So Faux, So Good (A Den of Antiquity Mystery) [Mass Market Paperback]

Tamar Myers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1998

EVERY SHROUD HAS A SILVER LINING

Abigail Timberlake, owner of the Den of Antiquity, has never been happier. She is about to marry the man of her dreams AND has just outbid all other Charlotte, North Carolina, antique dealers for an exquisite English tea service. Then Mama (who is running off to be a nun) stops by to deliver an early wedding present, and it rains on Abby's parade. The one-of-a-kind tea service Abby paid big bucks for has a twin. A frazzled Abby finds more trouble on her doorstep -- literally -- when a local auctioneer mysteriously collapses outside her shop and a press clipping of her engagement announcement turns up in the wallet of a dead man. (Obviously she won't be getting a wedding present from him.)

Tracing the deceased to a small town in the Pennsylvania Dutch country, Abby heads above the Mason-Dixon Line to search for clues to the origins of faux tea services. Accompanied by a trio of eccentric dealers and her beloved but stressed-out cat, she longs for her Southern homeland as she confronts a menagerie of dubious characters. Digging for answers, Abby realizes that she might just be digging her own grave in -- horrors! -- Yankeeland.

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 (June 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380792540
• ISBN-13: 978-0380792542
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #488,658 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

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Abby and Mags, together at last!, July 8, 1998

By 

Misty Massey ([e-mail]) (Rock Hill, South Carolina USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: So Faux, So Good (A Den of Antiquity Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

Abigail Timberlake's life seems to be going right. Her antique shop, the Den of Antiquity, is thriving. Her wedding to drop-dead gorgeous police detective Greg Washburn is two months away, and she has managed to outbid the other Charlotte antique dealers for a rare, one-of-a-kind silver English tea service. Her satisfaction turns to horror when her mother, on her way to join a convent, presents her with an early wedding gift - a rare, one-of-a-kind silver English tea service exactly like the one Abby just obtained. To make matters worse, Greg suspects Abby's been up to something: Billy Ray Teschel, a car wreck victim in Pennsylvania, has their engagement announcement, with Abby's pretty picture, tucked safely in his wallet. Abby gathers a few friends and heads north of the Mason-Dixon Line to clear her name, restore her virtue, find the source of the fake silver and maybe buy a couple of Amish quilts along the way. Readers of Tamar Myers' novels will be thrilled at her latest offering. Filled with the eccentric characters and humorous moments that Myers is known for, "So Faux, So Good" is her best mystery yet. Particularly fun is the way she merges her two series. While in Pennsylvania, Abby meets Magdalena Yoder, innkeeper to the stars and heroine of Myers' PennDutch series. Even though Abby tries to put one over on Magdalena in order to get a room at the famous PennDutch Inn, Magdalena takes pity on her and helps Abby with her search for the evil Teschel family, who may be involved in something more serious than fake antiques. "So Faux, So Good" is a well-plotted, fast moving story, and you'll want to read it in one sitting. Myers' tales are absorbing and delightful, sweeping the reader along on a rip tide of action. It's the perfect book for a muggy summer afternoon. When it's too hot to move, immerse yourself in Abby's world. It might not cool you off, but you won't mind the heat nearly as much!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So Funny, So Good, October 7, 2000

By 

Karen Potts (Lake Jackson, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: So Faux, So Good (A Den of Antiquity Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

Author Tamar Myers hits her stride in this 4th. book of the Den of Antiquity series. Her heroine, Abigail Timberlake, is about to be married to a handsome detective. Her mother delivers a wedding present to her on her way to join a convent. Abby's joy turns to concern when she sees that the tea set she has just received is identical to one she purchased at an auction as a one-of-a-kind, expensive silver set. Her concern is deepened when her engagement announcement is found in the pocket of a dead man in Pennsylvania. Abby decides that she must investigate this situation up close and personal, so she and her three dearest friends drive to Pennsylvania to look into the matter and hopefully to puchase some antiques and quilts. Their culture shock at being "north of the Line" is very amusing as is the interaction of these roommates who were not made in heaven. The plot has the usual twists and turns and the guilty party is truly a surprise!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars So annoying, November 14, 2004

By 

Elizabeth B. Daykin "eabone" (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: So Faux, So Good (A Den of Antiquity Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

If it weren't for the cat in this story, and the fact that I've actually read a worse mystery lately, this book would have gotten only 1 star.

Basically, the character is annoying and the writer is clearly overly enamored with herself. Abby lies for no reason, jumps to frustrating, ridiculous conclusions - getting huffy for no reason except, presumably, for the reader's amusement. It is not amusing. She's so annoying, I am not surprised her husband ran off with Tweetie.

The author clearly thinks she's a humorist - she is not. The combination of Abby and Magdelena is predictable, annoying (again), and pointless. Also, I'm so sick of the celebrity jokes/references in the Penn-Dutch mysteries I could scream.

I agree with the other reviewer who commented on the author inserting herself into the story line (and having Abby state she's a good writer no less). This behavior distances the writer from the reader. It is not cute and it is, yes, annoying.

What I'm finding more and more in cozies is that the heroine never actually solves the mystery. She just stumbles around with little or no plan and the bad persons identify themselves. What is this? Why can't we have the quirky characters AND a substantive mystery?

I encourage you to read a Bernie Rhodenbarr mystery instead (maybe "Burglars can't be choosers").