The Antique House Murders
The Oakwood Book Club Mystery Series
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
In this irresistible cozy mystery from the USA Today bestselling author of The Book Club Murders, amateur sleuth Charley Carpenter fights to avenge a crime that hits far too close to home.
Mulbridge House stood, silent and decaying, deep in the woods at the heart of Oakwood, Ohio, long before the passing of Augusta Mulbridge. Yet suddenly everyone in town seems to have a stake in its fate: the greedy heirs, eager to tear it down for a tidy profit; the local preservationists, determined to maintain it as an historic site; the angry neighbors, staunchly opposed to the construction of a modern subdivision. Even Charley Carpenter is forced to admit that her beloved shop, Old Hat Vintage Fashions, could use an infusion of the estate’s treasures.
The clock is ticking. The wrecking ball is ready to swing. All that stands between Mulbridge House and oblivion is one final vote. That, and murder . . .
The trouble begins when Charley walks into auctioneer Calvin Prescott’s office to find her cherished family friend crumpled on the floor. Detective Marcus Trenault quickly connects his death to a string of increasingly violent burglaries plaguing Oakwood. But when Charley uncovers a link to a massive land swindle worth millions, not to mention a drug ring operating out of the manor’s abandoned outbuildings, that theory crumbles faster than Mulbridge House. Now Charley’s racing to catch a killer before everything falls apart.
Customer Reviews
The Antique Hook
As a fan of Leslie Nagel’s Oakwood mystery series ever since I read her first book, how could I, a Historic Preservationist, pass up a book titled The Antique House Murders? I couldn’t.
And, the book didn’t disappoint. The antique house in question came to life through Nagel’s excellent and sympathetic descriptions. It became another character in the book as the age-old tug of war between preservation and development played out against Nagel’s Oakwood setting.
As avaricious heirs, developers, nimbys, eccentric preservationists, police detectives, and over-inquisitive shop owners took turns doing their ‘thing’ trying to push the development or stop it, solve the mystery or preserve the house — the plot thickened expertly in Nagel’s hands until it reached its surprise ending.
Charley (Charlotte) Carpenter, the series’ delightful amateur sleuth, her wheelchair-bound dad, his helper, her BFF, and Charley’s patient, loving detective boyfriend, Marc, reluctantly support her dangerous hobby and she ultimately solves the mystery.
If you like a good cozy mystery, Nagel’s Antique House Murders will not disappoint!