Customer Reviews

The Ming and I (A Den of Antiquity Mystery)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was the first one I have ever read by Ms. Myers. I can't wait to get her others and read them too. I found myself almost laughing out loud during some of the situations the main character found herself in. I would highly recommend this author!

This book was a bit predictable, but it was still funny, and I still enjoy Abigail. She's a lot of fun, and she still makes me laugh. Her description of her conversation with "Maynard" in this book is hilarious. In this book, someone is run over right in front of Abby's shop. This happens just after the woman had left her shop after unsuccessfully trying to interest her in an ugly gray vase. Anyway pursuit of this particular murder puts Abby shoulder-to-shoulder with the creme de la creme of Rock Hill population. She gets in a bunch of scrapes and a few more bodies turn up before Abby solves the mystery of the old Roselawn plantation.

As the third book in the Den of Antiquity Series, The Ming and I will not disappoint fans of the first two books. The same characters we loved in Gilt By Association are back as is the humor.

Unfortunetly, I think Myers had a few too many characters in this installment just as she did with the first. It became a little confusing around the middle of the book to keep track of who was who. The good part though is that the regular characters are even more fun than before. Abigail's June Cleaver-like mother, Mozella is developed more in this book and with wonderful results. The "Rob-Bobs" supply us with their usual knowledge and humor and CJ is there to keep our eyes rolling and heads shaking.

The mystery itself is a little too predictable even with so many extra characters. The ending seemed almost like the ending of an episode of Scooby-Doo. The sleuthing in Gilt By Association is much better than this one. What saves this book from becoming blah is the sense of humor. The laughs are even bigger in The Ming and I than they were before. There is a classic scene with Abigail, Mozella and CJ in a haunted house that was so funny, I had to read it again.

Whether or not you enjoyed the first two books in this series, make sure you read The Ming and I. The Den of Antiquity Series get better (and funnier) with each installment.

A woman attempts to sell a vase to Abigail Timberlake, proprietor of the Den of Antiquity. Seeing no redeeming value in the piece, Abigail turns her down. Shortly thereafter, the woman comes hurtling through Abby's plate glass window. The woman and the vase prove to be more than meets the eye, as both have a valuable pedigree. As usual, Abby considers the police to be too slow, despite the fact that her handsome boyfriend is a detective, and she does some sleuthing on her own. Tamar Myer's characters become more fun and more well-defined in each of the books of this series. Try this book for a good read and a good laugh.

The "Den of Antiquity" mysteries are really a fun read. Ms. Myers has a clever, snappy writing style that appeals to me, especially her character's internal dialogue. What I don't like, however, is that the cover was misleading. Could the cover artists please get a few facts from the book itself before creating the cover?

Though "Ming" was enjoyable, and I do love Ms. Myers' books, I have to say that this one was not quite her best. The plot was good. But her trademark humor seemed lacking until the latter stages of the story. A woman is driven through Abby's store window, leaving a mysterious Ming vase behind. Joining a preservation committee to gain access to the mansion the deceased worked at opens up a whole new subplot where ghosts and the beautifully described areas of Charleston are a true treat. Abby's mother has more of a role in this book, and it's a pleasure to get to know her. Worth the read, but lacks the usual humor, darn it.

Mozella doesn't actually go cow tipping but she wants to. She also wants to get a tattoo on her fanny, one that consists of a heart with Lawrence Welk's name inside of it. Mozella is the mother of Abigail Wiggins Timberlake, who is the heroine of this series and her mother's quirks are just a small part of what makes this book and it's predecessors so delightfully fun to read.

Abigail owns an antique shop named the Den of Antiquity and she seems to always find her way into dangerous situations. This book starts out with a little lady trying to sell Abigail an ugly gray vase. Abigail declines and a few seconds after the lady leaves the shop she flies back in by way of the window, having been struck by a hit and run driver. A short time later the vase is discovered in her shop by one of the Rob-Bobs, owners of another antique shop near by. The Rob-Bobs immediately recognize the vase for what it is and after a little cleaning a rare Ming vase appears. Then the vase disappears and then it reappears again. This vase travels more than Jimmy Carter does.

Not having the patience to wait for her policeman boyfriend and his fellow officers to figure out what is going on, Abigail starts to investigate on her own. As in the previous books, she is about as subtle as a chain saw and ends up in terrible danger. Along the way she hears the legend of the Yankee soldier that was killed at the plantation that the trail of clues have led her to. She actually meets the soldier's ghost as do her mama and her friend CJ. The whole scene reminded me of a scene on the "Andy Griffith Show" when Barney and Gomer were confronted by a floating ax while inside a haunted house.

In the end, Abigail figures out the answer to the mystery, although how she did it was never really explained. Still, the mystery in question is enticing and the book is laugh out loud funny at times. The new characters introduced in this book will be quite familiar to any resident of the South and the returning characters are just as fun and charming as can be. Abigail is still a little more brash than most Southern women but she tries very hard to be the Southern lady her mother brought her up to be. Now if she can just talk her mama out of getting that tattoo.

The character is shallow and ignorant. I also don't appreciate the yankee jokes. It was distasteful and stuck in the past with a war that's been over for so long that Yankees don't care until they meet the southeners who make it an issue. It was not funny and the social climbing was also stuck in the past. I will not read this author again.

Funny and easy to read.Little bit of culture about the South,enough to make me decide to go visit next fall.Loved all the charactere.

I started reading this book out loud at about 8:30 in the morning, while a friend was driving us from Colorado Springs to eastern Kansas. By the time we finally arrived at our destination at 5:30 pm, my voice was about to give out. We were enjoying the book so much, that neither one of us cared. I highly recommend this book if for no other reason than the pure comedy of the conversations. On the other hand, the villian was easy to figure out, but the rest of the story more than makes up for the weak final chapter.