Rating: 
Summary: Abby starts over in Charleston, sort of
Review: Abby Washburn has moved to Charleston with her new husband the former homicide detective. He now runs a shrimp boat with his cousins. The RobBobs and Mozella have also relocated and CJ is visiting. Abby has just about given up being accepted by the very exclusive society of the city when she is invited for a business tea by Amelia Shadbark. Amelia has a fabulous collection of Lalique glass and wants Abby to broker the collection for her. Unfortunately, she is murdered that very night and the collection destroyed. Abby relies on a nosy neighbor to help her, but that neighbor is murdered also. Amelia has a very disfunctional family, each accusing the other of greed and illegitimacy. Abby will solve the mystery as usual with the help of her friends.Nothing has really changed in this series. Greg Washburn has become a nonentity, her mother is even more annoying and CJ's Shelby stories are worse than ever. The mystery was pretty good, although we could have done with more of a description of her new home town, and new life. Overall, not bad, but this author has done better.
Rating: 
Summary: Abby Comes To Charleston!
Review: Being from Charleston, I'm thrilled that my favorite sleuth, Abby Timberlake (now Washburn) has relocated to my town. And thank heavens she brought Mama and the cat along with her. And a husband who is runs a shrimp boat! (hope we'll have a mystery on the boat someday...)Welcome to Charleston, Abby!
Rating: 
Summary: A lighthearted mystery!
Review: Finally, I might have found another series of mystery books to read that are entertaining and not all blood and gore. Since my absolute favorite author Anne George died, that has been hard to do. I guess I am working backwards since this was the first book I read in the series. It will not be the last. I get the same feel of Charleston from her books as when I am there and I can relate with her feeling of being "from away".
Rating:
Summary: Splendo in the Glass
Review: I always enjoy Tamar Myers' work. I think CJ, and in general the eccentricities of the characters are what makes this book good. To me, a good mystery is a good book first and a good mystery second. Myers' sense of humor is one of the things that makes her mysteries worth reading. She is primarily a comic writer, with a strong sense of place and of character. The mystery is secondary - which to my mind is the way it should be. I suspect that living outside the U.S. during her early life has given her an outsiders eye; she sees stuff that is invisible to most of us because we take it for granted.
Rating:
Summary: Too much "Wailing"....
Review: I have read every one of the Abby Timberlake books and have enjoyed them all...but this one had me scrambling to find her first books so I could reread them. Sure enough, Ms. Myers has changed her style of writing...her heroine now "wails" and "screams", and gnashes her teeth and chews the scenery on almost every page. One loses the flow of the story with all that wailing going on. Four stars for content, two for writing..
Rating:
Summary: Too much "Wailing"....
Review: I have read every one of the Abby Timberlake books and have enjoyed them all...but this one had me scrambling to find her first books so I could reread them. Sure enough, Ms. Myers has changed her style of writing...her heroine now "wails" and "screams", and gnashes her teeth and chews the scenery on almost every page. One loses the flow of the story with all that wailing going on. Four stars for content, two for writing..
Rating:
Summary: Not as Splendid as others...
Review: In the 9th book in the Abigail Timberlake mystery series by Tamar Myers, we find Abigail has moved to Charleston to be closer to her shrimp boating husband, Greg. She sets up another antique store, and with help from CJ, she begins to settle in nicely. However, she wants desperately to fit into Charleston society, and she gets invited to tea by one of society's grand dame's, Mrs. Amelia Shadbark. Mrs. Shadbark asks Abigail to broker the sale of her priceless Lalique glass collection, but after she is found dead Abigail realizes that the collection was not everything that it seemed. When Abigail finds herself as the prime suspect (having been the last one to see the victim) she sets out to prove that she may be short on height, but not on innocence. Tamar Myers writes both the Abigail Timberlake mystery series and the Pennsylvania Dutch mystery series with recipes. She tends toward witty humor and uses quite a few puns in her writing, many of which she repeats in each book. I have enjoyed many of the previous books, but am a bit tired of some of the "stale" puns that she overuses in each book (the jokes about CJ are reused too much for example). However, I enjoy cozy mysteries (mysteries with little "on-stage" violence, no overt savy, and little gore) and I enjoy those with a bit of humor. These are excellent examples of the genre and probably would be a bit too silly or trite for those that enjoy police procedurals or intense mysteries (i.e. Patricia Cornwell). If you like cozy mysteries and want a bit of a change, I would recommend giving Tamar Myers a try. The first book in this series is "Larceny and Old Lace". Enjoy! A Cozy Lover
Rating:
Summary: Not as Splendid as others...
Review: In the 9th book in the Abigail Timberlake mystery series by Tamar Myers, we find Abigail has moved to Charleston to be closer to her shrimp boating husband, Greg. She sets up another antique store, and with help from CJ, she begins to settle in nicely. However, she wants desperately to fit into Charleston society, and she gets invited to tea by one of society's grand dame's, Mrs. Amelia Shadbark. Mrs. Shadbark asks Abigail to broker the sale of her priceless Lalique glass collection, but after she is found dead Abigail realizes that the collection was not everything that it seemed. When Abigail finds herself as the prime suspect (having been the last one to see the victim) she sets out to prove that she may be short on height, but not on innocence. Tamar Myers writes both the Abigail Timberlake mystery series and the Pennsylvania Dutch mystery series with recipes. She tends toward witty humor and uses quite a few puns in her writing, many of which she repeats in each book. I have enjoyed many of the previous books, but am a bit tired of some of the "stale" puns that she overuses in each book (the jokes about CJ are reused too much for example). However, I enjoy cozy mysteries (mysteries with little "on-stage" violence, no overt savy, and little gore) and I enjoy those with a bit of humor. These are excellent examples of the genre and probably would be a bit too silly or trite for those that enjoy police procedurals or intense mysteries (i.e. Patricia Cornwell). If you like cozy mysteries and want a bit of a change, I would recommend giving Tamar Myers a try. The first book in this series is "Larceny and Old Lace". Enjoy! A Cozy Lover
Rating:
Summary: The Den of Antiquity in Charleston
Review: In this book, Abby and her husband Greg have moved to Charleston. She has opened up another Den of Antiquity shop there. Abby's mother Mozelle is also living with them. And CJ, her friend from Charlotte is visiting when the first murder occurs. This is a humourous book, and I actually enjoyed it. I've found that the later Den of Antiquity mysteries seem to be getting a little better. The plots are tighter and the humour is less forced. The book opens with Abby trying to muscle her way into the top echelon of Charleston society. When she receives a request to have tea with the leading society lady she accepts, and takes CJ with her. But no sooner do they leave after having tea with her, than the lady turns up dead - poisoned. Abby needs to find the killer before the rest of society believe she is the murderer. Throw in some antique glass and a new shop assistant that can sell ice to Eskimos, and you have the story. Abby almost gets killed, but is saved just in time - just like usual. In all honesty, I read these books for CJ. She is THE best character in the stories, and she has a big part in this one.
Rating:
Summary: The Den of Antiquity in Charleston
Review: In this book, Abby and her husband Greg have moved to Charleston. She has opened up another Den of Antiquity shop there. Abby's mother Mozelle is also living with them. And CJ, her friend from Charlotte is visiting when the first murder occurs. This is a humourous book, and I actually enjoyed it. I've found that the later Den of Antiquity mysteries seem to be getting a little better. The plots are tighter and the humour is less forced. The book opens with Abby trying to muscle her way into the top echelon of Charleston society. When she receives a request to have tea with the leading society lady she accepts, and takes CJ with her. But no sooner do they leave after having tea with her, than the lady turns up dead - poisoned. Abby needs to find the killer before the rest of society believe she is the murderer. Throw in some antique glass and a new shop assistant that can sell ice to Eskimos, and you have the story. Abby almost gets killed, but is saved just in time - just like usual. In all honesty, I read these books for CJ. She is THE best character in the stories, and she has a big part in this one.
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