Rating: 
Summary: Like Magdelena...this girl's funny!
Review: I didn't much care for the plot of this story or the boiler plate murder mystery formula, and wish that the author would spend more time on the storyline, but I sure like the character. I liked the fact that she was making a new life for herself after her snake of a husband leaves her for a younger model. I've read all of this author's Penn-Dutch mysteries and liked them. I'm looking forward to reading more Den of Antiquity mysteries. I like the wit and dry humor of Tamar Myers...she makes me laugh out loud... Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Like Magdelena...this girl's funny!
Review: I didn't much care for the plot of this story or the boiler plate murder mystery formula, and wish that the author would spend more time on the storyline, but I sure like the character. I liked the fact that she was making a new life for herself after her snake of a husband leaves her for a younger model. I've read all of this author's Penn-Dutch mysteries and liked them. I'm looking forward to reading more Den of Antiquity mysteries. I like the wit and dry humor of Tamar Myers...she makes me laugh out loud... Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: An antique "cozy"
Review: Abigail Timberlake is building a new life for herself after her divorce from Buford, who has run off with a woman named Tweetie. She has opened a place called the Den of Antiquity in her hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina. Her life is turned upside-down when her Aunt Eulonia Wiggins is found strangled to death by an antique bellpull. Immediate suspects are members of the Selwyn Avenue Antique Dealers Association of which Abilgail and her aunt are members. Eventually the suspect list grows to include a suspicious stranger who slips Abigail a fish with a threatening note attached. She pursues the woman and finds a solution to the murder which neither she nor the reader suspects. This is a light and humorous read, which I recommend.
Rating:
Summary: That's what I'm looking for
Review: After reading several poor to terrible mysteries in the last few weeks I was thrilled to come across Larceny and Old Lace. It's a delicious "cozy" mystery that features a spunky, opinionated, bold heroine who runs an antique shop and lives in one of my favorite places, upstate South Carolina. From the very first line I was hooked. The book features huge chunks of laugh out loud hunmor, kooky characters and a web of clues, twists and turns. There's only one thing I didn't like: The killer turned out to be the one stereoytpe in the book. Making this person the villain was way too easy and seemed like an act of literary laziness to me. However, I love Tamar Myers's work. She's obviously done her research and has managed to pull of mystery with a dose of humor very well.
Rating: 
Summary: Tamar needs an editor
Review: I agree that the dialogue is humorous, but there were some flaws that drove me crazy. First of all, I've never seen a bell pull that was narrow and flexible enough to strangle anyone. Then Abigail says she got a customer's phone number when she charged a purchase--later she says the woman always pays cash. The cover blurb says the aunt had a lace collection, when she actually had only one priceless piece. And of course we know where it was hidden, because that's rather obvious. And how did the murderer get it? Some of the writers that Myers admires, Aaron Elkins and Nevada Barr, do a better job with the details that make a good mystery. Mistakes like hers are very distracting.
Rating:
Summary: As a mystery lover and an antiques lover, I was disappointed
Review: I had high hopes for this book, but unfortunately I was let down. I was hoping for more details about antiques and the antiques business, but I didn't get them. The "whodunnit" was also a let down. The only saving grace for this book was the humor. The humor is the only reason I'll read the next in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Funny Cozy
Review: I started reading "Larceny and Old Lace " after finishing all of the books in the Pennsylvania Dutch series.
Although Magdalena and Abigail are as different as night and day, both have spunk, are funny and make great heroines for these cozy reads. Tamar Myers' style is definitely present in all its glory.
The only thing I was struggling with is the fact that one of the characters seems to change names about three quarters through the book: The slightly annoying, numbers crunching fellow antiques dealer Gretchen is suddenly referred to as Heather. Did I miss something or is this a serious oversight on behalf of Tamar Myers' proofreaders?
Despite this little flaw, I loved this book and am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
Highly recommended to cozy mysery fans.
Rating:
Summary: Funny Cozy
Review: I started reading "Larceny and Old Lace " after finishing all of the books in the Pennsylvania Dutch series.
Although Magdalena and Abigail are as different as night and day, both have spunk, are funny and make great heroines for these cozy reads. Tamar Myers' style is definitely present in all its glory.
The only thing I was struggling with is the fact that one of the characters seems to change names about three quarters through the book: The slightly annoying, numbers crunching fellow antiques dealer Gretchen is suddenly referred to as Heather. Did I miss something or is this a serious oversight on behalf of Tamar Myers' proofreaders?
Despite this little flaw, I loved this book and am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
Highly recommended to cozy mysery fans.
Rating:
Summary: Good Beginning
Review: I was already reading Myers' Penn Dutch Inn Series when I began this one. The Den of Antiquity series begins with Larceny and Old Lace. After reading this first book in the series, I was hooked and almost lost interest in the other series. I do not have a whole lot of knowledge or interest in antiques. I was not too sure if I would be able to keep up with that aspect of the story. As it turns out, you don't have to have either to enjoy this book. For antique buffs, you should enjoy the references and descriptions of the many antiques mentioned in Larceny and Old Lace. For those of us with little or no interest in antiques, Myers does an excellant job of not talking over our heads and bogging us down. The only complaint is that there are just a few too many characters so it is hard to get to know some of them. This is not all that uncommon with books that are the first in a series. If you continue to read the series, you will become more familiar with and, I think, grow to love the characters that are the major players in Abigail's life. So just be patient with this first book. The best thing about Larceny and Old Lace and the others in the series is the sense of humor. If you are like me, I enjoy mysteries that are not very complex and that will make you laugh. I have read many different series by various authors and have found Tamar Myers has the best sense of humor out of all of them. When you are done, you will remember the wonderful main characters, interesting story and laugh-out-loud humor. This is a series that only gets better as it goes. Start with Larceny and Old Lace and move ahead to Gilt By Association.
Rating:
Summary: Good Beginning
Review: I was already reading Myers' Penn Dutch Inn Series when I began this one. The Den of Antiquity series begins with Larceny and Old Lace. After reading this first book in the series, I was hooked and almost lost interest in the other series. I do not have a whole lot of knowledge or interest in antiques. I was not too sure if I would be able to keep up with that aspect of the story. As it turns out, you don't have to have either to enjoy this book. For antique buffs, you should enjoy the references and descriptions of the many antiques mentioned in Larceny and Old Lace. For those of us with little or no interest in antiques, Myers does an excellant job of not talking over our heads and bogging us down. The only complaint is that there are just a few too many characters so it is hard to get to know some of them. This is not all that uncommon with books that are the first in a series. If you continue to read the series, you will become more familiar with and, I think, grow to love the characters that are the major players in Abigail's life. So just be patient with this first book. The best thing about Larceny and Old Lace and the others in the series is the sense of humor. If you are like me, I enjoy mysteries that are not very complex and that will make you laugh. I have read many different series by various authors and have found Tamar Myers has the best sense of humor out of all of them. When you are done, you will remember the wonderful main characters, interesting story and laugh-out-loud humor. This is a series that only gets better as it goes. Start with Larceny and Old Lace and move ahead to Gilt By Association.
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