Customer Reviews

Statue of Limitations (Den of Antiquity Mystery)

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4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Abigail "Abby" Washburn was the petite and feisty owner of "Den of Antiquity", an antiques shop in Charleston, South Carolina. When Marina Webbfingers offered Abby the job of decorating the rooms of the B&B, Abby accepted. Abby's best friend, Wynnell Crawford, did the garden. The two friends stopped speaking when they disagreed over a cheap, three-foot-high replica of Michelangelo's David that Wynnell placed in the garden.

Death, disease, and mystery seemed to follow Abby where ever she went. So it should not have surprised Abby when Wynnell called her from prison. Mrs. Webbfingers had been bludgeoned to death by the statue in the garden. (The statue was later found in the harbor.) The suspects were numerous, at least to Abby. None of the current guests were who they claimed to be and Mr. Webbfingers failed to look like the grieving husband. But the police fingered Wynnell, who had just finished a very heated, verbal spat with the B&B owner.

***** Abby could very well be considered a female, modern day type, Sherlock Holmes. Well, except for the fact that while reading the novel Abby had me laughing aloud at the most embarrassing times. Here is a tongue-in-cheek type of mystery that will have you laughing one moment and then seriously considering the facts the next. I dare anyone to test their wits with this story! Excellent characters and an extremely well thought out plot that I highly recommend to all. *****

(...)

This latest book in Tamar Myers' 'Den of Antiquity' series has Abby trying to absolve her best friend of being accused of murder. The suspects are all staying at a B & B, and since there are three couples involved it can get a little confusing, but Ms. Myers is good at differentiating between her interesting characters. Some laughs are there, but not as plentiful as in her "Penn/Dutch" series books. The main character, Abby, seems to be lacking something to flesh her out all the way. She's not really likeable, and she is not disliked, but on the blah side. She's a short (4 foot-something) lady. Okay, we got it Ms. Myers. It'd be nice to have more to go on. Her fight with her husband in this book seemed based on little and does not warrant reader sympathy for either of them. It only sounds like she's dumb for walking out on the great-looking husband he is supposed to be. The supporting cast of regular characters surpass Abby in charm and general characterization. Still a very good read and not to be missed.

This is another winning cozy by Tamar Myers! If you appreciate antiques, you are sure to enjoy her Den of Antiquity series, starring Abigal Timberlake Washburn as the very likeable shop owner and amateur sleuth. Abigail has had a falling out with her BFF, Wynnell Crawford, over the appropriateness of a statue of David that Wynnell used on one of Abigail's jobs and which also just might have been used as a murder weapon. Abigail must swallow her pride if there is any hope of getting Wynnell out of jail and finding the real killer. Suspects abound as Abigail finds herself the center of some very unwanted attention. A fast, fun read with a cast of believable and enjoyable characters. This wasn't my first Den of Antiquity experience, and it won't be my last!

Carol Ann Hopkins

I have followed this whole series, and this is on par with the others. Abby continues the new life in Charleston, while we get to know a little more about Abby's brother and Wynnell's husband as Abby tries to save her friend Wynnell from being convicted of murder. Much of the book seems to avoid dealing with the old characters (such mama, Greg, and Wynnell). In other situations, it appeared that some characters were introduced for a purpose (such as the lawyer), but not much was done with them in the end. There are a few twists that make this an interesting read. The humor typically comes from Abby's sassy remarks, as always, but the humor starts to wear off after awhile.

I don't ask much of a cozy mystery, but Tamar Myers' Statue of Limitations just doesn't measure up to even my low standards. Written in the first person, this series milks the Southern Lady shtick for all it's worth, but the routine is neither charming nor winsome. Perhaps it's the sloppy editing (Rhubarb "tort;" motion alarm "censor;" "to reproof" instead of "to reprove") or the the slow pace, but I am quitting on page 201 of 353. Just can't bring myself to care who conked the socialite with the garden statue of David at the Charleston B&B.

I thought this book was just ok. Didn't think it was anything special. At times this author reminded me of Janet Evanovich's wisecracking nosy characters but then the plot would falter or the characters would change. I think part of the problem is this is the first book of the series I've read and from reading the other reviews the earlier books were stronger and more interesting. I think I'm going to try at least one of them because of the glimpses of good storytelling I found in this book. I didn't hate this book. I actually liked it but just felt there could have been so much more that the author could have done with it. I'm not going to write a plot summary since Amazon and other reviewer have already did this. I just didn't like how it seems like the author would introduce characters and give them a role then forget them. I think I would want to try the other books in this series first before I recommend this book. It's not a great book as a stand alone.

As the eleventh entry in this series opens our petite heroine Abigail Timberlake Washburn is about to start a new job. No, she is not giving up her antique business but she is going to take on a little side project for one of the matrons of Charleston society. Mrs. Marina Webbfingers has decided to open a bed and breakfast and wants Abby to decorate the rooms. Knowing just how much publicity this project could bring to her antique business, Abby is just thrilled. But for every silver lining there must be a dark cloud and along comes her best friend Wynnell Crawford who has followed Abby and most of her other friends to Charleston. Things aren't going so well for Wynnell and she begs Abby to let her assist with the project. Abby reluctantly agrees but instead Wynnell ends up redesigning the garden space at the B&B to be, and from there all the problems arise.

Wynnell finds a three-foot copy of the famous David statue lying in some weeds and places it in a prominent place in the garden. Abby thinks the statue is tacky and tells Wynnell so and the two best friends spend several weeks not speaking to each other. The next thing Abby knows, Wynnell is in jail accused of the murder of Mrs. Webbfingers. It turns out that the deceased and Wynnell had a loud falling out that only got worse when Mrs. Webbfingers called Wynnell a Yankee. When the lady of the house is found bludgeoned to death Wynnell is the obvious suspect and despite their fight Abby sets out to prove that her best friend is innocent.

This book is a little less whimsical than some of it's predecessors but it is still great fun. The author even injects herself into the story albeit with a slightly rearranged name. The best thing about this book however is the return of Wynnell Crawford who was missing from the last two books. The crotchety, Yankee hating Wynnell adds so much to these stories that it would be a shame if her character had completely disappeared. Abby's brother Toy also shows up in this story and has a fairly large role although his character could use some more fleshing out. At the end of the book the reader is clearly given the impression that we will be hearing much more from Toy in the future.

On the negative side, some of the major players in this series are almost ignored in this story. Abby's husband Greg is a bit player at best and CJ and her Shelby stories only make rare appearances. Worst of all, Abby's mother is not heard from nearly often enough and it is her quirky and unpredictable character that makes this series so much fun. The reader will also have a slight problem keeping the suspects straight for there are at least seven suspects other than Wynnell and many of them have an alias. That makes for a lot of names to keep up with and I found that I was not always up to the task. It was hard enough just trying to keep up with the murder weapon and it's long history. On top of that, everyone seems to be following Abby around to see what she is up to. Greg is following her, the Rob-Bobs are supposed to be keeping track of her and some toothless guy in a pickup truck is following her very closely. It was all just a tad confusing.

Still, despite the faults I found this to be a very enjoyable read. While some of the whimsy may be missing there are still plenty of laughs and despite all of the confusion, everything comes together in the end and it all finally makes sense. Let's just keep Abby's mother front and center in the future please.

Abigail Timberlake Washburn, the owner of a Charleston antique shop called the Den of Antiquity, is back again. In this book she is flattered when Marina Webbfingers, the owner of a local bed and breakfast asks her to decorate some rooms for her. Abby's friend Wynnell wants to join in by doing the landscaping for the B & B. All is well until Wynell uses a copy of Michelangelo's David for the garden and Abby states her objections in no uncertain terms. Abby and Wynell quarrel and the next time Wynell is heard from, she is calling from the local jail. Marina has been murdered and Wynell is the chief suspect. Putting aside their differences, Abby lends a hand in the investigation in order to secure Wynell's release. In the meantime, Wynell's husband has asked Abby to entertain the guests at the B & B and Abby discovers that none of them are who they claim to be. In her usual hilarious fashion, Abby interferes with the police investigation and comes to her own conclusions about the guilty party. Tamar Myers fans will enjoy this latest entry into the Den of Antiquity Mystery series.