"Peril at Pennington Manor" is a cozy mystery with a lot of family drama. At least a third of the book was Tilly's school woes, Avery's dating woes, marathon prep, and family drama (both hers and the royals). There were also some kittens and dates with Art. This was a clue-based mystery, but it had so much filler that I forgot to even care whodunit. Avery tended to jump to conclusions but Art would remind her of other possibilities. She was very nosy (even opening doors to bedrooms in an area where she wasn't supposed to be working, and in front of her detective boyfriend, who didn't even object). She eavesdropped (as did Art) to gather clues, but it ended up coming down to discovering who sold the stolen goods.

This book is the second in a series. I didn't need to read the previous book to understand this one, but I might have cared more about the family drama if I'd started with the first book. There was no sex. There was a fair amount of bad language. Overall, I'm recommend this to fans of family drama in their cozy mysteries.

Peril at Pennington Manor is one of the best cozy mysteries I have read lately! It is the 2nd book in An Avery Ayers Antique Mystery series and both books are great! The characters are likable, interesting and realistic. Avery Ayers is an antiques appraiser and works for her family appraisal company. She is strong and independent but her family and friends are important to her. Avery's Aunt Midge is good friends with Duke Nicholas Pennington who hires Antiquities and Artifacts Authenticated because he is selling the family estate. Avery and her team show up to find a very valuable heirloom missing along with a few other problems, including a death. Avery's former boyfriend Art Smith is a police detective and is on the case. Their relationship really gives the book depth, interest and some humor along with Avery's relationship with her sister Tilly. Avery and Tilly's father is back and is trying to adjust to the new routine. The characters make the book even more interesting and likable. The cozy mystery is intriguing. The culprits comprise the family and workers at the estate but with red herrings, I wasn't sure until the exciting conclusion. This was a wondergul book and it was hard to put down! I enjoyed every minute! #NetGalley #PerilAtPenningtonManor #CrookedLaneBooks #TracyGardner

I enjoyed this second installment of An Avery Ayers Antique mystery series more than the first. Because the setting but more importantly the characters have been established and you can get into the mystery faster.

This is my first read of the year and it already made it to my list of favorite books. It's got the perfect mix of action, drama, humor, intrigue and mystery. The characters are all lovable, no matter if they're a hero or a villain. Personally, this story made me reflect on the fragility of our existence and what it really means to be human. I can't wait for the next books in this series. Tracy Gardner is an amazing writer and she's one of my most favorite writers!

Another excellent book, the second in this new series. These are so well written - clever mysteries, great characters, and an interesting job for the MC, Avery, all come together for a great story. I'm also a big fan of how the romance between Avery and Art is developing. It's probably one of my favourite budding romances in the cosy genre right now.

Avery and her dad, William, are hired to assess some antiques at Pennington Manor, home to Duke Pennington and his family, which has been put up for sale pending the family's return to Valle Charme, their royal seat. There is a list of items presented for the valuation, but some of the antiques listed are either missing or have been replaced with replicas. Concerned, Avery and William start to investigate through the museum's antiquities department. Then, when the housekeeper falls from the roof of the manor, they wonder if something more is going on. Art goes undercover with Avery to discover what's going on. In the meantime, Tilly has returned from London under a cloud and seems determined to keep her secrets, despite her sister's and her dad's efforts to get her to talk about it.

Recommended if you enjoy clever, well-plotted stories. I'm excited for the next installment in this to see where Avery and Art's relationship goes, as well as a new mystery.

A solid second entry into what will hopefully be a long running series. Ruby Red Herring was one of my favorite book's of 2021 and may have set the bar too high. This sequel does not reach the heights of its predecessor but retains many of the charming elements. I loved the setting, the heirlooms, the food and the family dynamics but the story had too many characters, making it hard to get invested in the mystery.

Periil at Pennington Manor was a fun read. This is the second in the series. I read the first Ruby Red Herring which I enjoyed also. Avery Ayres is the main character who works at her family's business Antiquities and Artifacts Appraisers. The other characters contribute to the story. Avery and her father have been asked by her Aunt Midge''s friend, Nicholas, a duke who plans to put his estate Pennington Manor up for sale. As he shows Avery and her father, William around the manor they discover that some of their things are replaced by fakes and his family's antique pocket watch is missing from the cabinet. While there the housekeeper, Suzanne Vicks, is pushed off the roof and falls to her death. This is where the story takes off. There are two parts to the story. besides what is going on at the manor, her sister, Tilly has come home early from England.

Avery wants to find out who murdered Suanne and who has taken the missing articles. Art Smith, a detective,
and her boyfriend look into the murder. Greg Lightfoot the gardener and Suzanne's cousin is also murdered. The murderer attacks Avery and stabs Art leaving him for dead. The murder is brought to justice.

I look forward to the next in the series.

Thank you, NetGalley and Crooked Lane for this ARC.
















Peril at Pennington Manor was a fun read. Avery





























P

Avery has some emotional issues that she is wrestling with. She recently lost her mother and thought she had lost her father. But he has come back in to her life, rife with his own emotional issues. Her love life isn't going so well either. But she has, not one, but two jobs to do. First, there is her day job. She and her team are charged with evaluating the value of a large estate. But she must also determine who has stolen some of the most valuable pieces and is using murder to cover up their trail.

This novel is well written and moves along nicely. It keeps the reader guessing until the end. I highly recommend it for lovers of contemporary mysteries.

I received a free copy from the publisher through Netgalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

I enjoyed the first book in this series and requested this second book when I saw it on Netgalley. Peril at Pennington Manor is the second book in this series and follows Avery on another assignment. They are hired to do appraisals at Pennington manor. Quickly it becomes clear this is not just another normal job, some heirloom pieces have gone missing and have been replaced by fakes. And then there is a murder as well.

I liked the mystery in this one and how there was the case of the stolen/ missing antiques as well as the murder. I liked seeing how they work on uncovering the truth of what happened to both these things and the way the storylines get woven together as they both involve Pennington manor and those who live and work there. I did feel the wrap up could've been a bit more extensive as there were a few more questions I wanted answered. The main lines are clear, but I would've liked a few more specifics.

I liked how Avery got involved in the case as it involved her job and how Art worked together with her again. I was a bit annoyed at how Art handled a few things at the start and the way Avery reacted, but I liked to see how they worked things out and their relationship went to better footing again as the book progressed. There is a bit of a romantic sub plot as they try and figure out whether to give their relationship another try or if the problems that got them apart in the first place are too big too overcome.

Besides the mysteries and the romance there are a few side plot lines as well, with Avery training for a marathon, an antique she appraises for a friend, Tilly who unexpectedly comes home from school as well as her father who is having some troubles adjusting back to normal life. It made for an interesting read with everything going on and I enjoyed reading it. It has less of that typical small town vibe as most other cozies, but I like how that gives this series a different feel with the small town where Avery lives and how she works in the city usually. I like the focus on antiques and Avery's job.

To summarize: Peril at Pennington Manor is a great sequel in this series. There are two mysteries in this book, a murder and some antiques that have gone missing. I like how Avery gets involved in the cases and seeing how it all progresses throughout the books. The reveal made sense, although I would've liked a few more answers. Besides the mysteries there are some other sub plot lines going on as well involving Avery, her romance with Art and some plot lines involving her family. I enjoyed this book and I look forward to the next one.

I enjoyed the first novel in this series and number two did not disappoint. Who knew that cataloging antiques could be so mysterious and dangerous? Looking forward to the next episode.

Peril at Pennington Manor was a fun read, great setting and characters. It would be a perfect beach book.

This is book two in the new cozy series "Avery Ayers Antique Mysteries ". The first in this new series was smart, fun and had a well crafted group of supporting charcters . I enjoy the antique aspect of this series that is done with authenticity. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley. The cover art for this series is outstanding and I love how the author included many clues on each cover.

Avery is our protagnist and resident antique expert who owns a popular antique Appraisal Company. She has been invited to catalog the antiques and do appraisals at a local castle with a reputation for beautiful antiques. When she is there a death occurs as well as other mysterious occurrences. Avery is on the case amid a strange group of suspects and clues.

I loved this next in series. The author builds the sleuth with surprising twists and turns. The series is enjoyable to conclusion . I look forward to the next in series.

This is book two in the series and I enjoyed it just as much as book one.

Avery is back and she’s super busy, going through heirlooms at a manor house among other things. It turns out, there’s some things missing and then a body turns up, so this quickly becomes another whodunit for Avery and crew.

I liked Avery from the first book and I still find her to be a relatable, likable character, surrounded by other enjoyable characters. The murder mystery had some twists and turns that made me think, even though by the time the reveal came along, I pretty much guessed it. Definitely a fun book if you like antiques as well.

I’m looking forward to reading further books in the series.

I will post this review to Goodreads today (11/17) and to Instagram and Amazon on 6/7/22

This second installment in the Avery Ayers’ Antique Mystery series is set at Pennington Manor. This series is quickly becoming a favorite of mine and I am already looking forward to the next in the series.

Avery’s Aunt Midge is friends with the Duke of Valle Charme and through this friendship, Avery and the team have been hired to appraise the various antiques and artwork in the manor.

While there to begin the appraisal process, the housekeeper meets her untimely death, thus leaving everyone feeling as thought they could be in danger. With the help of Detective Art Smith. Avery and the team continues the process while sneakily investigating the death of the housekeeper.

This installment seemed to be a bit faster paced than the first in the series. I highly recommend reading the first, Ruby Red Herring first so that some of the finer details make even more sense. The information giving in the first novel helps this one be even better.

I love how in addition to the mystery, we get to catch up with the Ayers family and what is going on in their personal lives.

Thank you to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Tracy Gardiner for the copy of this book in exchange for a review. All opinions are entirely my own.

Avery Ayers is back! Her life has settled considerably since the beginning of book 1. Her father has returned and taken over the household so Avery can go back to being a carefree singleton while he manages the more stressful aspects of taking care of a household. Unfortunately not everything is business as usual when Antiques and Artifacts Appraised takes over a project at a secluded estate owned by a royal family from abroad. When Avery and her colleagues begin examining the priceless heirlooms that fill the manor house they immediately discover that someone has taken advantage of the family's absence to abscond with some of their most valuable treasures.

There's a lot going on in this book. Avery is training for her first full marathon, she's reconnected with Hank while Art was conspicuously missing, and Antiques and Artifacts Appraised has been granted a contract with a local auction house that is keeping them very busy... but not so busy that they'd turn down the opportunity to appraise a manor house full of priceless treasure. I found the manor house and the royal family to be a bit of a stretch. Though it was an interesting premise it would have been more believable if it was a branch of the Vanderbilt family or something like that as opposed to a royal family from another country. I also struggled throughout to keep all the characters straight. There were the Hoffmans, the Wolfs, Mathew, Roderick, Greg, Suzanne, I think there was an Ian, there were times I had to wrack my brain to figure out who was who and when they showed up in a scene I also had to quickly try to figure out if they belonged where they were.

The mystery itself was interesting but there wasn't much in the way of investigation and there was only one clue dropped that I was able to recall looking back and it wasn't really a clue, more of a hint that could have meant anything.

I enjoyed the story, I like Avery and I like Art and the overall story is headed in a good direction in general, but I didn't like it quite as much as the first book in the series. I do look forward to continuing with the series.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

Nicholas Pennington, The Duke of Valle Charme, wants the the contents of his castle-like home on the Hudson River, catalogued and appraised before he puts it up for sale. Avery and her team are hired to do the job. They soon learn that many items are missing and some replaced by fakes. Shortly after they notice the Dukes most precious item, a valuable Heirloom watch is missing from its locked case, Housekeeper Suzanne Vick plummets from a parapet to her death. Was she pushed or was it an accident? Then the Duke is injured in a riding accident and ends up in the hospital. Detective Art Smith who is sweet on Avery, works undercover as an appraiser so he can keep Avery safe and find the murderer and the thief. There are a lot of suspects. Could it be one of the heirs to the fortune. The caretaker couple, the chauffeur, the gardener, and groomsmen who will all lose their jobs and some their home once the mansion is sold. This was a well written book with likable characters that kept me up reading well into the night.. I can't wait for the next book!

I was given a free e-copy of this novel by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
Thanks to Aunt Midge’s unlikely friendship with Nicholas Pennington, the Duke of Valle Charme, Avery Ayers and her associates at Antiques and Artifacts Appraised head off to their most glamorous assignment yet—cataloguing and appraising the contents of a castle-like mansion on the Hudson River. But regal splendor becomes a backdrop to mayhem when the precious Viktor Petrova timepiece disappears—and housekeeper Suzanne Vick plummets from a parapet to her death.
Avery, her dad William, and colleagues Micah Abbott and Sir Robert Lane soon learn that Suzanne’s predecessor also met with an untimely end. Further, the housekeeper’s suspicious demise coincides with Avery’s discovery that many of the Duke’s most priceless heirlooms have been replaced by fakes.
Detective Art Smith lends his expertise, but the suspect list encompasses the Duke’s entire retinue—including his family. Could the killer be someone intimately familiar with the Pennington estate, such as caretaker couple Ira and Lynn Hoffman, the Penningtons’ chauffeur Roderick, or even one of the heirs to the Pennington fortune?
Then the duke himself is injured in an inexplicable riding accident, and the clock swiftly ticks toward a reckoning with a cold-blooded killer. A criminal mastermind is making a desperate bid for ill-gotten riches…can Avery bring the culprit to justice before her time is up? (Goodreads synopsis)
I have not read anything by Tracy Gardner prior to this. I started out very confused. The opening introduction to Art made it clear that this is not a standalone novel. There were, also, some references to another person and their crime, which wasn’t mentioned, so that was hard to understand as well. I wish there had been a brief “here’s what happened”. I think it would have cleared up why Avery reacted the way she did in the antiquities office.
From what I can gather Avery had to raise her younger sister for a short time, but that doesn’t seem to change how Tilly reacts to her. There is an interesting relationship between them. Almost as if Tilly is trying to put Avery back in that sister position, but Avery is still focused in the parental idea. I would have liked more of an interaction with Avery, Tilly, and the rest of their family about how they should all be adjusting now. With that said, I liked Avery’s mindset, and how she handles her temper. I didn’t feel she necessarily put herself in danger, and how she purposely thought through her actions and the possible consequences.
The mystery kept me guessing the whole way. I wasn’t really expecting the perpetrator until, maybe, the last 4 chapters. Avery doesn’t really have a lot of interaction with the suspects. Instead Avery and the reader seem to grab most of the information from the Detectives on the case or from outside sources. So I thought that was really unique to this character. I had the same idea as Avery when it came to the imitations.
Overall I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars. I will follow this author and read the first of the series, so that I am better prepared for the next in this series. Hopefully, there will be another in the series.

After a bruising encounter as she investigated the provenance of a valuable ruby whilst mourning the devastating loss of her parents, Avery Ayers needs some down  time. The chance to appraise antiques at the nearby manor house of a European head of state while training for the New York Marathon seems like an idea way to achieve that.

All is not as it seems at Pennington Manor however, and soon Avery and her team discover someone has been replacing the antiquities with far more recent copies. When the body of a member of the household is discovered she knows any chance of relaxation has dieds with them.

Detective Art Smith once again joins Avery, as she looks closely at both the artifacts and her ever increasing suspect list, insisting there is unseen danger at the stately home but neither them realise just how desperate their killer has become. He also has a situation at home which was a welcome distraction at times from the main case and all its intricacies.

This is the second Avery Ayers mystery and is an excellent addition to what I hope will become a lengthy series of books. With her devastating family problems and floundering personal life Avery is a great protagonist along with Detective Art Smith who is my favourite character so far.

My only problem was the author's propensity for unnecessary blasphemy. I have no general issue with this but there were times when it was a shock and not in a good way! Apart from this the whole experience was great, with entertaining protagonists and another great group of suspicious characters to enjoy as I tried to work out whodunit. I failed, but look forward to trying again next time!

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. This is an excellent series and I am already looking forward to spending more time within the world of antiquities!

A nice detective story, very cosy. the book can be read as a stand alone. I found the many references to the previous book helpful, and enticing to read more about the past of the characters.
I received a copy from NetGalley, all opinions are mine.

Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read a digital arc of this book. This is the 2nd book in the Avery Adams mystery series.

Avery is an appraiser of antiquities in her family business. Her Aunt Midge is a dear friend of Duke Nicholas Pennington, and Avery gets the opportunity to appraise the antiques at Duke Pennington's estate as he prepares to sell the grand home. During this appraisal, a prized family heirloom is discovered missing, and a short time later, a body is discovered.

The identity of the killer is well hidden in the deft plotting. Avery's excitement at each new discovery is shared by the reader. The characters are likable, and the connections between them are genuine. I enjoyed this read and feel others will as well.

I received a digital arc from Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books. This is an honest review, and all opinions are mine.