Scan barcode
erinvasut's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Murder
lefthandlou's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Cozy mystery read to fill a sick day. Interesting plot but found the execution somewhat lacking; dialogue was stilted and the characters didn’t have much depth. I liked the emphasis on repatriating stolen antiquities and thought that was a cool angle to include.
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, and Murder
purplepenning's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
A solid debut and an enjoyable read — perfect for fans of The Marlow Murder Club and The Golden Spoon.
The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder is a cozyish mystery uniquely situated in the world of high-stakes antiques dealing and featuring an interesting niece-aunt team of amateur sleuths. Unlike other reviewers, I appreciated the narrator shifts and thought they added to the insight and enjoyment of the reading experience. The found-family vibes, the thoughts on aging, the reflections on past mistakes and course correcting, the plucky courage of the elderly aunt and the reemerging analytical courage of the middle-aged niece — all work to give this a little more depth and intrigue than a typical cozy mystery might have. If this is the beginning of a series, I'd definitely check out the next one.
The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder is a cozyish mystery uniquely situated in the world of high-stakes antiques dealing and featuring an interesting niece-aunt team of amateur sleuths. Unlike other reviewers, I appreciated the narrator shifts and thought they added to the insight and enjoyment of the reading experience. The found-family vibes, the thoughts on aging, the reflections on past mistakes and course correcting, the plucky courage of the elderly aunt and the reemerging analytical courage of the middle-aged niece — all work to give this a little more depth and intrigue than a typical cozy mystery might have. If this is the beginning of a series, I'd definitely check out the next one.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, and Murder
Minor: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Confinement, and Fire/Fire injury
btwnprintedpgs's review against another edition
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
What is queued up as a Knives-Out-esque mystery thriller ended up being more of an Eat Pray Love sort of situation.
Freya has been out of the Antique Hunting business for over twenty years after the betrayal of her mentor. However, when that mentor dies, she gets back on the hunt at a turning point in her life. Now forty-something, with her daughter off at school and ex-husband selling their house, she turns her mind to the mystery in front of her - who killed her mentor and why is he posthumously sending her and her aunt to an antique retreat in the country?
The premise enticed me, but the execution was messy. With disjointed sentences and a repetitive inner narrative, I dragged myself through the first half of this book. The turning point wasn't even something I really cared about by the time I got to it because one of the more impactful things hadn't even been mentioned until that moment. There was an air of mystery around it, but the moment didn't hit me in the way I think it was intended to.
The different perspectives really didn't lend much to the progression of the story, and as a result the plot felt stilted, even as the pace picked up in the second half. I'm very curious about the intentions behind adding the other characters' POVs because the value just wasn't there for me.
One thing I do appreciate is the fact that this book really was saying that life doesn't end after XYZ happens. Freya's daughter leaving for college, Freya losing her house; she was so morose over these events at the start of the story, but we see her tackle the mystery with renewed vigor as the story progressed. I don't think enough stories do this, so it was nice to see her getting on with her own life and rediscovering herself. That being said, I did find her own feelings about the events of her life overshadowed any of the mystery's fun and excitement. She was like a wet blanket over her own story, which is what gave it that soul-searching quality that was not quite what I'd signed up for.
At the end of the day, I can't say I was super invested in the mystery or in Freya's life. The writing being messy, repetivie, and disjointed didn't help my reading experience either. My hope is that the final version that sees the light of day is more polished and snappy, but we shall see I guess.
TW: death, murder, gun violence, blood, injury detail, alcohol; mentions fire, fire injury, death of parents; domestic abuse
Plot: 2/5
Characters: 2/5
World Building: 3/5
Writing: 2/5
Pacing: 1/5
Overall: 2/5
eARC gifted via NetGalley by Simon and Schuster Canada in exchange for an honest review.
Freya has been out of the Antique Hunting business for over twenty years after the betrayal of her mentor. However, when that mentor dies, she gets back on the hunt at a turning point in her life. Now forty-something, with her daughter off at school and ex-husband selling their house, she turns her mind to the mystery in front of her - who killed her mentor and why is he posthumously sending her and her aunt to an antique retreat in the country?
The premise enticed me, but the execution was messy. With disjointed sentences and a repetitive inner narrative, I dragged myself through the first half of this book. The turning point wasn't even something I really cared about by the time I got to it because one of the more impactful things hadn't even been mentioned until that moment. There was an air of mystery around it, but the moment didn't hit me in the way I think it was intended to.
The different perspectives really didn't lend much to the progression of the story, and as a result the plot felt stilted, even as the pace picked up in the second half. I'm very curious about the intentions behind adding the other characters' POVs because the value just wasn't there for me.
One thing I do appreciate is the fact that this book really was saying that life doesn't end after XYZ happens. Freya's daughter leaving for college, Freya losing her house; she was so morose over these events at the start of the story, but we see her tackle the mystery with renewed vigor as the story progressed. I don't think enough stories do this, so it was nice to see her getting on with her own life and rediscovering herself. That being said, I did find her own feelings about the events of her life overshadowed any of the mystery's fun and excitement. She was like a wet blanket over her own story, which is what gave it that soul-searching quality that was not quite what I'd signed up for.
At the end of the day, I can't say I was super invested in the mystery or in Freya's life. The writing being messy, repetivie, and disjointed didn't help my reading experience either. My hope is that the final version that sees the light of day is more polished and snappy, but we shall see I guess.
TW: death, murder, gun violence, blood, injury detail, alcohol; mentions fire, fire injury, death of parents; domestic abuse
Plot: 2/5
Characters: 2/5
World Building: 3/5
Writing: 2/5
Pacing: 1/5
Overall: 2/5
eARC gifted via NetGalley by Simon and Schuster Canada in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Blood, Gun violence, and Alcohol
Minor: Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
chalkletters's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Blood, Death, and Gun violence
Minor: Death of parent
More...