Cover Image: Mint Condition Murder

Mint Condition Murder

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Member Reviews

Mint Condition Murder by Ellery Adams and Parker Riggs is book #9 in the Antiques & Collectibles Mysteries. It can be read as a stand alone.
Molly, the protaganist, has an interview scheduled with the owner of newly opened antique store. Unfortunately, she finds the owner murdered, her head bashed in. When antique coins and a pistol is found in a hidden compartment in an antique desk, Molly dives into the investigation. Throw in Molly's father wanting to meet her after abandoning her and her mother when she was a baby. Molly has her hands full.
This well written Cozy has many twists keeping you guessing to the end. The main characters are relatable and likeable, as are most of the secondary characters. There is family, friendship, and romance. I love that Molly is married and has a child.
You will not want to put this book down.
I was given an ARC by Beyond the Page Publishing via NetGalley for an honest review.

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Hard to find a cozy that I don't enjoy and Ellery Adams is a master. In this one, the ninth in a series, Ellery Adams joined again by Parker Riggs, the world of antiquities aren't safe! Sit back and enjoy another tale that has twists and turns for all to enjoy.

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Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of Mint Condition Murder by Ellery Adams and Parker Riggs in exchange for an honest review. Molly Appleby is a senior staff writer for Collector's Weekly. Molly and her mother drive to an antique store to interview a lady, and find her dead. Then, out of the blue, her dad wants to see her. She hasn't seen him since she was 8 days old.
This was another fantastic book by Ellery Adams and Parker Riggs. I have read several of her series and added more to my to be read pile. These are such fun books I can read in a day or two.

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Mint Condition Murder by Ellery Adams and Parker Riggs is the newest in a series, Antiques and Collectibles Mysteries, book nine. It centers around Molly Appleby who is a report for a magazine called Collector's Weekly wherein she focuses on antique stores and antique deals. Unfortunately, may of her articles are about murders of antique dealers. The readers eat it up. Molly lives New England with her husband and her toddler son, was well as her mother and her stepfather. She and her mother were driving to a new antique store for the newest interview and the normally sunny Clara was definitely in a mood. Denying it multiple times did not put Molly's mind at ease, nor did the fact that the closed sign showed in the door and the place was silent when they entered. It wasn't too long before they discovered the body of the owner, lying in a puddle of blood. Great, another murder. As Molly and Clara sat on the porch after the police had arrived, Clara finally broke her silence and confessed that not only had she been in touch with Molly's father (who had left them when Molly was eight days old) but that she had been regularly, keeping him updated on Molly and her life, including photos, for all these years. Now he wanted to meet Molly. Molly was outraged.

This is such a fun series. It has the most endearing characters: Molly and her mother, for beginners. They have the ideal mother/daughter relationship. Molly's husband, Matt, is a doctor and a darling, always with Molly's best interests at heart and always sensible and kind. They had a nanny for their son, Tyler: Starling, Matt's niece. She lived above the garage and had been seeing Tony Lombardi, Molly's friend and the police detective with whom she worked. That relationship had folded because of Lombardi's fear of commitment. Molly had been saddened by this, as they were perfect together. As are all cozies, this one is definitely character driven, and the new character is Nathan, Molly's long lost father. The reader has a ringside seat for their reunion. The mystery reaches into the past for its origins and, as always, antiques for clues. It was a clever story and well as kind of heart breaking. I recommend this endearing series.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Mint Condition Murder by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. #netgalley #mintconditionmurder

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Rare coins, blackmail, and greed are motivation for murder in this well-written mystery. Molly is a likable heroine, loyal and determined. She also struggles when deciding whether or not to let an absent father reenter her life. Some of the best passages involve her interactions with her 2 year old son, which are a nice balance to the grittier elements of solving the murder. Thanks to #NetGalley and #MintConditionMurder for an advanced digital copy.

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Molly is all set to interview the owner of a new antiques store, A Checkered Past. The owner, Charlotte Blair and her business partner also had a more upscale antiques store in Boston. This store is housed in an old farm house at the end of a charming country road, a far cry from the post Boston location of the other store. When Molly and her mother arrive for their appointment the place is deathly silent. With good reason. Charlotte has had a previous guest who turned out to be a killer. They are dismayed to discover Charlotte dead having been bashed over the head. It takes Molly no time at all to switch from magazine journalist to investigator and to team up with Detective Lombardi, a friend who respects her intelligence and often asks for her assistance. It takes no time for the next puzzle to reveal itself. The antique secretaire soon shows its treasure. As the cash box for the store still contained $10K plain robbery wasn't the motive. Was it, instead the Civil War era coins hidden inside?
The desire to catch Charlotte's killer takes over and Molly starts to dig into the victim's life and the history of the coins. At the same time Molly deals with her mother's sudden revelation that Molly's estranged father has stayed in touch with her mother her whole life and, to Molly's shock, now wants to meet her. He walked away from his wife and child when Moly was only 8 days old. Not exactly something that makes for warm and fuzzy feelings. On top of that, it turns out that he knows all about her (including photos of her, her husband and her little boy) and Molly wouldn't know him if they met in an elevator. It's a lot to deal with but Molly is up to the challenge.
This is the 9th book in the series but works fine as a stand alone. The characters are well developed and the puzzle complex with enough twists, turns and red herrings to keep the reader engaged.
My thanks to Beyond the Page publishing and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

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I have read and enjoyed other series by this author but do not recall reading any of this particular one. Very enjoyable. I will have to catch up with the previous eight. Interesting family dynamics. Intriguing plot. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley.

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Mint Condition Murder by Ellery Adams and Parker Riggs is the 9th An Antiques & Collectibles Mystery. This cozy mystery can be read on its own if you are new to the series or if you have missed a book. I enjoyed reading this story. Molly Appleby is a strong female protagonist who is friendly and tenacious. She reminds me of my dog, Doozy when he has a bone. Once he gets it, he is not giving it up. That is Molly with a case. She was unable to interview Charlotte Blair for her column in Collector’s Weekly, but there is a story. Molly also wants to get justice for the victim. We get to catch up with Matt, Clara, Starling, Detective Lombardi, and little Tyler. Ellery Adams and Parker Riggs have a good writing style (conversational). I was instantly engaged, and my attention held until the end of the book. The whodunit was clever the way it all tied together. There was misdirection plus multiple suspects. I had a good time solving this mystery. We also got to learn more about Molly and her mother as well as meet her father. I loved the descriptions of the antiques. There were some wonderful pieces mentioned as well as rare coins. Mint Condition Murder combines family, friends, antiques, and mysteries into one charming cozy mystery.

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Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of MINT CONDITION MURDER (Book 9 of the Antiques & Collectibles Mysteries) by Ellery Adams and Parker Riggs in exchange for an honest review. Writer Molly Appleby invites her mother to accompany her on an interview with the owner of a new antiques store. When they arrive, they find the woman’s body. Soon, Molly’s embroiled in a case involving stolen coins, adultery, real estate deals, and a historic murder. Molly chooses to focus on her investigation in order to distract herself from her personal drama. Molly’s absentee father is in town and wants to meet her.

I like this book and enjoy the series. I recommend this book to fans of cozy mysteries featuring murder, cold cases, antiques, coin collecting, and writing.

#MintConditionMurder #NetGalley

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cozy-mystery, magazine-reporter, law-enforcement, amateur-sleuth, murder, murder-investigation, cold-case, theft, relationship-issues, family-dynamics, friendship, Vermont*****

The antiques trade can be murder. Molly finds another body and works with her familiar local police detective to investigate the woman's murder. She also works with another detective on a cold case that is definitely related. And related to Molly's absentee father's wife. What a tangle!
The publisher's blurb is well done and so is the story, so no spoilers here.
I requested and received a free temporary ebook from Beyond the Page Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!

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Molly writes articles for a collector’s magazine. She’s anxious to interview the owner of a new store locally. Unfortunately, when Molly and her mother visit, they find the owner dead. Molly’s second love is solving mysteries. Molly also has a surprise in this book. Her father decides to make himself a part of her life.

I hadn’t read this series before but thoroughly enjoyed the story and characters.

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Ellery Adam’s and Parker Riggs have offered a great addition to their Antique& Collectibles Mysteries series in ‘Mint Condition Murder’. Molly is once again dealing with a murder, as well as a shocking personal situation thrust upon her by her mother. The cast of characters is engaging and the mystery is extremely well done with many twists that produced a surprise ending. I highly recommend the entire series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

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Joining Molly on one of her interview trips is always interesting. Well written with lovable characters, and plenty of twists and turns to keep you on your toes. Such a fun antique series.

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Kindle Copy from Net Galley and Beyond the Page Publishing.

I received a free, advance copy of this book and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.

Molly is about to interview a female antique dealer but the person ends up dead. She was new to the area and did not have enemies except for an estranged father who suddenly keen on reconciliation as she possesses some mint coins.

Digging into her past will lead to many suspects and those who might want some of her possession. A delightful cozy read in book 23 in the series.

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I received this book for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

A new to my author I didn't feel too lost and had fun with this cozy. It kept me on my toes.

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Many Threads, Neat Twists...
The ninth in the Antiques and Collectables series of mysteries and Molly is faced with a conundrum when the antiques dealer she was due to interview turns up dead. Enjoyable mystery with a likeable protagonist in Molly and a colourful cast of supporting characters. Many threads and some neat twists make up the entertaining storyline. A fitting addition to the series.

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Mint Condition Murder by Ellery Adams and Parker Riggs (Antiques and Collectibles Mystery #9) 4 stars

Molly Appleby, has an appointment to interview Charlotte Blair, the owner of "A Checkered Past" a new antique shop in the New England area, Unfortunately, upon arrival, Molly and her mom find Ms. Blair's body. On top of that discovery, her mom informs her that her father wants to establish a relationship with her. Molly's initial impulse is to refuse, after all Nathan McDaniel walked out of Molly's life when she was eight days old. This request seems to be too little, too late. Nathan McDaniel is a successful chef in New York and newly married to Pamela Lyman, the head of a large construction firm in New England. Her mom gets Molly to agree to think about Nathan's request. When the police arrive at the antique shop, Molly helps the police find a hidden compartment in a Queen Anne style desk. The compartment holds a tin box filled with five rare Civil War era coins and a Beretta. The coins are worth approximately $70,000. Could the cause of Ms. Blair's death be a robbery gone wrong? While looking into the background of Charlotte Blair, she discovers a connection with her new stepmother. Could Molly have a closer relationship with the killer than she knows? what about the gun and coins, are those items motive for Charlotte's death? You will have to read the book to find out.

This is the ninth outing for Molly Appleby and the sixth written in collaboration with Parker Riggs. I have enjoyed all of them. This one has Molly dealing with personal issues that go back to childhood - no easy choices in this situation. I found her resolute and intrepid in trying to solve the mystery and deal with her emotions. I look forward to the next book in this series.

Thank you Netgalley and Beyond the Page Publishing for this ARC.

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I’m always excited to see a new book in this series. Molly is a great character, and her knowledge of antiques is always fun to read about.
In this book, Molly is getting ready to write another story for the magazine she works for, unfortunately, that story is dead, and so is the woman she was supposed to interview.
Unable to leave the investigating to the police, Molly jumps in feet first, and what she finds out sends her world into a tailspin.
I highly recommend this series to any reader who enjoys a good story.
#MintConditionMurder #NetGalley

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I don’t miss Eller Adams’ mysteries, but somehow this series slipped my notice. Molly is a writer and has a knack for discover of dead bodies. I liked the mystery angle, especially this history behind it. Molly has a interesting past which she has to face directly, since her father is back. I thought she was rightfully cautious around her father. The action was fairly paced and the chapters brief. All in all, a good mystery to read amd solve.

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Molly is off to interview a new arrival to the area, an antiques dealer who moved up from Boston. When she and her mother arrive, they find the woman dead, setting off another mystery article for Collector’s Weekly. Add to this that Molly’s father, who walked out on her and her mother when she was a baby, has asked to meet Molly and see if they can salvage a relationship. So much to handle, but one keeps her mind off the other.

When Molly finds a hidden compartment in a desk, the find leaves her and the police with more questions than answers. With a link to a cold case, the question becomes who killed the dealer and how does this tie into a murder from years ago?

Ellery Adams is one of my favorite authors. I love not only this series, but also her Secret Book and Scone Society and Book Retreat series. She has smart, solid, protagonists that make the whodunit pure delight and enough red herrings to keep you guessing and changing your mind until close to the end. A MUST READ AUTHOR for the cozy enthusiast.

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