting Can Be Murder by Jennifer S. Alderson is five stars. Ms. Alderson brings it with this new series. I hope that she allows Carmen to uncover her husband's killer. I highly recommend Collecting Can Be Murder to all you cozy mystery fans.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Collecting Can Be Murder by Jennifer S. Alderson.
Until the next time,
~Jen
~Jen
If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out Baroness Book Trove.
dollycas's review
mysterious
5.0
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Following the death of her husband Carmen De Luca retired from being a fine arts and antique recovery specialist but lately her life has become stagnant so when her former partner, Lady Sophie asks her to help with a few cases Carmen quickly agrees.
The first assignment is in rural France and they are searching for a rare medieval prayer book that had disappeared several years ago and was recently purchased by a collector. Lady Sophia was able to get an invite to a party the man is hosting to show off a large collection of valuable books. Using the cover of being a reporter Carmen has persuaded the man to give her an interview but before it can be completed the collector is dead and Carmen was almost killed too. With a storm raging outside all the attendees of the party are forbidden to leave until the authorities arrive. This gives Carmen time to find the book to fulfill their quest and maybe even find the killer.
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What a great debut for this series!
I really like Carmen. She can think on her feet and strives to complete the mission. Lady Sophie wasn’t as open with Carmen as I thought she should be. Carmen takes a few wrong steps that wouldn’t have happened if Sophie had given her all the details and changes that had occurred since Carmen retired. Our victim was a dastardly character. He manipulated everyone with his money and his treasured books. The author did an excellent job fleshing out all the characters and gave enough of a backstory for each to understand their motives and situations.
The mystery was like a classic closed-room mystery. The killer had to be among the attendees of the party or part of the staff. A key piece of evidence reveals a twist but there are plenty more twists and turns following that. I had a great time trying to fit the clues together right along with Carmen.
I really enjoy getting to know about the different antique prayer books. The author’s descriptions really piqued my interest so I had to hit the internet to see them with my own eyes. I always enjoy learning new things when I am reading.
Collecting Can Be Murder
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