Monday, December 30, 2013

Review and Giveaway: The Sayers Swindle

The Sayers Swindle (Book Collector Mystery - Book 2) by Victoria Abbott

Publication Date:12/03/2013
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley Prime Crime
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 305
ISBN-10: 0425255298
ISBN-13: 978-0425255292

(Received for an honest review from Berkley Prime Crime)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, IndieBound

Victoria Abbott (aka. Mary Jane Maffini and Victoria Maffini) on the WEB: websitetwitter, facebook, goodreads

Books in the series:

The Christie Curse (2013), The Sayers Swindle (2013)

Coverart: Click the image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.



Excerpt from The Says Swindle, courtesy of Amazon's Look Inside feature.

Synopsis:

Jordan Kelly is delighted to make money tracking down rare and valuable mystery novels for her employer, Vera Van Alst, an avid collector and the most difficult woman in  Harrison Falls, New York. But now her boss’s complete set of Dorothy Sayers is missing, and finding them may lead Jordan to a murder suitable for Sayers’s esteemed sleuth, Lord Peter Wimsey…
 
When Jordan manages to locate her boss’s missing books, they are in the possession of Randolph Adams, an elderly man in a nearby town. Offering a valuable Hemingway first edition as an incentive, Jordan thinks she’s about to seal the deal—but some of Randolph’s relatives think he should hold out for more.
 
Then the entire family disappears—and a dead body shows up.  It’s up to Jordan to collect the clues—and make sure a killer gets booked.
 

Thoughts:

The mother/daughter duo that make up Victoria Abbott brings readers the second book in the Book Collector Mystery series, The Sayers Swindle. Rich in detail and full of interesting characters this mystery is sure to tempt any rare book lover. With insights into the rare book business, creative Dorothy Sayers tie-ins and enough comedy to make you chuckle more than once, this is a great cozy mystery that promises to give the reader an enjoyable whodunit.

What I liked:

Oh, where to start with this one. I am a book lover from way back and this series really hits the spot for me. The first book in the series focused readers on Agatha Christie and now in the second we get a great read that focuses on Dorothy Sayers and her Lord Peter Wimsey books. I like the fact that Abbott is taking book collecting and using it for her subject. I could never afford a first addition or anything like that, but I find all of the information about rare books and the business of buying and selling them captivating. I think the authors did a great job of using those elements as a backdrop for this mystery.

Jordan Kelly is a very likable heroine. She definitely has moxie and she isn't afraid to use it. She is sassy and vibrant and drawn so well that readers will love everything about her. I loved the fact that Abbott didn't find it necessary to make Jordan a do-gooder necessarily. She has been known to use some less than above board tactics when it comes to finding out things she needs to know. Her uncles are hilarious and give a whole new dimension to Jordan's character.

Ah, the uncles! They had some adventures in their day and Jordan has learned a thing or two along the way. They give a lot of comic relief to the book and are endearing characters in spite of their nefarious ways. Abbott uses comedy skillfully in this book and makes readers chuckle now and then or shake their heads at the uncles' antics.

The mystery in this one was engaging and entertaining. Jordan has to find a set of Dorothy Sayers books which have been stolen from her employer. There are a ton of suspects and of course there is a dead body thrown in the mix and Jordan methodically puts the clues together to figure it all out, but I sure didn't... LOL! Which means it was a very good book.

What I didn't like:

There wasn't anything bad to report on this one and that means it earns a five from my book bag.

Bottom Line:

If you are a book lover of any kind, you will love this series. The Sayers Swindle is well thought out and executed. The authors don't leave anything to chance, they provide a great whodunit, and some really good humor. This is one you definitely want to pick up.

About the Author:

Victoria Abbott is a pseudonym for the collaboration between artist, photographer, and short-story author Victoria Maffini and her mother, Mary Jane Maffini, author of the Charlotte Adams mysteries.


Giveaway Details:

The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of The Sayers Swindle by Victoria Abbott.

~ You must be an email subscriber to participate.
~ US Addresses only.
~ The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST, January 13th.

1. Please leave a comment describing any collectible books you may have, first additions and the like.
2. Please fill out the FORM.

23 comments:

Linda Kish said...

I don't have any collectible books but I have some very old books that have meaning to me. I have my father's crossword dictionary from the 1940s. I have several books put away from the turn of the previous century, I couldn't say what they are because they are packed away. And, I have a few Norwegian songbook. I don't, however, speak nor read Norwegian.

skkorman said...

I have a couple of signed Stephen King books packed away.

skkorman AT bellsouth DOT net

Angela - Bookaunt said...

I have a first edition Alice in Wonderland and a first edition of American Ideals by Abraham Lincoln that were my great-grandpa's. I also have a Bible that was his and a primer.

cyn209 said...

my most prized books in my collection are my Harry Potter & Twilight books (not sure if they're first editions).......
I also have some signed books, but not sure if they would be considered collectibles........

Rita Wray said...

I don't have any collectible books but I do have many books signed by the authors.

Barbara T. said...

No books that would be considered collectible by anyone other than myself. My bookshelves are groaning from the number of books. I try to give away all paperbacks, even those signed by author. I like to encourage other readers.

Renee said...

I just love old books with beautiful binding. I try to rescue them from ebay when I can. The smell makes my small library feel like heaven when I read.

traveler said...

I don't have any collectible books but love all my books. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

Karen B said...

I don't have any collectible books. I now give away most of my books after I've read them so others can enjoy them.

Carol N Wong said...

I have a book written in Latin that is 275 years old. Also I have a lot of old children'sbooks with beautiful bindings,in English, German and French.

CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Sue Farrell said...

I have a copy of the children's book Black Beauty that was published in the very early 1900's.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

I don't have any collectable books, but do have a few signed by the authors.

nlb1050@yahoo.com

Unknown said...

I have several author-signed books, and some first edition books, but they aren't old enough to be valuable to anyone except me. michelle_willms(at)yahoo(dot)com

Linda said...

I have a beautiful book of poetry.published in the 1870s, several early Nancy Drew titles and 2 of the 1920s Curly Tops series.

lag123 said...

I have a Pharmacopia from 1881.


lag110 at mchsi dot com

Carol M said...

I don't have any collectable books but I do have books signed by authors and a collection of ARCs.

Elizabeth Schroedle said...

I don't know if you would consider these collectibles. My late Mother loved Betty Neels. Over the years, I managed to find every one of her books and novellas for my Mom. Some appear to be quite old and others are reprints.

bn100 said...

don't have any of those

Anita Yancey said...

I don't have any first edition books. But we have some that we collect that are from the early 1900's, and one that is a Bible from the 1800's.

ayancey1974(at)gmail(dot)com

Renee G said...

I have a few books that are signed by the authors, but that's about it.

Karin said...

I don't have any collectible old books-- except 2 that were my Dad's and they are falling apart. I found them in his childhood bedroom and read them when I was a kid, as did my sister. "Little Men" and "Eight Cousins".....

Michelle F. said...

I have some books signed by authors and some old mystery books that I got at the library book sale, but they're probably not valuable, especially since I wrote my name in them.

Unknown said...

My most collectible books would the ones signed by authors. The most cherished one is from Erica Bauermeister.