A Killer Collection

Molly Appleby is a former teacher turned writer for Collectors Weekly: a specialist newspaper. While at an early morning kiln opening with her pottery-mad mother Molly notices something unusual happen to one of the collectors. When that man later dies Molly suspects the death is not of natural causes and becomes involved in uncovering which of his many enemies was responsible for his death.

I’ve read books from two of Ellery Adams other series and enjoyed them so was willing to give this one a go even though I have zero interest in antiques, pottery or collecting in general. Once again Adams didn’t let me down by providing a lighter-than-usual-read without treating readers like idiots. In the same way that Dick Francis managed to show more interest me in esoteric subjects in many of his novels, Adams has a knack for balancing her knowledge of special subjects with superior storytelling abilities. Here she introduces readers to a world of pottery as folk art and, literally, gives clay a voice that carries right through the novel. The mystery itself is not terribly complicated though it hangs together well and the resolution does have a twist that I liked.

The characters are engaging too, although I could have done with a teeny bit less of Molly’s mooning over her colleague. Generally though Molly and the other people I assume will be series regulars are fun and compelling enough that I would happily meet them all again. The one-time characters – i.e. the suspect pool – also prove interesting and a cut above the clichéd ‘bad guys’ that cosy mysteries are often cluttered with.

A KILLER COLLECTION was first released in 2006 under one of Ellery Adams’ pseudonyms but was apparently revised by the author before being reissued under own name two years ago. I don’t know how many changes were made in that time but there is nothing that dates the novel now. Well perhaps aside from the fact its central character still works for a thriving specialist newspaper that releases a physical edition once a week. Certainly in Australia that seems like pure fantasy in the week when another 120 journalists have lost their jobs at our leading daily paper but perhaps the situation is not so dire elsewhere.

A KILLER COLLECTION is an intelligent, well-written cosy mystery that has fun without being silly. If you’re an audio book fan then I can recommend Andi Arndt’s excellent narration. show less

A Killer Collection by Ellery Adams is the first book in the Antiques and Collectibles Mystery series. Molly Appleby is a writer for Collector’s Weekly. She is going to write a series of articles on North Carolina pottery collectors and potters. Molly is attending her first kiln opening with her mother, Clara (who is an expert and collector of pottery). A kiln opening is where a potter sells the wares he has created and collectors can get them at reasonable prices.

At the kiln opening of C.C. Burle, George-Bradley Staunton, a collector, collapses. No one is too upset because George-Bradley is not very nice. At one opening he knocked over a woman and she broke her leg. George-Bradley is rude, condescending, and only out of himself. It show more is determined that George-Bradley collapsed from an overdose of insulin (he was a diabetic). However, someone gave him the overdose intentionally. Molly sets out to figure out who killed George-Bradley. She thinks it will be good for her article. There is no shortage of suspects.

During the course of the investigation Molly stumbles upon pottery thefts and another dead body. A Killer Collection provides wonderful descriptions of beautiful pottery as well as information on the making of clay, using a potter’s wheel, and different types of kilns.

I give A Killer Collection 4 out of 5 stars. This is an early work of Ellery Adams (originally published under J. B. Stanley). A Killer Collection has satisfying characters, interesting premise, and one of the mysteries takes a little more thought to solve. I enjoyed the descriptions of the beautiful pottery especially face jugs.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. show less

Originally published in 2006 under the name J.B. Stanley, A Killer Collection is the first book in the three-volume Collectibles cozy series. The author has completely revamped each book to have them reissued under her pen name Ellery Adams. What I enjoyed most about this first book in the series were the behind-the-scenes action at an auction and all the good information about Southern folk art pottery-- and A Killer Collection absolutely glows whenever Adams describes the creative process as a potter sits at the wheel.

I was slightly less satisfied with the characters and the mystery. As a journalist Molly has the right training to ferret out the perpetrators of crime and to provide readers interested in collecting with plenty of good show more information. However, I didn't find enough there to make her stand out from all the other amateur sleuths available today. And for all the readers who prefer justice to prevail and all their plot threads neatly tied up in bows by book's end... they may be left feeling a bit dissatisfied. I have to admit that I didn't particularly care for the way Molly dealt with the information she had.

All in all, the book is enjoyable in its depiction of folk art pottery, its history and traditions as well as in showing us the evolution of a writer. show less

A solid little mystery featuring Molly Appleby, writer for Collectors' Weekly, her mom, and assorted characters many working in the world of Southern pottery. The reader is shown the intensity and passion motivating the potters for generations to craft their unique creations.

Molly loves people, writing and food. She has a heartfelt need to understand and unearth as much info as she can about the subjects she writes about. When a bully of a collector dies unexpectedly at a kiln opening Molly can't curb her curiosity. She asks questions, listens carefully and reasons out a solution.

If you like mysteries that have mostly pleasant characters, a bit of romance, and simple plots this one will do nicely.

Antiques writer Molly Abbleby goes to cover a pottery show in North Carolina with her mother. Molly discovers that these pottery shows are hardly sleepy country affairs, they are cut-throat events. Pottery collectors are ruthless in their search for the best pieces. One of the worst and most vicious turns up dead, and it seems like anyone and everyone could be responsible. I really enjoyed this mystery. It is well-written, and Molly is a likable main character. I had no idea that pottery collecting was a such a crazy, dog-eat-dog world. Honestly, learning about that was one of the most interesting parts of the book. Overall, it was a compelling and enjoyable mystery.

Molly Appleby is a writer for magazine "Collector's Weekly," and her latest assignment is checking out a pottery kiln opening, a world her mother, Clara, is intimately familiar with. At the opening, she meets a prominent, arrogant, obnoxious pottery collector. An unpleasant encounter, but most of the people there are pleasant enough, and she knows some of them. She pick up information for her article, and also finds a piece of pottery to buy.

And then the unpleasant man collapses in front of her. 911 is called, but when the ambulance carries him away, the siren isn't sounding--he's already dead. The man was a diabetic, and is found in the autopsy to have had far too much insulin in his system. Accidnetal overdoes, is everyone's initial show more assumption.

Except that Molly is sure there was something very strange, and not at all right, about how he was moving just before he collapsed.

Molly is a reporter, if a very specialized one. She can't stop asking questions, overhearing conversations, getting to know people, listening when they talk.

There are small but valuable pieces missing from the dead man's collection. His former friend, local pharamcist and fellow collector, disappears the day he died. There are all sorts of rivalries and feuds in the pottery collecting world, and little mysteries like why one previously noted local potter suddenly stopped doing any art pottery or selling to the public two years ago. The relationship between the dead guy and his wife was really strange, too, as she hated his pottery collection and it strained their relationship to the point where they lived in separate wings of thei house.

What is going on here?

It's light, it's fun, and the characters are enjoyable. Recommended.

I bought this audiobook. show less

This is the first book in the Collectable Mystery Series and I think it really set the stage for future books. The characters have been introduced, but there is still a lot to learn about them in subsequent books. I loved the setting and the idea of the pottery. I really learned a lot about the history of the North Carolina Potters and the process they used as well as how it was passed on to family members. Having said all that, the story was also a good one. Molly is a writer for a Collectables Magazine. Her mother is involved in collecting and selling pottery so Molly often goes to sales and auctions with her. At a kiln opening, one of the more undesirable, yet wealthy collectors dies. After an autopsy it is determined that he died of show more an insulin overdose. Was it accidental or murder? Molly begins to investigate and finds out more secrets involving collectors and potters alike. There is a love interest in the story, Matt, who works with Molly. He is shy and quiet, but Molly gets him to open up a little to her. I am sure we will learn more about Matt in the next books. A fun read that I very much enjoyed.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. show less