Tight As a Tick (Laura Fleming Mystery) [Mass Market Paperback]

Toni L. Kelner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 9, 1999 | Series: Laura Fleming Mystery

The Tight as a Tick Flea Market is one of Byerly's most popular attractions. But insiders know it as a hornet's nest of greed, envy, and ruthless competition. When dealer Carny Alexander is found carved up with one of his own collectible knives, Laura Fleming discovers that the flea market is swarming with suspects Author publicity. Targeted print ads.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Laura Fleming and her husband, Richard, leave Boston to return to her hometown of Byerly, NC, for a family get-together but soon find themselves caught up investigating a murder. Flea market dealer Carney Alexander is found dead, and a long list of viable suspects and interesting characters emerges as the investigation progresses. Comic relief is provided by Richard's penchant for quoting literature and the contrast between Yankee and Southern habits. This thoroughly charming and entertaining mystery captures the meaning of community in a small Southern town. Valerie Leonard's fine reading adds to the enjoyment of this tale. Highly recommended.ADenise A. Garofalo, Mid-Hudson Lib. Syst., Poughkeepsie, NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

From AudioFile

Much to their surprise, Laura and Richard Fleming spend their vacation with relatives in Byerly, North Carolina, solving a murder at the local flea market. With Laura's large extended family to portray, plus quite a few secondary characters, Leonard concentrates on personalizing the main characters. Richard's voice features a lower range of vocal tone and an accent-less pronunciation of words, characterizing his Northeastern roots. In contrast, Laura's Southern speech marks her as a local resident of Byerly. Laura's Aunt Maggie, easily identified with harsher tones and a deeper alto, carries a Southern accent and lots of authority. Leonard enriches this performance by providing a feeling for the story's setting, as well as its characters. P.A (c) AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Kensington Books (June 9, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1575664348
• ISBN-13: 978-1575664347
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,535,665 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Flea Market Murder, July 2, 2000

By 

Lora Angley - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tight As a Tick (Laura Fleming Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

When one of the least liked dealers at the Tight as a Tick flea market is murdered, another dealer asks her visiting niece, Laura Fleming to investigate the murder. Most of the story takes place at the flea market and to be honest I had never thought of how much work could go into setting up booths there. Laura manages to investigate the suspects while helping her Aunt Maggie run her booth. She finds out that the victim liked to make trouble and ruin the business of fellow dealers. No one is mourning his lose. Her Shakespere-quoting husband is helping in the investigation but Richard is having problems of his own. He has bet a group of friends that he can stop quoting the Bard for three weeks.

I enjoy reading the Laura Fleming Mysteries since they are set in an area of the country that I'm familar with. Even though Byerly and Rocky Shoals are fictional, it isn't hard to recognize bits and pieces of local towns in those two towns. I'm seeing the familar in a different way then normal.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Charming and fun, May 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Tight As a Tick (Hardcover)

It's as much fun visiting Laura Fleming's hometown and meeting her relatives as it is trying to solve the mystery. That is what makes Ms. Kelner's mysteries so enjoyable. Her depiction of a North Carolina town is dead on, and this novel delves into the subculture of flea markets. While the novel is well written and well plotted (like Ms. Kelner's other work), it's the interesting characters that make this book a good read.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining mysery, November 24, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Tight As a Tick (Hardcover)

Every time Laura Fleming and her husband, Professor Richard Fleming, return to her hometown of Byerly, they always seem to get involved in a murder investigation. Laura has shown a knack for crime solving, so her Aunt Maggie asks her to investigate the murder of an acquaintance whose corpse was found at the TIGHT AS A TICK flower market. Out of their love for their relative, the couple begins to make inquiries even though they do not grasp their aunt's interest in the death of someone she loathed.

When Laura starts questioning the vendors about their relationships with the victim, she discovers that no one has a kind word to say about the deceased. When Maggie's table is trashed, Laura concludes that there is a connection between the vandalism and the homicide, both being done by insiders. Laura soon realizes that the killer will go to great lengths to obtain what he wants, including killing Maggie. It is up to Laura to identify him before he succeeds.

The Laura Fleming mysteries are some of the most whimsical and entertaining books on the market today. Toni L. P. Kelner captures the true meaning of community in a small southern town. Laura's literary quoting spouse adds comic relief as he serves as a counterpoint to the tension filled story line. They mystery is a mind challenger that is difficult to solve because of the long list of viable suspects. Mystery fans will have a jolly time with this well written charmer.

Harriet Klausner