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Barbara Early

Teoksen Death of a Toy Soldier tekijä

5 teosta 108 jäsentä 20 arvostelua

Sarjat

Tekijän teokset

Merkitty avainsanalla

Yleistieto

Sukupuoli
female

Jäseniä

Kirja-arvosteluja

I usually pick my mysteries based on the setting and this seemed like an interesting setting, if I couldn't work around books I'd want to work around toys or tech so I expected to enjoy this book and I did. The heroine Liz was nice, after her father retired she gave up her life to come home to help with the family business. A lot of mysteries are kind of unbelievable because an amateur detective winds up solving a case, what does a toy store owner know about solving a crime, quite a lot in this case as Liz's father was chief of police before retiring. That lends quite a bit credibility to the mystery. I'm looking forward to the 2nd book which is due out in a few weeks.… (lisätietoja)
 
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kevn57 | 5 muuta kirja-arvostelua | Dec 8, 2021 |
Liz McCall runs a vintage toy shop, Well Played, in East Aurora, NY along with her father. The duo have a booth at the Toy and Train Expo. Liz expects the show to be a busy, but enjoyable event. Until she sees an enemy from her past. Her childhood nemesis, Craig McFadden, has a booth for his comic book shop set up right next to them. And Craig is still a jerk. His employee, Maxine, seems very nice and definitely competent, which makes the situation a bit better.

Liz's dad says that he has spotted some rather shady looking people at the expo. Liz thinks it might just be his former law enforcement career making him see criminals in any large crowd.....but strange things start to happen, culminating in Craig taking a swan dive from the cat walk of the expo building into the train display below. Was his fall an accident? Or something more sinister?

I used to own a comic book shop so all the discussion of comics, grading and selling collectibles was enjoyable for me. :) The author did a great job of portraying the collector crowd....and how they behave, or misbehave, at an expo event. The collectibles market can be fickle. People sometimes think they have a high dollar item and get rather upset when you have to tell them it's a reprint or too damaged to be worth anything. All those reality shows that portray people finding gems worth thousands in their attics made everyone believe they had a mint hidden away in their home. :)

I love the idea of a retired police officer running a vintage toy shop with his daughter. The fact that the father still has his cop intuition was a great addition to the character. He notices people in the expo crowd behaving strangely.....and he was right! Liz is a strong, intelligent and determined main character. All of the side characters are believable and interesting. The toy and comic book background theme didn't overpower the mystery, but added to it. The mystery moved along at a good pace, with plenty of surprises and twists. I did not see the ending coming.....it caught me by surprise. But, it was one of those moments where I had to shake my head and say to myself that I should have seen it coming..... :) All in all, great cozy mystery!!

Murder on the Toy Town Express is the second book in the Vintage Toy Shop Mystery series. For more information on the author and her books, check out her website: http://www.barbaraearly.com/

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**
… (lisätietoja)
 
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JuliW | 6 muuta kirja-arvostelua | Nov 22, 2020 |
Liz McCall has been seeing Ken Young, the current Chief of Police, but he neglected to tell her he was married. His estranged wife, Marya, shows up in East Aurora to rekindle their marriage. She's working right next door to Liz's toyshop. And she's involved in the toyshop's doll rehab project. It seems as though no one in town really knows Marya, so it's especially hard to come up with suspects when her body is discovered in the barbershop next door with a hair dryer cord wrapped around her neck. Since Ken is the prime suspect, Liz's father, retired Chief of Police Hank McCall, is asked to take over the investigation. Liz has a few questions of her own and she's determined to get some answers.

This is the third book in the Vintage Toyshop Mystery series and can be read as a standalone. I love the toyshop with all its old goodies. Who doesn't like a trip down memory lane every now and then? The setting, the characters, the mystery - this book has so many great things going for it. And there are lots of puns that will have you rolling your eyes but also smiling!

Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for an ARC.
… (lisätietoja)
 
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jenn88 | 5 muuta kirja-arvostelua | Mar 31, 2020 |
Death of a Russian Doll by Barbara Early is the third A Vintage Toy Shop Mystery. I recommend reading the series in order. Otherwise, you will be missing some of the background information on the main characters. Liz McCall becomes embroiled in another murder investigation when Ken Young, the local chief of police and her beau, is accused of murdering his Russian wife, Marya. Liz has been dating Ken for a while and this is the first she has heard about Ken being married. While Liz’s father is in charge of the investigation, Liz has no intention of sitting out the case despite the extra workload at the shop plus finding a sponsor for the doll project. I like the vintage toy shop owned by the McCall family called Well Played. I enjoy the inclusion of the toys carried in the shop (a nice variety that bring back memories). The mystery was complex but with a simple solution. I like how the whodunit is multifaceted. I would have preferred more active investigating by Liz and less romance. It seems that Liz has accumulated three romantic interests (I am not kidding). There was too much time devoted to romance and not enough to the mystery. Death of a Russian Doll was an entertaining cozy mystery with good characters, a charming setting, fun toys, family, food, humor, and an intriguing mystery. Death of a Russian Doll has damaged dolls, a stream of suitors, mystifying Matryoshka dolls, treasured toys, mysterious mate, and meddlesome family members.… (lisätietoja)
 
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Kris_Anderson | 5 muuta kirja-arvostelua | Mar 5, 2020 |

Tilastot

Teokset
5
Jäseniä
108
Suosituimmuussija
#179,297
Arvio (tähdet)
4.0
Kirja-arvosteluja
20
ISBN:t
19

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