Rating: 
Summary: Not as Good as I'd Hoped For
Review: Molly Doyle is running from her past. Leaving a cheating husband and professional scandal behind her, she accepts an offer from a friend to run his small antique shop in Carmel. Her hopes to keep a low profile are dashed when a woman dies in her arms. With the new police chief making her feel uncomfortable, she decides to follow up on the few clues she's stumbled upon. Molly's only beginning to get a picture when another murder takes place. Can Molly figure things out before she becomes the next victim?I went into this book with high hopes. I'd heard good things about it and it sounded like a fun story. The plot is decent. There are a few missteps and novice mistakes, but they didn't detract too much. I did think the ending could have been written tighter, but that's a minor quibble. My main complaint comes from the characters. I was over half way though before I began to like any of them, even Molly. All of them swore excessively. I don't mind a little in the books I read, but this really seemed to go beyond what is necessarily. And, they all smoked like a chimney. Frankly, I found it unrealistic, distracting, and annoying. If the characters were more likable, I'd forgive the mistakes in the plot and say read it. As it is, I was ready for the book to be done long before it was.
Rating: 
Summary: GREAT READ!
Review: Molly Doyle is trying to start a new life for herself in Carmel, California, running an antique shop for an old family friend. Molly, aka Elizabeth Porter, is running from her past in New York City, where she was one of the city's premiere antique dealers but was accused in an antique fraud scheme with her ex-husband. Although she was cleared of the fraud charges, she feels she must start over and re-build her professional reputation. As (bad) luck would have it, though, within weeks of arriving in Carmel, Molly finds herself at the scene of a murder, with a woman she has met only once dying in her arms. Then, a few days later, another murder happens with Molly again on the scene. As the local authorities investigate the murders, Molly is drawn into the investigation in order to clear her name. Plus, she discovers some interesting connections between the murder victims and some overpriced art being sold in a local gallery......Could she have discovered another fradulent scheme?? Well, I won't say any more about the plot except that it is a fabulous, twisting ride! The plot developments come quickly and keep the reader guessing the outcome. Definitely not too much time is spent on antique trivia, just enough to spice up the story. Loved the trip to the auction in San Francisco! Ms. Flinn did a good job describing teh auction and the antique store, makes you feel like you're there. The characters in this story were super! Molly fights depression and self-doubt, and anger over her failed marriage, only to emerge determined to overcome all the obstacles and accusations against her. Other characters in the story were strong and well-developed. I hope they will all be returning in the next installment of Molly's story. The biography of Ms. Flinn says that she was an antique dealer for many years. I hope she will stick with her new career of writing! I'm looking forward to more adventures and antique finds with Molly Doyle.
Rating:
Summary: Agatha Award Nominee & Gumshoe Award Nominee
Review: Ms. Flinn is a stellar new voice! Ms. Flinn has crafted a marvelous and intricate story. Plan to take a weekend off - you surely won't want to put this book down. I won't describe the plot, as that would take all the fun out reading, but suffice it to say Ms. Flinn will be writing for many years to come. Her characters are superbly drawn, as they pull you into their world of antiques, art fraud, and murder, not to mention the exquisite scenery of Carmel. I can't help but feel I've walked the streets of this lovely town, had pastries and espresso at Bennie's and a sumptuous dinner in the cozy back room of Daria's...with all my new friends.
Rating:
Summary: for fans of cozies and amateur sleuth tales
Review: She is a high-end antiquities dealer working with the rich and famous until her husband tells her he's dumping her for Greta, the store's art restorer. He gives her two days to get out of the apartment, which is in his family's name. The worst is yet to come when Molly and her husband are arrested for art fraud. They all make bail and the husband and her lover skip the country. He leaves behind an exonerated, but financially broke Molly, unable to regain her place in the antiques world due to the scandal. A friend from Carmel offers her a job in his low-end antique store for a salary, free apartment plus commission. When she buys a desk at a garage sale, she forgets to ask the seller for the key to the drawers. She returns only to find the woman bleeding to death. The chief of police Kenneth Randall thinks Molly is a solid suspect especially when he pulls her rap sheet but Molly soon discovers that there is an art scam going on in town and convinces him to use her as bait. He needs Molly to work undercover with her specialized knowledge but he realizes he's putting her in danger with a killer who has taken the lives of at least three victims. Elaine Flinn is a fresh, innovative and charming new voice in the mystery genre that fans of cozies and amateur sleuth tales will value as a high-end author. The protagonist goes from a lethargic dependent to an enthusiastic person as she sheds past memories and lets Carmel and a certain police chief work their magic on her and the audience. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: You Don't Have To Love Antiques!
Review: The other reviews say about as much as can be said for this book except one thing. It does start pretty slow. Being the first book in a series, the reader should expect the obligatory background information. I just felt that maybe Flinn spent a little too much time on it, even for the first book. But stick with it because in the end, it is worth it. I hesitate to give it five stars because I think this series is only going to get better. Usually, I find myself getting lost in antique mysteries but not in this case. Flinn wrote the story in a way as to not lose the reader who is not an antique-buff. It's wonderful for those who love art and antiques but it's not exclusive to them. Well worth the read and the slow beginning. I can't wait for the next installment.
Rating:
Summary: You Don't Have To Love Antiques!
Review: The other reviews say about as much as can be said for this book except one thing. It does start pretty slow. Being the first book in a series, the reader should expect the obligatory background information. I just felt that maybe Flinn spent a little too much time on it, even for the first book. But stick with it because in the end, it is worth it. I hesitate to give it five stars because I think this series is only going to get better. Usually, I find myself getting lost in antique mysteries but not in this case. Flinn wrote the story in a way as to not lose the reader who is not an antique-buff. It's wonderful for those who love art and antiques but it's not exclusive to them. Well worth the read and the slow beginning. I can't wait for the next installment.
Rating:
Summary: GIVE ME MORE
Review: There are few things more exciting than discovering a great new writer. When you are searching the stacks and you get that feeling you have read all the good stuff and from here on out its gonna be tedious, that you will probably never get that rush again. And then it happens, I meet Molly Doyle and its like first love. I start taking her to work with me so we can visit during my lunch break. I start reading slower because I know it will end too soon. I start imagining how I would help her out and what great pals we would be instead of paying attention to the meeting I am having with a new supplier. When I finished the book I found myself angry with Ms. Flinn for not having published more novels. At least she could announce the publicatiom date of the Molly's next venture. It had better be soon.
Rating:
Summary: I can think of plenty of reasons not to like this book...
Review: There's too much profanity, too much smoking, too much sassy/stubborn/hotheadedness, a plot that stretched my suspension-of-disbelief almost to the limit, too much inside-the-trade information for a non-antiques person, etc, etc, etc But, when all is said and done, it comes down to this - do the characters still live for me after the final page? They do - Molly, Randall, Bitsy, and especially Daria. Here's hoping she doesn't get killed off in the next book. Yeah, I'll be reading the next one....
Rating:
Summary: Mystery Buff from California
Review: This is one of the best, most entertaining mysteries I've read in many years! Ms. Flinn has filled her pages with a fast paced, intricate plot that kept me guesssing until the end. The characters are fully drawn and realistic...and I wish I could sit in on their conversations at Tosca's or Daria's for real. The added bonus of learning about antiques was something I didn't expect, but really liked. I hope she continues this trend. In short, I wish Ms. Flinn a very long and prosperous career as a writer. She's great! When's the next one out??
Rating:
Summary: A very enjoyable read...
Review: This is one of those books that takes no time at all to get into -- from the very first page, I was engaged by the characters and the story, and after a hundred pages, hated to put it down even for a minute.
The plot involves Molly Doyle, an antiques dealer with a failed marriage (her ex dumped her because he was having an affair with their employee) and a couple of serious scandals in her background, one involving her father (who served time for fencing) and her ex and his girlfriend (who brought discredit on Molly as well in their antiques scam). Molly has moved from the east coast to the west and is running a shabby antiques store in Carmel for an old friend. Just about the first thing that happens to her is that she finds herself holding a dying woman -- someone she bought a desk from on the previous day. This drags her into a murder investigation that might have something to do with the antiques business and that desk. THe new police chief, Randall, is brusque and at first Molly and Randall cross swords. You know that this tension is really about attraction, particularly since they are both new to town and available.
The author tells a good story and populates this mystery with lively characters. Molly is a likeable "detective" and I look forward to reading what happens to her next.
If I have any criticisms of the book, it's a certain snobbishness that I find annoying. Also, with 440,000 people in the United States dying smoking-related deaths each year, the author really needs to rethink her positive attitude toward smoking -- and I think even excellent cigars stink. Otherwise, a great book.
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