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Outstanding Praise for Jane Cleland's In Cleland's engaging third Josie Prescott mystery to feature the New Hampshire antiques dealer (after 2007's Deadly Appraisal), Josie is stunned to learn that her fun-loving friend, Rosalie Chaffee, has been found, drowned, on the Rocky Point shore.... The warm, endearing Josie decides not only to investigate but also to take care of Rosalie's 12-year-old sister, Paige. Aided by a large support group of well-drawn characters headed by her police chief boyfriend, Josie follows such clues as an old diary, an artist's palette and a misplaced tote bag. Among other antique lore, readers will learn the difference between a highboy and a tallboy in this cleverly crafted cozy.
Publisher's Weekly, 2008-02-04 "Jane Cleland's books featuring antiques dealer Josie Prescott deliver everything we look for in a cozy series: a likable protagonist, a nice supporting cast, and a knowledgeable and entertaining introduction to a subject. The antiques stuff here is irresistible, but what really makes these books stand out is Cleland's crisp writing and Josie's business. Prescott's Antiques sounds wonderful, a great place to shop, but also the kind of workplace we all hope for. Antiques to Die For is third in the series; its predecessors (#1 - Consigned to Death, #2 - Deadly Appraisal) are in paperback."
The Mystery Company of Carmel, IN Anyone who collects antiques will
enjoy this satisfying cozy. [Read the entire review.]
Booklist, March, 2008 The third in the series (Deadly Appraisal, 2007, etc.) contains all the usual antiques lore along with romance and a fine set of suspects. Kirkus Review |
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Antiques even make for some pretty good page-turners
Jen Vido, FreshFiction.com
Summer is officially in full swing with the arrival of the July Fourth holiday weekend, but there's still time left for summer reading. And because the next best thing to shopping for antiques is reading about antiques, we've gathered a list of beach (and bed) reading for antiques and collectibles lovers. Antiques To Die For in Cleland's respected mystery series revolving around New Hampshire antiques dealer Josie Prescott. Others titles include "Deadly Appraisal," "Consigned to Death" and "Killer Keepsakes." A plus: Cleland peppers her prose with information, including the difference between a highboy and a tallboy. Khristi Zimmeth: Trash or Treasure?, The Detroit News The Josie Prescott books for me are the types of books that make magic happen with time. I'm sure you've all experienced one of these: you start reading and time just disappears. When you look up from the book, hours have gone by. You don't notice they've gone by because you've become so much a part of the book. I can tell you that one of the major ingredients in the magic potion is the characters. I love Cleland's characters. None of her characters come across as fake or flat or forced. From the shy, modest Eric to the bubbly Gretchen to the heartbroke, adolescent Paige, even the arrogant, womanizing Gerry. Cleland seems to be inside all of these characters' minds because their portrayals in her books are so spot on. I've known people like each of these characters and I had no problem believing any of their actions, thoughts, or dialogue. The characters are so dimensional, so real, that you expect them to pass you on the street, sit next to you on the bus, or stand in line in front of you at the grocery store. When you combine their realism with the relationships Cleland forms between each of them you have the recipe for that magic, the magic that makes time disappear. Antiques to Die For has this magic in spades. I found myself especially appreciating the relationship Cleland sparked between Josie and Paige. Cleland has a way of developing her female characters so that they can be strong, determined woman but maintain their soft, emotional sides, too. And they don't become damsels in distress or bumbling broads. Instead they are real: feminine, intelligent, independent. And when they need to lean on their friends and family, they do so without shame. Cleland has a subplot going on in this novel that lesser authors would wind up mis-using, but Cleland is able to weave it in just enough to make it part of the mystery and therefore an asset to the plot. It is truly disappointing for me to reach the end of a Prescott tale. It's kind of like having to say good-bye after visiting a good friend. This visit wasn't so sad, though, because my next visit is right around the corner. I'm looking forward to Josie Prescott mystery number four, Killer Keepsakes. "Very well written. Believable characters and a page turner! Highly recommend." Cheshire (CT) Public Library Book Blog Jen's Book Thoughts (http://jensbookthoughts.blogspot.com/2009/03/antiques-to-die-for-jane-cleland.html) .... This is the third installment of the “Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery” series. A good cozy read with lots of dialogue and action that stands well on its own. ... We really get some insight into Josie through her relationship with Paige and their similar pasts. I love all the people who work for Josie as well. Sounds like a fun place to work. The author does a great job of intertwining the antiques information and the mystery plot. There are plenty of twists and suspects to keep the reader guessing. I highly recommend this book. Dawn Dowdle www.mysteryloverscorner.com Jane Cleland writes a book that I can barely put down, and being a retired antique dealer I love the descriptions of the items in her auction house and saturday sale. I have retired to Florida but miss living in New England where there were Saturday and Sunday sales each weekend, my husband and I spent many mornings looking for wonderful things. This is a book with many different parts, a little romance, a smart heroine, an interesting business, and a lot of mystery but no cruelty or horror. Waco-McLennan County Library forum What makes the author’s main character, Josie Prescott , interesting is that she’s a multi-talented, strong woman who knows how to get the most out of her own personality-much like the author.... Cleland throws in some very colorful employees, a smart but sarcastic reporter, a tough female police officer and a creepy “secret admirer”, who first stalked Rosalie and then attaches him/herself to Josie. All that Cleland writes and describes enhances the fun and interest in reading Antiques to Die For. The third cozy Josie Prescott amateur sleuth cozy (see CONSIGNED TO DEATH and DEADLY APPRAISAL) is a delightful New England mystery that interweaves antiquing tidbits into a fine whodunit. Josie is tough on the outside, but soft as mush inside as she cares for Paige while also seeking the culprit. The large ensemble augments the tale with depth into the world of antiques, New Hampshire, or murder. The quality of Ms. Cleland's writing and storytelling reminds me of Susan Wittig Albert and Katherine Hall Page, two of my all-time favorite mystery authors." [Read the entire review] I do love a good mystery and Jane Cleland has written one. This is a classic who-done-it. Personally, I like a mystery that centers on the solving of the crime, the "sleuth," the plot, and the characters. This one has it all for me. I took Antiques To Die For on a flight recently. It's a tribute to how well the book held my interest that I noticed nothing about the flight, even, apparently, the fact that we sat on a runway for a half hour waiting for the plane's wings to be de-iced! Antiques To Die For will, I have no doubt, keep your interest from beginning to end too. With appealing characters and a well-grounded knowledge of antiques, Cleland matures and improves with each book. This is a series antiques buffs will love, and one that those who don’t know a Queen Anne secretary from a majolica pitcher will appreciate. Her mix of a likable main character along with the information about antiques is a winner. Jane K. Cleland has produced another winner in Antiques to Die For. This is a fantastic and fascinating third series installment.... I highly recommend this literate, well-crafted and infomative series. If you like Antiques Road aShow, you'll love Antiques to Die For! "A fascinating look at the behind-the- scenes goings-on in the antique business, Cleland's novel combines the best of mystery and romance to bring her readers a charming tale that entertains as well as educates. Without a doubt, ANTIQUES TO DIE FOR is a rare find and definitely worth the bid." "
This is a fantastic and fascinating third series installment...." "This is a series antiques buffs will love, and one that those who don't know a Queen Anne secretary from a majolica pitcher will appreciate." "Jane Cleland 's new book [ANTIQUES TO DIE FOR] is the best yet in the series." "With great dialogue and description, a strong but insecure heroine, and enough inside info about Josie's business to satisfy an Antiques Roadshow fan—what's not to like?" ANTIQUES TO DIE FOR sets the gold standard for the classic contemporary cozy. Agatha-finalist Jane K. Cleland's writing is top-notch; her plotting and pace smooth and assured. This antiquing series is in mint condition! This was a fast reading, fascinating story, full of suspense and well rounded characters you really care about. It's also nicely garnished with interesting information about the antiques business without any feeling that you're being educated rather than entertained. Compulsively readable and definitely recommended, I'm already looking forward to the next in this series.... Always filled with antique lore, this is a nice entry of a series I find hard to believe only consists of three books. I feel like I've learned so much about the antique business, I've surely read more than three books. As always, Cleland includes intriguing stories about antiques, as part of the story of Prescott's Antiques and Auction. There's a side story about Whistler's palette that adds interest to Josie's business. The employees of the auction house are also an enjoyable element in Cleland's books. Josie has grown in the course of the books, and Jane K. Cleland has grown as an author. Josie's fear was palpable in Antiques to Die For. Cleland made the reader feel that fear with sentences such as, "And always one thought, terrifying in its intensity and impossible to dispel - there was a killer on the loose." I had the opportunity recently to read Antiques to Die For. Here's a brief review of it. In previous reviews of Cleland's Josie Prescott mysteries, I saidI found her depictions of the police to be one-sided. That is not true in Antiques To Die For and the book is better for Josie's more balanced dealings with them. Antiques To Die For is a fine mystery; I highly recommend it.
....If you like Antiques Roadshow, you'll love DEADLY APPRAISAL. You'll love it
even if you don't.
Neil Plakcy, author of Mahu, Mahu Surfer and Mahu Fire
The third cozy Josie Prescott amateur sleuth cozy (see CONSIGNED TO DEATH and DEADLY APPRAISAL) is a delightful New England mystery that interweaves antiquing tidbits into a fine whodunit. Josie is tough on the outside, but soft as mush inside as she cares for Paige while also seeking the culprit. The large ensemble augments the tale with depth into the world of antiques, New Hampshire, or murder. |
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