Entertaining "cozy" mystery featuring Charley Carpenter, owner of a vintage clothing store and exceptionally skilled amateur detective. "Cozy" is in quotes because avid readers of these mysteries will find it's a bit racy compared to the genre's usual fare (again, racy compared exclusively to other cozy mysteries, not in the larger scope). I actually find this series so far to be different enough to be refreshing, though the mystery element wasn't exceptional (the perpetrator was pretty obvious early on). If you're looking for something a little out of the box for cozies, this may be a series to try!

Charley Carpenter is up to her neck in vintage gowns, purses, shoes and murder in The Antique House Murders. What starts out as a simple estate sale turns into a hunt for a killer and the drive to stop a huge development from spoiling Oakwood, Ohio. As usual Charley spars with Detective Marc Trenault on her path to solving the murders.

This is the second book in the Oakwood Mystery series (I recommend that you start with the first "The Book Club Murders") and takes up after the first book with Charley about recovered from the events of the first book and hot and heavy in her relationship with police detective Marc Trenault. This book definitely gets steamier in the romance which is a bit unusual for a cozy. I have no issue with it, although it seemed a bit out of place for the story.

In this one, Charlie pre-buys some designer clothing before an estate sale/auction from her family friend Calvin for her vintage clothing shop Old Hat. When picking up the merchandise from Calvin's office warehouse, Charlie and her friend Dimitri find him dead. It's murder of course and although Marc warns her away from the case, she wants to find out who killed Calvin. It also seems tied up in a land development deal and some gang-related activity in town.

I enjoy Charley's character, as well as Marc, her father and her friends and overall this is a solid offering to the series, although I liked the first book better as I felt that the mystery in this one was more obvious and I had it solved earlier than I would have liked. I found myself scolding Charley more too in this book--about getting a clue and solving the mystery and also about some of the more reckless choices she made while solving it. Still, I enjoyed it and I look forward to the next book.

The Antique House Murders by Leslie Nagel is the second book in her Oakwood Mystery series. I read it in exchange for a review. I also read the first book, The Book Club Murders, but it is not necessary to read them in order to enjoy this one. I liked this book. Charley is the owner of Old Hat, a vintage clothing shop, and an obsessive amateur sleuth. Her boyfriend is the local police, which creates opportunities but also conflicts. Charley has a special interest in investigating the latest murder because the victim is a friend. An interesting part of the story is the corruption involved in the process of securing building permits for a so far undeveloped part of town. I found this twist of particular interest as I have seen this type of abuse in person in my own neighborhood. In all, a good read.

I loved visiting Oakwood again and being inside the heads of some of it inhabitants! Charley is delightful and smart and insatiably curious, often to her detriment. Leslie Nagel does a perfect job of combining mystery, suspense, loving relationships and loss. If I could read the next in the series right now I would drop what I am doing and enjoy! Please keep them coming.

When you own a vintage clothing store, it pays to have a friend who specializes in liquidating estates. Charley knows she owes Calvin Prescott for saving the rack of gorgeous items from the Mulbridge estate. When she goes to collect the clothing from Calvin’s warehouse, she discovers her friend dead on the floor of his office. Charley needs to figure out if his death is related to the rumor that Augusta Mulbridge left a secret will quickly or the bulldozers will raze the property and it won’t matter if there is another will or not and Calvin’s death could be for naught.

Having not read the first of Nagel’s Oakwood Mystery, The Book Club Murders, I found the second installment highly entertaining. The plot moves along at a steady pace and is filled with complex story lines that all come together to a satisfying end. As you read you feel all of the character’s triumphs and frustrations, frustrations that include the handsome detective Marcus Trenault. I certainly would have loved to attend the Mulbridge House estate sale.

Loved the characters. Heroes and heroines came in all ages. Loved the way everything came together.

Charley Carpenter runs a vintage clothing store, the 'Old Hat', near her best friend Dimitri's hair salon and across the street from the police station...also near to her father's best friend Calvin Prescott's appraisal and auction house.
Charley was delighted when Calvin held out some merchandise for her to check out for her shop from the Mulbridge House auction.....but not so much when she came to pick it up from where Calvin stored it for her. When she went to the auction house with Dimitri for muscle, Calvin was dead in his office.
Many twists and turns occur before the killer is finally unmasked, more murder attempts, more murders and so many questions.
The interaction between Charlie's family and friends is heartwarming as they try hard to answer the questions raised by Charlie's murder and bring him justice.
I look forward to the next installment.

It's rare for me to start a series with the second book and love it soooo much that I have to immediately go out and purchase the first in the series, but that's what just happened with The Antique House Murders (The Oakwood Mystery Series) by Leslie Nagel. I really, really enjoyed it. I like Charley Carpenter, our heroine and proprietress of Old Hat (a vintage clothing store in Oakwood, Ohio). I like her besties Frankie and Dmitri. I like her boyfriend, Detective Marcus Trenault. I like her father, Bobby, and his caretaker, Lawrence. I like just about everyone in the entire town (except for the "baddies" - lol!). Mulbridge House is about to be demolished, and the heirs are attempting to develop new homes on the property which has the neighborhood up in arms over the possibility of increased traffic. Charley's friend, Calvin Prescott, handled the auction of the house's contents, but is found murdered in his shop soon after. It's up to Charley to find the culprit, and she does so along with her gang of friends, putting herself in danger several times in order to do so. She's feisty, and I can't wait to read her first adventure (The Book Club Murders) and hopefully her next! A+ and highly recommended by this reader! :-) p.s. I did NOT guess the murderer until right before the end, which is a big bonus for me - well done, Ms. Nagel!!! :-)

I totally loved it! I like revisiting Dayton, where I grew up. None of my family ended up in Oakwood but I have been there. I went to Sinclair Community College. So the personal connection adds to the fun of reading this mystery. I like how the characters know each other now and in the past. The mansion sounds amazing and what a sin to let it fall apart. The romance of the detective and the shop keeper is a fun thread throughout the book. But must he yell at her? When he yells or wants to yell I want her to walk away! Can you tell? I loved the book, loved the characters, loved the mystery and how it ends.

Charley Carpenter, proprietor of Old Hat Vintage Fashions in Oakwood, Ohio is dismayed when she finds auctioneer Calvin Prescott dead on the floor of his office. She believes his death has something to do with the demolition of Mulbridge House. Charley’s suspicions are compounded when she sees plans that show a new development in its place. Could the owners of the property want the development so bad that they killed for it? Charley is on the case, but when her boyfriend, Detective Marcus Trenault, asks her to stay away from it, will she risk her life and love to prove her worth?
I loved reading this cozy mystery. It has wonderful characters, and a plot that made me yell, “Don’t do that,” especially when Charley was doing something dangerous on her own. I was on the edge of my seat, literally, hoping that there would be a happy ending. I also loved the references to Scooby Doo, my favorite cartoon character of all time. An Advanced Reading Copy was received in exchange for an honest review.

This is a really "fun to read" series. There's romance, quirky friends, murder and a surprise ending. What's not to like?

This is the first book I've read by Leslie Nagel and I enjoyed it immensely. I loved the gutsy main character, Charley Carpenter, and the twist and turns of this murder mystery. I understand she has written more of these Book Club Cozy mysteries but I was able to read this as if it were a stand alone book. I'm now looking forward to going back and read them all.

I enjoyed this second one even better than the original. I can't wait for the next one. Please hurry and publish. I hope there will be plenty more in the series. I am recommending to my book clubs!

Nail Biting At Times
The Antique House Murders is the second book in Leslie Nagel’s Oakwood Mystery Series. The characters are well developed and relatable and because the author provided great background information, it can be read as a standalone. The storyline is strong and well plotted, with lots of twists and turns. Ms. Nagel’s writing style flows smoothly and she provides enough suspects, twists and turns, and red herrings to keep the reader engaged and guessing. This book is edgier than most cozies and I was disappointed by the amount of adult language and sexual innuendos and image some cozy readers will take offense. That being said, I really enjoyed reading this book and am looking forward to reading more books in this series.

Charlotte (Charley) Carpenter is the owner of Old Hat Vintage Fashions in Oakwood, Ohio. Calvin Prescott of Prescott Auction is the estate appraiser handling the Mulbridge family’s auction and general sale and when Charlie and her friend and hair stylist, Dmitri St. James, stop by to pick up her purchases at his office, they find Calvin lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Calvin is a dear family friend and Charley and her dad are devastated by his murder. Detective Marcus (Marc) Trenault, who Charley is dating, and Detective Paul Brixton are assigned to the case. Marc is adamant in asking her to stay out of the investigation explaining that he can’t do his job if he’s having to worry about her safety. Charley refuses to listen to Marc, is selective with the information she shares with him, placing their relationship in jeopardy, and needlessly placing herself in harm’s way on more than one occasion.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

This is the second book in the series, but I had no problem connecting to the characters and the story without having to go back and read the first book. The main character Charley, and the supporting cast were well developed and easy to connect with, and the plot was intricate but not complicated to understand. It kept me on my toes, and the outcome was not what I expected at all.

A great book in my opinion, I'm going to go back and read the first book, and patiently await the next one!

Nail biting ending. Strong Plot. Excellent Series.

It's a race against time as Charley Carpenter tackles the murder of her old friend Calvin Prescott. Charley's vintage clothing store's financial struggles become dire when someone leaks a lie linking Charley to an unpopular zoning change because of her financial dealings with heirs of Mulbridge House. Defying her boyfriend, Det. Marcus Trenault, Charley not only risks their relationship but also her life when she conceals knowledge she's gained while continuing to investigate.

5/5

My thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Alibi and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this book! The setting, the characters and the plot kept me interested until the very end. The Antique House Murders is the second book in the Oakwood Mystery series. I hadn't read the first one, but had no trouble picking up on the characters.

The book starts out in Mulbridge House, an abandoned, decaying mansion being stripped to the studs before being demolished. Not everyone in Oakwood wants the mansion gone - the previous owner's friend has formed an organization to save the house for posterity. The heirs want it gone so they can build a development on the land.

Charley Carpenter, a vintage fashion dealer with her own shop, stumbles into the middle of the feud when she buys a batch of old dresses from the Mulbridge House estate sale, run by her old family friend Calvin Prescott. Soon after, Calvin is killed and Charley has to get involved to solve his murder. She clashes with her boyfriend, Detective Marc, but she and her friends persist until the crime is solved. The ending was a surprise, which was great because I can usually predict who the killer is before the ending of the book.

The characters were well written, and Oakwood Ohio sounds like an interesting place to live. The plot was fast paced and interesting. I'm looking forward to next book in the series!

I highly recommend this book, whether you've read the first book in the series or not.

This is the first book I have read by this author as its not an author I have come across before. The synopsis of the book had me intrigued. I haven't read the first book in the series but I didn't need to to understand the characters, you can read it as a stand alone book. I liked the nature of the story about a small community and that it had a modern kick to it. It was refreshing to read a cozy mystery which was more uptodate. It had a few twists in the book and I didn't guess who the murderer was. I would look out for her next book in this series. Thankyou for introducing me to a new author!

While I really enjoy this series and the whodunit had me guessing right until the end, the profanity, although minimal, will turn some cozy fans off. The characters and story are top notch but the profanity is unnecessary.
I voluntarily read an Advance Reader Copy of this book.