A Killer Collection (Antiques & Collectibles Mysteries Book 1)

What a wonderful read. Murder mixed with making face jugs in clay! A delight and an authentic experience with clay, pottery, the enthusiastic collectors of this folk art, and the potters of North Carolina.

This book was a surprise. Not only did in contain a tantalizing mystery; but it contained information about the art of making pottery. I found this to be a very interesting bonus. Also, for the most part, the main characters were likeable and realistic. I would certainly read another book by Ellery Adams.

I enjoyed the characters and their crazy lifestyle!! Very colorful descriptions by the author. I actually learned about the wonderful art of pottery making!
Made me interested in trying my hand at the "wheel".

This story was suspenseful but bland. There were many typo's and outright mistakes such a referring to a character named Matt as Marie. The information about pottery was interesting but a bit too much.

The story was compelling. However I found the various quotes of tremendous historical value. The multiple descriptions of actually working on the wheel and turning the clay into something we're amazingly authentic!!!

Overall, I found the story disjointed and confusing. The talking lump of clay did not add to the story as far as I'm concerned. But by far the editing issues detracted from my enjoyment of the story. They were so bad I had to stop and reread some parts several times to figure out what she was trying to say. A big disappointment as I have really enjoyed other series by this author.

If it had been better written. If description had not masqueraded as substance. If the similes and metaphors hadn't been so outrageous. If the purple prose had been toned down to lavender. If the romantic aside hadn't been so tacky. If the author had a more accurate control over diction.

The amateur sleuth in this story is Molly Appleby, a thirtyish, former elementary school teacher who now writes for a specialty publication called 'Collector's Weekly.' As the story opens, Molly - who's writing a series on North Carolina potters - is attending a kiln opening (exclusive pottery sale) with her mother Clara, a partner in an auction gallery.

The sale is about to begin when avid collector George-Bradley Staunton arrives, loudly drawing attention to himself as he pushes to the front of the line. Once the event starts George-Bradley is relentless - shoving and grabbing - to get the pieces he wants. Afterwards, when buyers are collecting their wrapped purchases, George-Bradley collapses....and later dies. It turns out George-Bradley was murdered and Molly intends to find the killer.

George-Bradley isn't a popular guy and there are plenty of suspects, including his wife; his mistress; potters who disliked him; collectors he's cheated; and so on. As Molly investigates George-Bradley's death another murder occurs, which complicates her inquiries.

Meanwhile, back at the offices of 'Collector's Weekly', Molly has a crush on her co-worker Matt.... but has hardly said more than 'hello' to him. Things get friendlier when Matt assists Molly with her investigation, and the amateur sleuth hopes for a real date. But Molly - who's self-conscious about her zaftig physique - soon spots a slim beautiful blonde flirting with Matt.....uh oh!

As Molly interviews various potters the tale is interspersed with details about pottery such as: processing the clay; throwing pots; kinds of glazes; building kilns; burning pots; everyday pottery vs. collector pieces; and so on. All this is interesting and adds a nice informative element to the book without distracting from the story.

Molly eventually solves the murder cases, exposing a few surprises and a valuable pottery bunny along the way. Molly's a bright, likable heroine, and this is an engaging cozy mystery. Recommended to fans of the genre.

Antiques writer Molly Abbleby goes to cover a pottery show in North Carolina with her mother. Molly discovers that these pottery shows are hardly sleepy country affairs, they are cut-throat events. Pottery collectors are ruthless in their search for the best pieces. One of the worst and most vicious turns up dead, and it seems like anyone and everyone could be responsible. I really enjoyed this mystery. It is well-written, and Molly is a likable main character. I had no idea that pottery collecting was a such a crazy, dog-eat-dog world. Honestly, learning about that was one of the most interesting parts of the book. Overall, it was a compelling and enjoyable mystery.

I received a review copy of this book from Netgalley.

This is book #1 of the Antiques & Collectibles Mysteries. Molly Appleby writes articles for Collector's Weekly. Her mother, Clara, is trying to get her interested in pottery and now Molly is going to be writing about kiln openings and a series about N. Carolina potters. Molly is attending a kiln opening with her mother where she meets a serious pottery collector named George-Bradley Staunton. He is a rather rude fellow who will do whatever it takes to push his way to the front and get the best pieces of pottery. He ends up collapsing at the end of the kiln opening and is taken away in an ambulance. It is discovered that he was diabetic and died of an insulin overdose. Molly takes an interest in discovering who would have wanted George-Bradley dead and ends up getting a threatening message left for her to stop her snooping. George-Bradley's wife has agreed to auction off all of her late husband's pottery rather quickly after his death and Molly is a little suspicious of her until she turns up shot as well. Molly is there when the body of Bunny Staunton is discovered as she was returning to the house to pick up another piece of pottery that Bunny found. The suspects also include an ex-mistress and other pottery collectors as well. Molly will need the help of Matt, the marketing director at Collectors Weekly, who she has a bit of a crush on. There will be some twists that tie up neatly at the end of the story.

Cozy mysteries are my favorite and I am always on the lookout for new series to read. I enjoyed this mystery and it kept me guessing until the end. I thought I had parts figured out but I was completely wrong and a bit surprised when it all came together. I liked Molly and Clara and will continue on reading this series. There was a small budding romance between Molly and Matt that I hope will develop in the next book. I enjoyed learning about pottery and how it is made. I liked the little information about pottery at the beginning of each chapter. A rather quick read that I read in just two sittings.

I received a free ebook version of the book from the publisher, Beyond the Page Publishing, through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

A Killer Collection is the first book in the Antique & Collectibles series. It's my first book by Ellery Adams.

The name of the series caught my attention. It takes place in the world of antiques and collectibles.

The main character of the book, Molly Appleby, writes about auctions and antique shows for Collector's Weekly and is doing a special series on North Carolina potters. Her mother is a dealer in Southern folk art pottery and they attend together an exclusive kiln opening. There Molly meets George-Bradley Staunton, a wealthy and ruthless collector. He is a very unpleasant man who literally knocks people over to get the pieces of pottery he wants. He drops dead after the opening and Molly gets more than the information she counted on to write her article. The police think his death was an accident. George-Bradley had diabetes and it was determined that he died of an overdose of insulin. Molly has reason to believe that in the confusion of the kiln opening, someone gave him another dose of insulin with the purpose of killing him. While gathering information for her articles, Molly discovers what really happened and the motives behind it.

The book is in a style easy to read. There is a lot of information about pottery making. The characters are engaging and relatable. I liked Molly's mother and their relationship. It was interesting to read about pottery making and all the different potters. Molly just started a budding romance with her coworker Matt. I'm curious about how it will develop. The mystery is completely resolved. The ending took me by surprise. I expected something different. I'm looking forward to reading the other books in the series.

A Killer Collection by Ellery Adams is the first book in the Antiques and Collectibles Mystery series. Molly Appleby is a writer for Collector’s Weekly. She is going to write a series of articles on North Carolina pottery collectors and potters. Molly is attending her first kiln opening with her mother, Clara (who is an expert and collector of pottery). A kiln opening is where a potter sells the wares he has created and collectors can get them at reasonable prices.

At the kiln opening of C.C. Burle, George-Bradley Staunton, a collector, collapses. No one is too upset because George-Bradley is not very nice. At one opening he knocked over a woman and she broke her leg. George-Bradley is rude, condescending, and only out of himself. It is determined that George-Bradley collapsed from an overdose of insulin (he was a diabetic). However, someone gave him the overdose intentionally. Molly sets out to figure out who killed George-Bradley. She thinks it will be good for her article. There is no shortage of suspects.

During the course of the investigation Molly stumbles upon pottery thefts and another dead body. A Killer Collection provides wonderful descriptions of beautiful pottery as well as information on the making of clay, using a potter’s wheel, and different types of kilns.

I give A Killer Collection 4 out of 5 stars. This is an early work of Ellery Adams (originally published under J. B. Stanley). A Killer Collection has satisfying characters, interesting premise, and one of the mysteries takes a little more thought to solve. I enjoyed the descriptions of the beautiful pottery especially face jugs.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A book in the Antiques and Collectibles series. I have read many of this author's books and have always enjoyed them. The books in this series can be read as a stand-alone each story is complete. The descriptions of the area and antiques are outstanding, the plot is very creative. The MC are more developed. The format was handled better and did not interpret the flow of the tale. It added to the story.
Molly Appleby is in Vermont to plan her wedding. Her fiancee grew up in the area and might be doing his residency there. Molly buys a wedding gown from a private individual. All is going well when a local photographer is found murdered. Molly becomes active in the investigation and puts herself in extreme danger. I would have given 4.5 stars if I could, the next book is high on my TBR list. I highly recommend this book.

Disclosure: I received a free copy from the publisher through NetGalley for an honest review. I would like to thank them for this opportunity to read and review the book. The opinions expressed are my own.