Baroque and Desperate (A Den of Antiquity Mystery) [Mass Market Paperback]

Tamar Myers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1999

In a Treasure-Laden Mansion

Unflappable and resourceful, Abigail Timberlake, antique dealer and owner of Charlotte, North Carolina's Den of Antiquity, relies on her knowledge and savvy to authenitcate the facts from the fakes when it comes to either curios or people. Her expertise makes Abby invaluable to exceptionally handsome Tradd Maxwell Burton, wealthy scion of the renowned Latham family. He needs her to determine the most priceless item in the Latham mansion and then split the proceeds of it with her. A treasure hunt in an antique-filled manor? All Abby can say is "let the games begin."

It's Tough to Keep Help

Accompanied by her best girlfriend, C.J., Abby arrives at the estate and is met with cool reserve, if no downright rudeness, from the members of the Latham clan. Trying to carry out Tradd's request, Abby finds that she could cut the household tension with a knife. But someone has beaten her to it by stabbing a maid to death with an ancient kris. Suddenly all eyes are on C.J., whose fingerprints happen to be all over the murder weapon. it's up to Abby to use her knack for detecting forgeries to expose the fake alibi of the genuine killer.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

TAMAR MYERS is the author of fifteen previous Den of Antiquity mysteries: Larceny and Old Lace; Gilt by Association; The Ming and I; So Faux, So Good; Baroque and Desperate; Estate of Mind; A Penny Urned; Nightmare in Shining Armor; Splendor in the Glass; Tiles and Tribulations; Statue of Limitations; Monet Talks; The Cane Mutiny; Death of a Rug Lord; and Poison Ivory. She is also the author of the novel The Witch Doctor's Wife and the Magdalena Yoder series. She is an avid antiques collector, and lives in the Carolinas.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Avon Books (March 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380802252
• ISBN-13: 978-0380802258
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #129,863 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tamar Myers, who is of Mennonite background, is the author of the Pennsylvania Dutch mysteries and the Den of Antiquity series. Born and raised in the Congo, she lives in North Carolina.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Get Me Rewrite!, August 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Baroque and Desperate (A Den of Antiquity Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

Tamar Myers' publisher needs to ease up on her schedule. This novel shows all the signs of having been written in haste and edited poorly (if at all). There are several pointless, not very humorous, scenes that appear to serve no purpose other than increasing the word count. And there must be at least two dozen variations on the metaphor for a person's not being very bright: e.g., "two sandwiches short of a picnic", etcetera ad nauseum. In general, I like the fast pace and loopiness of the Den of Antiquity series, but this book could be a lot better.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Middle of the road., December 11, 2003

By 

Robert P. Beveridge "xterminal" (Lakewood, OH) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Baroque and Desperate (A Den of Antiquity Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

Tamar Myers, Baroque and Desperate (Avon, 1999)

I've been an ambivalent fan of Tamar Myers for a while now. I'm never quite sure what I'm going to get with one of her books. I've finished Baroque and Desperate, the fourth Den of Antiquity mystery, and it's done nothing to change my perceptions either way.

The book opens with fearless detective and antique shop owner Abigail Timberlake getting back into town after a vacation to find that the Den of Antiquity has been robbed. Well, robbed may not be the word for it; the shop is as clean as a whistle. Everything, including the cash register, the wastebaskets, and even the shelving is gone. Just as she's starting to wonder what's going to happen in her life, a guy sitting next to her on the plane home shows up at the store with a proposition. His grandmother, a very rich, very eccentric woman, has hidden an antique worth at least a hundred thousand dollars somewhere on her estate. He needs a professional eye to help him. Desperate for a quick buck to save the business, she agrees. (Don't worry, folks, the intrepid sidekick, not to mention Dmitri the cat, come along for the ride.)

If you've read a Tamar Myers mystery before, you know what to expect. The wit is fresh, the puns are awful, the mystery is fun (albeit capped, always, with the annoying "ah, and here's how I did it!" section). She does go a bit overboard here with her descriptions of C.J.'s insanity (there must be at least four dozen variations on "one king short of a full deck" here, and it gets annoying after a while), but everything else seems to be clicking on all cylinders.

So Baroque and Desperate ends up getting the same lukewarm recommend as most of Tamar Myers' catalogue. I keep waiting for the book that will push me one way or the other; looks like I'm going to continue waiting. ***

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Abby participates in Dysfunctional Family Games, October 13, 2000

By 

Karen Potts (Lake Jackson, Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Baroque and Desperate (A Den of Antiquity Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

Abigail Timberlake, owner of the Den of Antiquity, has her store robbed of all of its contents. A timely offer from Tradd, the handsome son of a wealthy family, includes a request for her presence at his grandmother's house to help advise him about her antiques during the course of a family game. She becomes acquainted with Tradd's siblings, none of whom appear to approve of her appearance in their game. Before long there is a murder, and Abby is in the middle of finding out which member of this avaricious family is responsible. In this book, author Myers continues to develop the characters of C.J., Abby's neighboring antique store owner, who is famous for her long, pointless stories, and Abby's mother who rebounds from her unsuccessful attempt to become a nun in the last book, to finding a holy image in Abby's store. Again, Myers creates a humorous and enjoyable book and manages to have the murderer be the one you would least expect.