Shadows at the Fair : An Antique Print Mystery [Hardcover]

Lea Wait (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 23, 2002

Local antiques dealer, dead in a one-car accident on his way home from an antiques exposition in Columbus, Ohio

Two Scranton, Pennsylvania, antiques dealers dead of smoke inhalation

Massachusetts antiques dealer dead of substance abuse at an auction in Sharon, Connecticut

Antiques dealer dies in his booth at the Westchester (New York) Antiques Show

Ignorance is truly bliss for recently widowed Maggie Summer, owner of Shadows Antiques, when she arrives at the prestigious Rensselaer County Spring Antiques Fair. Sadly, she won't remain ignorant of the suspiciously high mortality rate among her fellow antiques dealers for long.

Rumors are everywhere. The most recent victim, John Smithson, died of poison at a show just last week, and many of the same dealers are here at Rensselaer. They make the identical circuit year after year, so they know each other well. Or do they?

Murder is still far from Maggie's mind as she arranges her Shadows booth: some Currier & Ives prints here, Winslow Homer wood engravings on the hack wall, other prints arranged on tables and easels by category. With eleven years' experience, she knows her stock. So far the worst thing that has happened was putting the wrong price tag on a Homer engraving and having to sell it for $170 instead of $1,700.

Maggie doesn't intend for that to happen again, and she doesn't intend to worry about murder. This show's security is tight. But she can't help observing her colleagues with fresh eyes. Some, Eke Gussie White in the booth next door, are dear friends, and Gussie's assistant, her twenty-year-old nephew, Ben, who has Down's syndrome, is a delightful new acquaintance. Others, however, even peopleshe's known for years, suddenly seem suspect.

The opening night wine has hardly stopped flowing when death claims another victim. Maggie will still sell a few antique prints, but she'll spend most of her time looking for a killer and trying to save a vulnerable young friend. Will Maggie herself become a potential victim? The answer may be in one of Maggie's prints, but she has hundreds in her booth. Where should she begin?

With its riveting behind-the-scenes glimpse of antiques shows and its revealing data on antique-print values, "Shadows at the Fair" introduces a captivating new series that unveils the powerful mysteries of antique prints even as it entertains.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Homicide and antiques combine smoothly in this well-crafted mystery, the first in a new series, from fourth-generation antiques dealer and children's historical novelist Wait (Stopping to Home). Since several antiques dealers have died lately under suspicious circumstances, the police are especially vigilant at the Rensselaer County (N.Y.) Spring Antiques Fair. Despite their precautions, recently widowed Maggie Summer, an antique prints dealer who calls her business "Shadows," has just set up her booth when she learns a fellow dealer has died after a scuffle. The police soon accuse Ben, the 20-year-old nephew of Maggie's disabled friend, Gussie White, who has an adjoining booth, but Ben has Down's syndrome and is unable to clear himself of the murder charge. A second death puts all the dealers under suspicion. Because the fair lasts only three days, Maggie and new acquaintance Will Brewer, a dealer in fireplace tools who has his charms ("Kindly women might have called him a teddy bear, complete with beard and slight beer belly"), must act quickly to help the police solve the murders before her colleagues (and the killer?) disperse. Full of fascinating information about antiques and antiques fairs (each chapter head includes a catalogue-like description of an antique print), plus helpful maps and careful directions for finding one's place in the crime scene, this solid debut will appeal to cozy fans who appreciate a realistic background.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Maggie Summer, a recent widow, sells antique prints at antique shows. She attends the Rensselaer County show with some trepidation because a serial killer seems to have targeted the dealers. Sure enough, someone murders one of her friends, and police suspect the Down's Syndrome- afflicted assistant of another friend. Asked for help, Maggie begins sleuthing. Her discreet search for clues accompanies a similarly low-key dissemination of information about old prints and other antiques. Fans of John Dunning's mysteries about the rare book world (e.g., Booked To Die) may also enjoy this solid, middle-of-the-road start to a new series. Wait is a fourth-generation antiques dealer and has sold antique prints for over 25 years.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Scribner; First Edition edition (July 23, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743225538
• ISBN-13: 978-0743225533
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,533,181 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I've been writing fiction (traditional mysteries for grownups, and historical fiction set in Maine for young people) since I left corporate America in 1998 and moved to Maine, a state I've always loved. Right now I'm working on a contemporary mystery for my young fans. I earned my B.A. at Chatham College and did graduate work at New York University. I've also owned an antique print business, MAH Antiques, since 1976. I adopted my 4 wonderful daughters when I was a single parent. They're grown now, and I have eight perfect grandchildren. (Aren't all grandchildren perfect?) In 2003 I married Bob Thomas, a man I've known and loved since 1968 .. sometimes life moves in slow but steady ways. Bob is not only a photographer and a partner in my antiques business, but is immensely supportive of my writing. (He even does all the errands and cooking so I have no excuses to leave my desk!) I'm very lucky to have achieved so many of my goals in life, and to have had fun doing it. My favorite quotation is "Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved." William Jennings Bryan wrote that, but I think it defines my life. For more information about me, check my website, http://www.leawait.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Antiquing murders, March 26, 2004

By 

S. Feicht "seefeicht" (Rensselaer, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shadows at the Fair : An Antique Print Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

The first in the Anique Print Mystery is an exciting beginning. Maggie Summers, recently widowed, is back selling her antique prints at the Rensselaer County Antique Fair. (Initially that's why I bought the book, because of the name of the county and the name of my town. Am I ever glad I did.) Maggie is happy to be back selling her wares to take her mind off her husband's recent death and discovery of his philandering. But soon a murder of an antique dealer and then his wife, has her searching for clues to clear a friend's nephew and to find the true murderer. The inside look at the antique fair business is interesting. Those who watch the Antique Roadshow may find this of interest.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Antiques + Mystery = Suspense + Fun!, June 2, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Shadows at the Fair : An Antique Print Mystery (Hardcover)

I'm an antique dealer and a friend recommended Shadows at the Fair after it was nominated for an Agatha for "best first mystery." I'm really glad she did. It's the most enjoyable book I've read this year. The author brings the world of antiques accurately alive -- and has a great way of putting together memorable characters with unforgettable pasts and secrets, and a lot of action. I'm looking forward to reading her next book -- Shadows on the Coast of Maine!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars intriguing amateur sleuth, July 9, 2002

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shadows at the Fair : An Antique Print Mystery (Hardcover)

It has been a long hard winter for Maggie Summer. Her husband died of a heart attack at the same time she learned he was having an affair with another woman. Now she is trying to get her life back on track by entering the Rensselaer County Springs Antiques Fair. She sells antique prints and knows many of the other dealers since she has been doing the shows for years.

When she arrives on the fairgrounds she learns that a dealer was poisoned at an antique fair a week ago. Security is so beefed up that all the dealers feel safe until somebody kills Harry Findley. At first the police arrest Ben, a man with Down's Syndrome. Maggie, who has known Ben for a long time, is convinced he didn't do it; the police become convinced as well when Harry's wife Susan dies under mysterious circumstances while they retained Ben. Maggie, being a curious sort, decides to do some sleuthing and almost gets killed in the process.

This is the first entry into what looks to be an intriguing series. The heroine is a likable person who has a natural talent for snooping and is not the kind of person who stands idly by when an injustice is about to occur though she starts her sleuthing after the police know Ben is innocent. Lea Wait takes readers into the world of antiquities and makes it seem so interesting that readers will want to visit their local antiques store or fair.

Harriet Klausner