Book Review: A Deadly Dealer

Reviewed By: Dawn Dowdle

A Deadly Dealer     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
J. B. Stanley
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Woman Main Character   Amateur Sleuth   Cozy
Series: Killer Collectibles # 3
Berkley, Paperback, 8/07, 208 pages, $6.99

Molly Applebee and her mom are off to Nashville to cover the famous Heart of Dixie antique show for Collector's Weekly. Everything is going well until Molly stumbles over the body of Tom Barnett, a dealer of medical antiques. Just the night before her mom had introduced him to her. He'd seemed worried.

Her mom insists that he is one of the most honest antique dealers in the business. When they find out from his ex-wife that he was behind on his child support payments and another dealer asserts that one of his clients is the real owner of a valuable blanket chest in Tom's booth, they begin to wonder about his integrity. Then one of his antiques is stolen and another dealer is attacked. Molly knows she has to find the killer before the show ends and a killer goes free. Can she do it without putting herself in jeopardy?

I love this series. Each book is a fun, quick reading cozy. I like how the author intersperses information about antiques without droning on and on. That is a great quality. Molly is such a lovable character, too. I like that she doesn't have a boyfriend who's a cop to be feeding her information. I do hope she and Mark can work out the kinks in their relationship, too.

I always enjoy the interactions between Molly and her mother. They make a great pair of amateur sleuths. I highly recommend this book and the whole series.

Dawn Dowdle

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Dawn Dowdle

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