Monet Talks (A Den of Antiquity Mystery) [Mass Market Paperback]

Tamar Myers (Author)

Book Description

Series: A Den of Antiquity Mystery | Publication Date: April 26, 2005

Charleston antiques dealer Abigail Timberlake Washburn is thrilled by her recent estate auction purchase of a spectacular bejeweled birdcage from India, but not so much by its occupant, a mouthy mynah named Monet. Still, her customers at the Den of Antiquity seem charmed by the insufferable birdbrain, so Abby figures she's stuck with him. That is, until she finds a stuffed starling resting on his usual perch with a ransom note demanding a real Monet (the painted variety) in exchange for her purloined pet.

Since she doesn't happen to have a priceless masterpiece on hand -- and since a mynahless existence isn't all that distasteful a prospect -- Abby figures she'll let the thief keep the annoying avian. But when her mama Mozella is abducted by the craven birdnapper, Abby must leap into the fray to rescue mater and mynah alike ... before the feathers really start to fly!

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: 336 pages
• Publisher: Avon (April 26, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060535172
• ISBN-13: 978-0060535179
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,164,296 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

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Missing bird, June 14, 2005

By 

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

This review is from: Monet Talks (A Den of Antiquity Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

Antique dealer Abby Washburn falls in love with a beautiful birdcage built to look like the Taj Mahal. She bids on it at an auction and wins the birdcage, and also a bird named Monet.
Abby's customers are charmed by the bird, but soon the mynah disappears. Abby is not too concerned about the missing bird and she and her mother sneak into an exclusive ball in disguise. Her mother is the next person who disappears, soon to be followed by her best friend CJ and her husband. Abby is frantic. Not too frantic, however, to stop her adventures with fellow business owners Rob and Bob. Abby spins through one adventure after another before she discovers where all the missing people are. This is a book which is geared more towards humor than to the mystery at hand, but it is a pleasant read.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read., June 6, 2005

By 

Huntress Reviews (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Monet Talks (A Den of Antiquity Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

Welcome to the glory of Charleston South Carolina, were houses are big, gossip is bigger and intrigue and mystery run rampant. At least for Abigail Timberlake Washburn it does. The petite owner of an atiques shop in the heart of Charleston, just bought the Taj Mahal for ten thousand dollars. And it's occupant, a mynah names Monet. Much to her dismay her customers love the quirky bird so Abigail figures she's stuck with him, until her bird seems to fly the coop.

And then... mama Mozella disapears. And a note turns up demanding a real Monet in exchange for the talking one and Abigail's equally petite mother. Now Abigail and her trio of slueths have to solve this mystery before the feathers, and Mozella, start to fly.

***** I laughed all the way through this book. I couldn't put it down. If you need a grab you and suspense you book, (as well as a good laugh), I would definately recommend this book.*****

Reviewed by K. Blair.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Amusing but Light Mystery, May 31, 2005

By 

drebbles (Arlington, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Monet Talks (A Den of Antiquity Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

Antiques dealer Abigail Timberlake Washburn outbids several people to buy a birdcage shaped like the Taj Mahal. With the cage is a Mynah bird named Monet. At first, Abigail cares more for the cage than the bird, but she soon grows to like the bird and is upset when Monet is birdnapped. The kidnappers demand a real Monet in exchange for the feathered version. Abigail doesn't have the real Monet, but the kidnappers soon strike again, this time kidnapping Abigail's mother, Mozella. Abigail works frantically to figure out what the kidnappers are really looking for as well as where they have hidden her mother.

This is a very funny book. Readers may be laughing so hard they may not notice that the book is long on humor and short on plot. The "mystery" of Abigail's mother and bird being kidnapped is ignored for long stretches as Abigail encounters one eccentric character after another. While the regular characters of C.J. and the Rob-Bob's are always amusing (although jokes about Bob's cooking are overdone), minor characters such as FBI agents that Abigail nicknames Moldy and Scowler, seem thrown in the book just for the pun of it. I'd like to see less emphasis on the eccentric characters and more emphasis on the plot.

This is a light but amusing series.