A great cozy mystery. I did not realize this was the second in a series but it was fine as a standalone. I definitely didn’t feel like I was missing anything. Each book focuses on the story versus an ongoing storyline.

"A Wealth of Deception" by Trish Esden is a compelling novel that skillfully navigates the intricacies of its suspenseful plot. Esden's writing captures the reader's attention with well-crafted characters and a cleverly woven storyline. The suspense and unexpected turns maintain a high level of engagement, making it a page-turner. While there might be occasional predictability, the overall execution and storytelling merit a solid four-star rating for "A Wealth of Deception."

This was a cute cozy and I am totally on board for another cozy series! I can't wait to see what this gang of misfits gets up to in the next installment! I am totally adding Trish Esden's backlog of books to my TBR!

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4.5 out of 5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape media

This is the second in the Scandal Mountain Antiques series but my first time reading this series. I really enjoyed the setting and the characters. The characters were intriguing and the mystery was very interesting. Emily Ellet did a great job as the narrator. I may have found a new narrator.

Edie’s has been struggling trying to keep her gallery from bankruptcy after her mothers arrest. Trying to catch a break Edie locates a painting she suspects done by a renowned artist in an unsuspecting home. She will uncover so much more than she expected trying to find then true artist.

Received an audiobook of this book. The narrator had a pleasant voice to listen to.
It took me a bit to get into it but once I did… I enjoyed it. I would recommend it!

A Wealth Of Deception is the second Scandal Mountain Antiques shopfront cozy mystery by By Trish Esden
While appraising the affects of an estate as a favor, Vermont antique and art dealer Edie Brown comes across a painting and a mystery. Deception forgery plagiarizing, follow along as she tries to discover the truth behind the painting and the artist itself.

A Wealth of Deception is the second book in the Scandal Mountain Antiques series. I chose to listen to this audiobook before reading the first one. It can be read as a stand alone. I was able to follow along perfectly fine. This has a cozy mystery vibe even though the mystery is less about murder and more about who this work of art is from. It's an interesting read that gives insight into the antiques scene. There is a bit of romance along the way which is always a plus for me.

A thoroughly absorbing tale of duplicity that engrosses one from the first pages. The cold and calculated manner in which the subterfuge unfolds is disturbingly chilling, allowing the unfortunate characters to find out in a way that really exposes humanity at its' best and worst!

Going in I didn't realize this was book two. I didn't need to have read the first one to get the story but it may have been more enjoyable.

A Wealth of Deception was the second book in the Scandal Mountain Antiques Mysteries Series by Trish Esden. Although I had not read the first book in this series I had no trouble reading the second one. It can definitely be read as a stand-alone book. I would place A Wealth of Deception in the cozy mystery genre. It was well written and I found myself fully engaged almost at once with its suspenseful and twisting plot. The characters were multifaceted and quite interesting. I listened to the audiobook of A Wealth of Deception. It was narrated very well by Emily Ellet. I enjoyed her performance. The setting for A Wealth of Deception was a small town in Vermont called Scandal Mountain.

Edie Brown had a background in art and antiques. At one time she had even been employed at Christie’s in New York. Edie was home in Scandal Mountain, Vermont now, though. She was trying to help her Uncle Tuck and Kala, a very talented and bright assistant her mother had hired, run and restore Scandal Mountain Fine Arts and Antiques reputation. It was her family’s business but it was in lots of trouble. It had not helped that her mother had been convicted for art forgery. Edie’s mother was presently in jail serving a prison sentence for that crime. Reputable art dealers now seemed to have a hard time trusting them with their business. Nothing seemed to be going right at Scandal Mountain Fine Arts and Antiques. Edie just learned that they had a failed septic system. It was going to cost a lot of money to fix it - money they did not have. On top of that, Edie had just been notified that an auction she was counting on to bring in some money had been delayed. All of those things were only compounding her family’s business financial shortcomings.

One day a client showed up at Scandal Mountain Fine Arts and Antiques and asked Edie and her Uncle Tuck if they would be willing to come to her home to appraise her dead mother’s assortment of collectibles. Edie saw this as an opportunity. You never knew when you could discover a treasure. They set a time and day to view the client’s mother’s possessions. Edie and Tuck arrived at the house and were ushered into a room where all the items were. As Edie made her way around the room she was disappointed that there was nothing of great value until she spotted a rather large collage that was hung on a recessed wall. There was something very familiar about the collage to Edie. It was reminiscent of a Vespa piece of art. Vespa was a well known “outsider “ artist. There was even a recognizable “V” on the collage. When Edie inquired about the collage, she was told that the woman’s brother had made it for their mother. The woman’s brother had been in an accident and had suffered a brain injury. He had never produced any forms of art before his accident. Her brother had made the collage in an art therapy program. The woman insisted that her brother had no interest in selling his art. Edie’s interest was piqued, though. Could this be a Vespa original? Had it been stolen or had it been replicated? Edie’s curiosity got the better of her. It led her to the rehabilitation center where the client’s brother resided and to an art show. Edie’s unrelenting interest brought danger and the act of deception into her life. Would Edie, Uncle Tuck and Kala be able to discover the secret associated with the collage before anyone got hurt?

A Wealth of Deception by Trish Esden was the first book that I had the pleasure of reading by her. I enjoyed all the twists and turns throughout the book. The first part of the story was a little slow but the pace surely picked up as the plot developed. I enjoyed the combination of a small town in Vermont where everyone seemed to know one another and the focus on art and artists. It was a well thought out cozy mystery and I am looking forward to reading the next installment in this series. If you enjoy a good mystery with a focus on art then I recommend this book highly.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media LLC for allowing me to listen to the audiobook of A Wealth of Deception by Trish Esden through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review. This is the second book in the Scandal Mountain Antiques Mystery series. I wish I had known it was the second book before requesting it. I was a bit lost for about the first house of the book. I personally didn't enjoy this book. If you ever want to read a cozy mystery that has the amount of description of a Steven King novel, this book is for you.

Interesting story about art, deception, brain injury, and death. Lots of twists and turns in this read. A family looking to revive their business and reputation. An artistic savant, and the people trying to profit from his art, lead to a dangerous mix.

A Wealth of Deception is the second Scandal Mountain Antiques shopfront cozy mystery by Trish Esden. Released 18th April 2023 by Crooked Lane Books, it's 336 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a well written and engaging small-town shopfront cozy mystery featuring an amateur sleuth who is an arts and antiques seller and historian, her uncle, and friends/family. She has an interesting back-story since her mother is currently in prison on art fraud/forgery and she's come back to her family antiques store to help try to keep it afloat after her mother's trial and incarceration.

It's populated by the usual cast of oddball and eccentric characters, some vaguely threatening competitors in the antiques milieu, and an interesting and well researched plot revolving around visual arts, authentication and provenance, and whitewashing and fraud (and murder) in the rarefied high end arts world.

Although it's the second book in the series, it works perfectly well as a standalone. There are currently two books in the series, with an open ended implication of further adventures for Edie & co.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 9 hours 22 minutes and is narrated by Emily Ellet. She has an oddly husky/gravelly voice with an appealing musicality/cadence. Her accent in this read is unobtrusive midwestern American, and it soon fades into the background (in a good way). The sound and production quality are high throughout the recording.

Four stars. The violence occurs off-scene and the language is clean. There is frank discussion in the text about standards of ethics in mental health and residential care facilities and providers, along with psychological trauma and patient abuse.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Fun read but definitely a slow burn. I enjoyed reading it as a break between series. The characters were likeable and the story flowed well.

Special thanks to Dreamscape and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

What a slooow start, and the 2nd book in a series which I hate even though it can be read as a standalone. What an outdated book, to be honest. The narration wasn't bad, but the book was.

Honestly, did not enjoy. This is a cozy mystery but misses all the cozy warmth and humor. This book comes off as super bleak. The heroine’s mom is in jail, which isn’t a deal breaker, but her moroseness about her situation is. This reads like a very dark, obsessive cozy which honestly is not what I look for at all. I think this could be good for people who like harder mysteries, but not for your genre loving reader.

The narrator was perfect for this book. I am a huge fan. The book was okay. I enjoyed the listen. I didn't get attached to the characters but that might be on me and it didn't detract from the experience of the listen.

The second book in the scandal mountain series, however this can be read as a stand-alone. This was a well written book with an interesting premise, unlike most mystery thrillers I found this to be unique with the dealing mystery. I feel like it needed higher stakes as I didn't feel enough suspense to be fully absorbed and care a lot about what happens next. However I do feel like after a slow start the story did pick up and I was slightly more invested.

When Edie Brown finds what looks like a Vespa collage and not only does the owner not want to sell it insiste it’s a piece done by her mentally ill brother ED cannot let it go. This is just the thing to put her family struggling antique shop back on the map although her boyfriend Shane and uncle Tuck tell her to tread lightly especially due to her previous fraudulent conviction and her mom‘s recent incarceration before it’s over she will wish she would have listened because what she uncovered not only surprises her but puts her life and others in danger. Even though I didn’t read the first book in the scandal mountain cozy mysteries I can honestly say I enjoyed the story and did not expected to go where it did. It is a rare cozy mystery that involves The mafia and can pull it off with such credibility. The narrator has a nice voice and really does a stellar performance and great narration makes for an awesome audiobook. A Wealth Of Deception certainly falls in that category. I received this book from NetGalley and dreamscape media but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.