15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A delightful addition to this series, November 14, 2000
This review is from: A Penny Urned (Den of Antiquity) (Mass Market Paperback)
Abigail Timberlake, intrepid owner of the Den of Antiquity, seems to lead a life filled with surprises. This time it's an inheritance from an aunt she never knew. Abby is puzzled over this, but cannot resist a trip to Savannah to bring back her aunt's remains and have a look at the house she has inherited. She takes her best friends, Wynnell and C.J., and her eccentric mother. This foursome is always good for a laugh and there are many funny scenes with them during their trip to Savannah. Abby encounters some interesting characters, especially Diamond, a woman who seems to be wherever Abby is and who dabbles in "second sight" and juju. This is one of the best of this series and is recommended for fun, light reading.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A pun queen ret"urns", September 23, 2000
This review is from: A Penny Urned (Den of Antiquity) (Mass Market Paperback)
Tamar Myers is, as always, dead on in a witty yet not over-punned whimsy of a mystery. Once again Ms. Abigail Timberlake has inherited; a house and rare coin collection in Savannah, but this time she is going to have to "urn" it the hard way, because she has to locate the coins before she can inherit them. Touristing her way through the cemetaries and gardens of Savannah, off-beat characters and improbable plot lines, Ms. Myers engages and entertains with delightful and frothy fun and gentle pokes at Savannah's love affair with "In the Garden of Good and Evil." Better and less fattening than chocolate; and that(from a Coats)is a HUGE compliment.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Midnight in the Garden of Silly and Fun, July 12, 2005
This review is from: A Penny Urned (Den of Antiquity) (Mass Market Paperback)
For those not familiar with this series, the heroine is one Abigail Timberlake, an antique dealer from Charlotte, North Carolina. Abby has a knack for inheriting things and that knack is the basis for the plot of this book. I must mention however, that Abby did not inherit her shop but the author has made that claim in both this book and the previous entry in the series. Inconsistency in the overall story line is the biggest problem that I have with this series and I really wish that Mrs. Myers would try and do better.
Abby's knack for being an heir crops up early on in this story when she gets a dose of good news and bad news. The bad news is that a relative that she didn't even know existed has died. Drowned in a bathtub full of champagne. The good news is that this relative, Lula Mae Wiggins, has left her entire estate to Abby. Even better news comes to Abby when she finds out that Lula Mae lived in Savannah's historic district and her estate includes her house.
Soon Abby and her wonderfully quirky mother, along with Abby's two best friends, CJ and Wynnell are headed for Savannah. On the way down someone mentions "The Book." Mama thinks that they mean the Bible but as anyone familiar with Savannah knows "The Book" refers to "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" and from the time "The Book" is mentioned "A Penny Urned" often reads like a companion novel. Right down to an African-American lady who wears a big straw hat, wears a juju bag and talks to a dead girl in Bonaventure Cemetery.
After arriving in Savannah, CJ and Wynnell sort of go off on their own and basically run amuck on River Street. Wynnell ends up running off to Tokyo with a group of Japanese tourists after she and CJ fall into the river. Mama sticks with Abby, all the while trying to pick up a man either for herself or Abby and in the end she does find a man for CJ. After a while though, even mama disappears adding one more mystery to those that Abby has discovered since arriving in Savannah. In fact, the longer Abby stays in Savannah, the more questions she has and since the police aren't finding any answers she starts to sniff around on her own. In the end everything becomes clear but there are almost too many different plots floating around and most of the mysteries are only related to each other in the barest sense of the word. Its all just a little confusing but then the answers start coming and it all makes sense, but just barely. Of course there is one problem that Abby doesn't know about until it falls into her lap and almost gets her and her mama a one way trip on a boat. The books in this series always seem to end with a sudden and unexpected revelation that catches Abby completely off guard so it shouldn't be a surprise when this one also ends this way.
Although the plot is a little disjointed in places, the Savannah connection and the hilarious antics of some of the characters combined to make this one of my favorite entries in this series. From the Pirate House to the Waving Girl statue Savannah is thoroughly integrated into this story and the city itself almost seems like one of the characters in the book. Both hi-jinx and questions abound, making this a page-turner from start to finish so grab some pink champagne, climb in the tub and read till you drop.
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