Customer Reviews

A Vase of Mistaken Identity (Thea James Mystery Series, Book 1)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Thea James is the proprietress of the James and Company Antique Emporium in the small town of Larkindale, California. Larkindale is a quiet, peaceful place, until a skeleton is discovered burried at the base of a chimney at the Larkindale Lake Resort

Picker Pete, the town's homless man and scavenger, brings Thea a lovely Roseville vase. Thea buys the vase and then discovers a yellowed roll of paper inside, with the names of two of her friends, her sister,Rosie, and of Thea, herself. From the condition of the paper, it was obviously written a long time ago, but why was it in the vase? Hattie, one of the names on the list is seriously injured in a fall. Molly, another name, disappears, and that leaves Thea and Rosie. As if matters weren't complicated enough, Cole Mason, the gorgeous man from Thea's past is back in town, and she is a lot more aware of him than she likes. Can Cole and Thea discover the mystery killer before he strikes again?

Cathy Elliot uses humor and a quirky bunch of characters to make this cozy a very entertaining read.

The heroine, Thea, in A Vase of Mistaken Identity is probably the quirkiest character I've ever come across in a novel. Her equally antiquated name really fits her personality. She did some really bizarre things in the story, and her family were all pretty strange, too. Especially her grandmother. What a hoot! Some of the things grandma said in front of Thea made the heroine want to slide under the proverbial table more than once. LOL! Anyway, at first the story sucked me in. I even snorted a few times, like when Thea was at the car wash. I felt bad for the poor dear, especially when the person she least wanted to see her looking a mess was at her relatives' home for dinner. The author did a bang-up job with that scene. I was there! However, I'm not much of a cozy mystery reader, so I don't know how things should pan out exactly in regards to the plot. Some of the metaphors seemed over-the-top, and others were perfect! A few bunny trails took me off the path and made me set the book down a few times. When I picked it up a few days later and the action rekindled, I found myself riveted until things slowed down again. I think this is the first truly cozy mystery I've enjoyed. My favorite lines were...Or perhaps Thea had better build up the walls around her heart that had begun to crumble in the last few days. She could sense her inner child gathering rocks. Is that a creative line or what? Anyway, this story was fun and a few times had me desperately wanting to find out what the deal was regarding the vase. Then it dragged a bit, then picked up again, etc., etc... Overall, it was an enjoyable read. Initially I thought the book should have ended earlier, but then the last few pages made me change my mind. I smell another book percolating in the series, and the ending whetted my appetite for another zany mystery courtesy of Thea James, amateur sleuth extraordinnaire. :) The diner scene at the end was a bit too corny for my tastes, but overall I enjoyed this story enough to recommend it. So if you want to read about some very zany people and snicker at their antics, you will want to read this book.

This is a great story with memorable characters, a great sense of place, and a likeable main character, Thea James. The mystery finds Thea as she is recovering from a great personal loss and struggling along her faith journey. Unlike many mysteries, how Thea comes to be involved, how the events unfold, and the ultimate resolution are really plausible and don't seem contrived. I loved Thea's strength, chuckled at her clumsiness, and groaned at her puns. This is a book that you won't be able to put down. You'll want to see how it ends and you'll hate that it's ending all at the same time. I hope Cathy Elliott writes another book soon!

Jump into a delightful visit to the antiquated gold mining town of Larkingdale, California where, Thea James presides over the family business, James and Company Antique Emporium. If you love eccentric characters, this first novel by Cathy Elliott will satisfy your quirky tooth.

Homeless Picker Pete, rides a bicycle for transportation, collects trash dumped beside the country roads and sells it to Thea. Today, however, she receives a pleasant surprise. Wrapped within the smelly old rags he usually brings rests an original, Roseville vase. She rewards Pete with several chits to Curly's Diner, doing her part to keep Pete off the sauce.

On Friday Thea meets her uncle, ex-cop Nick Marianello, at the diner for brunch. He has taken it upon himself to continue the custom started by Thea's dead fiancée'. She and Uncle Nick read about the discovery of a skeleton in the Larkingdale Lamplight. It had been unearthed at the Larkin Lake Resort during remodeling. It can't be murder, not in this quiet town.

Thea finds another surprise inside the Roseville vase. A yellowed slip of paper that contains four names of girls she had attended Bible Camp with at Larkin Lake Resort. She has not seen two of these girls since then. But when the top name, Hattie May Bloom, arrives at the hospital after being pushed from a cliff at Larkingdale Falls, Thea thinks about the list. She then searches for Molly Shannon McNealy, another childhood friend whose name is inside the vase. Molly's family tells Thea she has been missing for several days. Now Thea becomes alarmed. The other two names on the list are hers and Rosie's, her sister.

James, a contemporary cross between Miss Marple and Miss Raisin, will become your next favorite cozy mystery sleuth after reading A Vase of Mistaken Identity. Readers will observe the town of Larkingdale, its hidden surly fiends and established devoted families, in full color with the magic words of Cathy Elliott.

Maxie

If a mystery can be cozy, this would be it!

A Vase of Mistaken Identity is full of characters you'd like to get to know, set in a charming community anyone would love to be a part of. Grab a mug of steaming cocoa, plop down in an overstuffed chair and pick up this book on a cold winter's night!

A body is discovered during remodeling of the local lake resort in the quaint community of Larkindale. The next morning, Thea James, proprietor of the Antiques Emporium, finds an old piece of paper with a list of names in a newly acquired antique vase. She is puzzled, but not fearful, when she reads the list that includes her and her sisters' name as well as a few long-forgotten campmates.

Then first person on the list has an accident and is left in a coma. Thea's world begins to change as she senses a connection between Hattie's accident, the list and maybe the dead body. She determinately sets out to find it and in the process she ends up with much more than she realized she was looking for.

Armchair Interviews says: Nice characters in this cozy mystery.

I don't generally read mysteries (real life is scary enough for me), but A Vase of Mistaken Identity was truly a fun read. The characters are quirky, yet real enough to identify with, the dialogue was natural, and there was just the right amount of suspense to keep me reading without wanting turn on all the lights and lock my door. Cathy Elliott's debut novel has made me a fan of "cozy mysteries" and I can't wait to read more of Thea & Co.

Elliott's book definitely makes you want to grab a cup of tea, a warm afghan and settle by the fire. Elliott weaves together a cuddly mystery that will leave you wanting more! Great characters and premise.

My favorite aspect of this book was the lead character, Thea James. She was an ordinary girl to whom extraordinary things happened. She sometimes left clean laundry on the couch and she worried that other people thought she ate too much. I can relate to such a character... so much better than a perfect protagonist. Plus, the author writes with an easy humor that made me smile. I hope to see another book on the shelves soon from Cathy Elliot.

This cozy mystery kept me engaged from the first to the last page. The heroine, Thea James, is oh so human! Reading about her was like getting to know a new friend. The story line kept me going from holding my breath to laughing. The other characters in the book were interesting - whimisical and unforgettable. Thea's self talk throughout is hilarious, even in her moments of alarm! Did I say, "I love this book?" When is the next Cathy Elliott cozy mystery coming out? I want to get to know Thea and her family and friends better.

I loved the characters in this book, and the layers of information we learn about Thea's home town. The messy, lovable heroine kept me laughing and rooting for her- whether for her safety, sorting our her life, hoping she would find romance, or the mystery itself. I usually read any-and-all fiction, not limiting myself to genres. However, I often read less mysteries, and less Christian fiction. I reached for this book as one of my light reads, and found myself being pulled into Thea's world,and not putting the book down. Unlike some Christian fiction the faith experience was seamless, real, and made me think while having a fun read.