Customer Reviews

Death of a Garage Sale Newbie (Bargain Hunters Mysteries, No. 1)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I took this book with me when I went with some friends to spend the day lazing in the sun on top of a ruined castle. We found a nice spot on the thick grassy wall overlooking the moat and forest. One friend dozed off while the other did cartwheels and ate pistachios, but not at the same time. In any case, my peals of laughter echoed down the valley again and again, and each time I had to explain to my friends just what was happening at that point in the story. They spent a lot of time frowning, scratching their heads, and declaring me to be crazy. Me, not the author, you'll notice.

Need I say I enjoyed this book immensely? The concept of a garage sale hobby is familiar terrain, and it's been taken one step further with the Bargain Hunters' Network. Four women in vastly different life situations, yet bound together by friendship and the passion for chasing good prices.

But this is more than just chick-lit. There's plenty of danger and excitement - there's a serious political conspiracy, a clumsy lawyer-turned-burglar with the girlfriend who learned how to break and enter from watching TV, a mechanical elk, a shopping-mall showdown, and a couple of elderly ladies who use guns, pepper sprays, lightswitches, and rouge powder to resist the villains.

And there's certainly plenty to laugh about, as you've noticed from my experience atop the castle. Whether it's a three-year-old having a conversation with a robber in the middle of the night, or her mother making frantic phone calls while giving birth, or the skater dude giving the old man advice for his marriage, it is all just delectable. Good enough to eat.

"Death of a Garage Sale Newbie" is a treasure I will hold close to my heart. It's a murder mystery with a more personal touch than most, as the victim is a close friend of the women who end up finding the killer. The tale twists and turns incredibly and relies often on girl power and the potential for goodness hidden even in the bad guys.

Ginger, the central character, goes through a tough period in her marriage as the plot unfolds, and it's a lovely side story to watch her efforts, so very human, and the way her friends support her. This victory marks the end of the story for now, but I've heard there's more to come in this series... bring it on!

Ginger Salinski is a garage sale expert and has taught her friends how to live frugally. This particular Saturday seems no different than most. Ginger and her friends go to garage sales, then they meet at Mary Margret's house to share their finds.

But Mary Margret never shows up. She's calls and leaves a message for Ginger, sharing that she discovered something scary, and giving her a gift basket with a few odd finds, which she leaves on the counter. After waiting for a time, the youngest member of the group, Kindra, offers to stay at Mary's house and wait while the others go and look for Mary.

Up near the archery club, a hiker discovers Mary's body, shot in the back with an arrow.

What did Mary discover on her hunt for bargains? Will Ginger and her friends be able to learn why Mary died, and find her killer?

Death of a Garage Sale Newbie is the first book in the Bargain Hunters Mysteries series, and its wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Ginger and the others and going through their trials with them. All the characters have a well-developed character arc, with goals and motivations clearly outlined. I identified with these women, and could easily have been friends with them in real life.

The book is well-written, and held my interest from the very beginning. I had to keep reading and stayed up late to find out what happened. The inspirational theme is expertly woven in and isn't preachy.

I highly recommend Death of a Garage Sale Newbie. This is a book you will not want to miss. It's one of the best mysteries I've read in a long time.

Armchair Interviews says: The first in what we hope is many Bargain Hunters Mysteries.

I have recently discovered garage sale shopping and love cosies so I thought what's better than a combination of the two?? I knew from reviews that there was a "Christian" element to the story and I thoroughly enjoyed the first few chapters with all the references to prayer, good christian church-going people etc etc (a little sanctimonious but OK).
I even coped with the bizarre change of tack when, from the wife saying she had been followed and attacked on her way home, the husband points out she doesn't support his inventions (what!!!).
What I didn't like was snide little elements like a description of a policewoman as built "like one of those big German women who threw the shot put at the Olympics" but who "had a pretty face" though.
Yuck! Not very "Christian" either.
Oh well, I should get 20 cents at a garage sale for "Death of a garage sale newbie".

I didn't think anything could top Sharon Dunn's Ruby Taylor series, but she did it! I loved DEATH OF A GARAGE SALE NEWBIE. A good mystery, characters so real I felt like they lived next door, believable character struggles, and enough chuckles throughout to keep a smile on my face for days after I turned the last page. I can't wait for the next one.

Ginger, Kindra, Suzanne, and Mary Margaret all love garage sales. To them, there's nothing more satisfying in life than finding a really good bargain. Clearance racks and midnight sales are their best friends. When one of the group doesn't show up at her own house for a meeting and turns up dead, the other three turn their bargain hunting skills into crime solving ones. Their detective work introduces them to new friends and very suspicious characters. Combing for clues becomes as easy as searching for cheap prices. The Bargain Hunters Network soon uncovers past secrets that want to stay hidden by those that will kill to stop them.

I love going to garage sales. Those are some of the best places to get really good deals on clothes, old records and best of all, books! I also like shopping for a good bargain. So I immediately connected with the characters in this book with their bargain hunting masterminding. I loved Sharon's Ruby Taylor mysteries so I was really looking forward to this book. I wasn't disappointed at all. I felt the mystery to be played out very well. The BHN members had to use their shopping skills to discover all the clues. Thus the reader went along for the ride with each member as they searched for reasons of Mary Margret's death. The characters are really fun to read. I liked the side stories about Ginger and her husband, and Tammy and her son. I felt that Kindra and Suzanne weren't fleshed out as much as Ginger, so I'm hoping that the next few books will focus more on them. I found Kindra to be an interesting character as she is much younger than the other characters and she is the type of character that one would wrongly judge by appearances. Her speech about Christian stereotypes, I felt, was dead on accurate. I also hope that Arleta will become a BHN member as I enjoyed her character as well. Once again Sharon Dunn has written an excellent book, a great read for old fans and new readers. If you enjoy cozy mysteries or shopping bargains this book is recommended for you.

Death of a Garage Sale Newbie
By; Sharon Dunn
Who would think a passion for garage sale bargains could be dangerous? In Death of a Garage Sale Newbie, Sharon Dunn gives yard sales and clearance shopping an entirely new perspective.
Ginger, Kindra, Suzanne and Mary Margret make up the eclectic group of shoppers called the Bargain Hunters Network. But when Mary Margret disappears after a solo shopping trip, Ginger is left with a confusing cell answering machine message. After Mary Margret's body is discovered and the police close the case as an accident, the Network takes it into their own hands to solve the mystery. Each new clue points towards an twenty-year old secret in their quaint community and a coverup that included murder. Follow the humorous and tragic escapades of these three women determined to solve their friend's murder and find the best bargains. Along the journey they also learn a bit about themselves and the bold faith God calls them to.
You will laugh, cry and be sure you know the solution only to find yourself befuddled on the next page. And as you close the book on the mystery and the story you will want to befriend these women yourself. Sharon Dunn did an excellent job crafting a mystery in the most unlikely of places. Readers will enjoy this excursion from the opening page and will eagerly await the next mystery.
Chandra Lynn Smith

I loved the characters in this story. It's hard when someone dies in real life--we cry, we mourn, we say things we don't mean. Sharon Dunn truly handles this well in her book. These women--Ginger, Kindra, and Suzanne--lost a friend. Worse, she died in a violent manner. There's nothing funny about that. Yet life goes on. People move on, remembering their friends; sometimes with tears, sometimes with laughter.



Sharon Dunn wisely allows Ginger to grieve, even as she investigates to discover the truth about Mary Margret's death. That, to me, is the kind of detail that adds enough realism to make the story plausible. To allow that "suspension of disbelief" we all face inside a novel, that invites us to enter the world of the story, live in it for awhile, and finish it knowing it was a good journey through its pages.

Sharon Dunn, author of the Ruby Taylor mystery series, is back and frankly better than ever. The Ruby Taylor series had a sassy, first person voice that was enjoyable, but I LOVED Death of a Garage Sale Newbie. I honestly wasn't sure when I started the book, because what could someone find at a garage sale that would be worth killing over. Little did I know...

The characters were real and fresh. By the end of the book I truly cared about them, and I cannot wait to read the sequel and spend more time with them. The plot kept me engaged. And I was challenged by the spiritual lesson that Ginger had to learn - frugality can become a prison when it prevents us from accepting the good gifts that God has for us.

And the plot had enough layers to keep me intrigued and thinking about the book in between reading it. Pick up this book for a clean mystery, and you'll enjoy it.

Ginger Salinski, a professed bargain hunter and garage sale maven, readily teaches her penny-pinching skills to a trio of friends. They form a quartet of shoppers that would make any coupon aficionado proud. Apart or together they share their finds with one another in enjoyable gatherings. But the fun takes a nose dive when, Mary Margaret, one of the bargain hunters, winds up dead.

Mary Margaret leaves behind garage sale clues that the Bargain Hunter Network must follow if they have any hope of solving her murder. The police are of no help in the murder investigation so between sales and life struggles, the group sets out to catch a killer.

Laced with humor, even in the face of death, Sharon Dunn's Death of a Garage Sale Newbie, keeps you reading until the end. Her characters are real and the book is filled with their interpersonal struggles. The Bargain Hunter Network is made of women of various ages and Dunn nails each age with authentic style. Whatever your age, you can easily identify with the characters problems and root for them to work through their issues. I especially enjoyed the contrast of Ginger's trials with the rest of the group. As the mother figure of the group, she ably helps her friends work through their problems, but hasn't a clue how to rev up her own marriage.

The plot keeps moving at a steady pace, not too fast to sacrifice character development but not too slow to become boring. Faith messages are woven through the character's everyday lives.

Dunn has another winner here. If you haven't read any of her other books, you'll want to pick those up as well, as Dunn knows how to write a humorous mystery.

Check out Sharon Dunn's bio to see all of her suspense titles.

Review by Karen Higson

What could be better than a bargain? Well that would be sharing the Gospel and the fun with your best friends and helping others to learn to save money at the same time, all the while being a Christian example to those you meet.

That's what Ginger, Kindra, Suzanne, and Mary Margret do. They shop together at garage sales, the mall, and, well, most anywhere there is a bargain. I guess that's why they call themselves the Bargain Hunters Network (BHN). Often they will shop garage sales on their own and meet after to share with each other the great deals they have found. That is what was supposed to happen on this Saturday, except Mary Margret didn't show up, and the meeting was at her house. Ginger was alarmed to walk in and find the house in disarray, knowing Mary Margret would never--and I mean never--leave such a mess; on top of that, she would never be late without leaving a note. Something was very wrong. Dead wrong! And they soon found out that that was the case--Mary Margret was dead. Murdered or an accident? That depends on who you ask. The girls in the BHN are convinced it's murder, but the local police have ruled it an accident, and the evidence is disappearing.

As the BHN team up with a local female officer they begin to piece together the clues that Mary Margret left for them in the form of a basket of garage sale finds. What they find leads them on a dangerous journey full of death threats, adventure, and a good dose of humor. The mystery goes back some twenty years, and they uncover more than what they bargained for.

Tag along as Ginger ,Kindra, Suzanne, and newcomer Arleta track down the truth as well as they would any Garage Sale treasure, to find the murderer and find themselves in the process.

What a wonderful story. The characters are as real as they get and the friendships so believable! I was captured from the start and couldn't wait to find out "who done it." See if you can keep up with the action--you won't regret the time spent on this great read. I love to find books with a fresh story line, and this one certainly fits the bill. I'll be looking for more from Sharon Dunn!