Estate of Mind

I read the first few in this series almost 2 decades ago and remembered them as fairly humorous cozies: not great, but good. So when I was last in the states I picked up a copy of Estate of Mind in a used book store to see if memory served and whether or not it was worth continuing the series. It is not.

I suspect there's an excellent plot here: paintings missing since WWII, art theft, white elephant sales, etc. But I can't get past the writing. It's not bad in the traditional sense: I'm sure it's well edited and I didn't see any glaring errors. But the author's style just isn't suited to me anymore (if it ever was - I do remember I quit her other series because of her style in those books). Abby "wails" when "exclaims", "blurts out", show more or even "shrieks" might be better choices, and unfortunately, she "wails" a lot. A lot of the banter felt forced and her choice to exaggerate some of the characters' personalities just didn't work for me.

I'm not rating this because it might be a great story for someone else; this really is just a style issue for me and I didn't stick with it long enough to really rate it. show less

This one Abby buys a painting at a benefit auction for her mother's church. The painting is a poor rendition of Van Gogh's Starry Night. She's buying it for the nice guilt frame. Problems arise however when someone breaks into her car. She has the painting and frame in the trunk of the car. Her on again off again boyfriend takes a liking to the painting. She pries it from the frame to find a missing real Van Gogh behind it. It seems that her plots are getting formulaic but they are still light and fun reads.

While I love Abby, this outing wasn't my favorite. The actual murder occurred some 260 pages into the novel. Yes, there was another mystery around, but since I wasn't gettin' any of the moolah; I wasn't as interested as the rest of the characters in the book! Though I have to say she is so quick with the quips I almost forgive her her faults, almost! ;]

Abby Timberlake, divorced antique dealer, bids on a terrible painting for the frame, wins it and then discovers a rare painting beneath it. The painting suddenly has great interest and causes strains on some of her friendships. When an old school friend claims he sold it by mistake and then is murdered, Abby starts looking for connections. I had trouble finishing it. I was turned off by the heroine and most of the side characters. I really have no interest in reading any more in the series.

When Abby Timberlake picks up a painting at the local church auction, she gets more than she bargained for. The hideous replica painting hides a famous painting that could be worth millions. However, Abby quickly finds herself in a dangerous position as many parties interested in the painting keep popping up and some of them aren't afraid to murder to get their way.



This is a fun book. I first read it over 10 years ago, but it is just as fun now. I am definitely going to go back and reread the rest of this series.

Rendezvous Review: A Den of Antiquity Mystery. Abigal Timberland is a divorced mother with a very successful antique business. Her discovery of a long missing Van Gogh changes her life dramatically. The ensuing plot is a cross between Southern tradition, mystery, and comedy. Abby is a fascinating character and some of her ideas regarding Southern thinking remind me of my own Southern family. I love this fun book and look forward to reading more Abby Timberlake adventures from this talented author. Great! (Reviewed February 2000 by Carol Prusinski