Death of a Rug Lord

Abigail Timberlake knows when something is valuable - she runs The Den of Antiquity, an antique store. So she is naturally curious when a local rug store is selling good rugs at rock bottom prices and even more curious when the manager gives her an expensive rug for free. She thinks the manager may be sending her some kind of message but before she can figure out what the message might be the manager is found dead in Charleston Harbor wrapped in a rug. Abby decides to investigate the murder and before she knows it she is involved with fake royalty, fake rugs, and fake friends.

"Death of a Rug Lord" is a very funny if light mystery. The emphasis in the book is on humor and there are plenty of laugh out loud moments starting with the show more characters. All of them are larger than life (C.J. literally) and eccentric. Mozella, Abby's mother, is a prime example as she dresses and talks like a 1950's TV character (author Tamar Myers explains this by saying Mozella has dressed that way since her husband died in 1958, which may either be a joke or a mistake - either way it doesn't fit in with Abby's age, but Myers never lets reality get in the way of a good joke). And there are plenty of jokes, plays on words, puns, etc. in the book. All of this makes for a very humorous book.

While the book is very funny, lost amid all the humor is any real plot. Yes, there is a murder, but it is almost impossible to figure out who the killer is since characters come in and out of the story. Several times Abby will set off to do one thing that sets up a chain of events so funny that by the end Myers seems to have forgotten what she originally planned to write. While regular characters the Rob-Bobs are in the book quite a bit, old favorites Wynnell and C.J. only make cameo appearances and soon disappear altogether leaving an unfinished plot line involving C.J. Myers does introduce some nice twists into the plot involving some of the characters, but it is not the most tightly plotted mystery that I've read.

"Death of a Rug Lord" is perfect for those that like light, funny books (think Janet Evanovich) but look elsewhere if you want to read a well plotted, well developed mystery. show less

#14 of the Den of Antiquity series. I'm not quite sure how to describe this one. Once again, Tamar Myers has tickled my funny bone with her antebellum wit overflowing in this hilarious series. It was truly laugh out loud. The mystery almost played out in the background behind the characters, but on the other hand I found a lot more characterization in this book than earlier ones I've read; the characters grew some in this outing.

Someone is switching priceless oriental rugs with machine copies and no one has been aware until Abby's very own purchase became the latest ruse. Abby owns the Den of Antiquity and is an expert in antiques so this was quite a blow! Put that together with Abby's June Cleaver-mother who has changed nothing, show more including her crinoline style, from the day her husband died in the 1950s, the zany C.J. who is full of incredible stories about everything and nothing, and all the other quirky characters and some new ones too, and you have hilarity and mayhem... and a solved crime. This is #14 in the series and I feel it concentrated considerably more on the Keystone Kops type of solving with all characters on board than usual. Great entertainment for a quick cozy read.

Tamar also writes the "Pennsylvania Dutch" series featuring Magdalena Yoder who runs a very unique Amish Bed & Breakfast, another hilarious cozy mystery series, includes recipes. show less

In Death of a Rug Lord, by Tamar Myers, petite yet feisty Abigail Timberlake Washburn, denizen of Charleston, South Carolina, and owner of antique store Den of Antiquity, is surprised to learn that the cream of Charleston society has been gulled into accepting inferior machine-made copies of original Persian rugs, and she feels that she has no choice but to investigate. But little does she know how dangerous a group she might come up against, placing herself and her force-of-nature Mama in the gravest of peril.... This is something like the 14th book in Myers' long-running series featuring Abigail, her mother and various friends and relations; I've dipped into it once in a while, but have never felt the need to follow the series show more obsessively. Myers' style is breezy and often funny, but really this series is lighter than a feather in terms of story and character. A silly read for the summer, and nothing more. show less

A competent and amusing book that is a bit of a romp as much as it is a mystery. Not entirely my cup of tea but a book that would be easy to pick up and read when life is feeling a bit much and one wants to enjoy a mystery that is neither angst-filled rather an updated American version of what the British call a "cozy".

Another in the Den of Antiquity series. This one has Abby getting a Oriental rug for her brother and recent wife CJ and she gets it for free. The young woman who "sold" it to her shortly there after turns up dead. Abby being clumsy manages to soil the rugs of a few well to do matrons in her area and learns that their very nice carpets are in fact fakes. Thus the mystery starts in Death of a Rug Lord. As many have noted light fluffy read but still very enjoyable.

Definitely too much prattle which was quite annoying, which I think is not what the author intended.

This is the type of books I love, can't get enough!