Sat 12 Jun 2010
EMYL JENKINS – The Big Steal. Algonquin Books, trade paperback, July 2009.
The once growing cottage industry of mysteries with settings in the antiques world has shrunk considerably, but professional appraiser and antiques columnist Jenkins, in her second novel featuring (no surprise) appraiser Sterling Glass, should please any fan of mysteries who’s also a fan of PBS’s Antiques Roadshow.
When Glass arrives at the Orange Country VA mansion where she’s agreed to do an appraisal of the considerable collection amassed by a deceased couple, she finds a curator who appears little inclined to facilitate her work and a board whose own interests seem contrary to Sterling’s appraisal.
There’s relatively little action but a lot of talk that revolves around the authentication of antiques. Still, if you have any interest in collecting (and it doesn’t need to be antiques), you should enjoy the behind the scenes look at a highly competitive field.
And Sterling Glass is a very appealing creation, with a variety of colorful characters adding spice to the mix.
Bibliographic Note: Emyl Jenkins’ first mystery and Sterling Glass’s first appearance was Stealing with Style (Algonquin, 2005).
June 12th, 2010 at 9:25 pm
My first wife’s mother was often called in as an estate appraiser when antiques and particularly glass collectibles were involved — mostly she bought the best pieces for herself — at some discount. Still, it’s a natural setting for a mystery.
June 13th, 2010 at 10:28 am
This isn’t a series I’d heard about before, and it certainly sounds intriguing. The leading character’s name is a bonus!