I was given a free e-copy of this novel by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
I have not read anything by either author, so I found this novel to be a well written introduction. This is book nine in the series, but I did not necessarily feel lost. There were mentions of previous cases, but they were brief and had no bearing on the current settings.
Molly Appleby is preparing to write an article about Charlotte Blair, and arrives at Charlotte's antiques store only to discover her body instead. Knowing that there is still a story about Charlotte, and wanting to get justice for her, Molly decides to investigate alongside Detective Lombardi. However, Molly soon has more trouble than she realized when her estranged father comes to town wanting to finally meet her, and his new wife is linked to Charlotte. Dealing with her own personal issues and wanting to discover the truth, Molly has quite a balancing act on her hands.
I enjoyed this novel. I loved the support Molly had with her husband Matt, as well as her mother and stepfather. I also really enjoyed the camaraderie between her and Detective Lombardi. I feel too many amateur detective novels don't allow their written police force an opportunity for growth towards the amateur. It was refreshing to see a change in style for once. I also liked that Lombardi wasn't arrogant about his own failings, and maintained a healthy friendship with Molly.
I also liked the description of the antiques. I liked the fact that this was a world that Molly knew about, but she grew from it. She isn't fully knowledgeable and brings other, more experienced individuals around. Molly's personality is down to earth and curious. I really liked and related to her.
The ending was a bit off to me. I had an idea of the murderer, but the way it went about felt abrupt. I was hoping for a bit more flow.
Overall I rate this novel 4 out 5 (I wish the system could do half, 4.5 out 5) and will follow both Ellery Adams and Parker Riggs.
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