Consigned to Death
3.5/5
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About this ebook
Josie Prescott's friends thought she was nuts when she left her high-paying New York auction house job and her boyfriend to live on the rugged and beautiful New Hampshire coast. Truth is, Josie wondered a little herself—never mind that her peripheral involvement in a well-publicized price-fixing scandal made the possibility of a new start incredibly enticing.
Things are looking better, though, now that she's got her own auction business up and running and has made something of a success of her new life. That is, until she gets mixed up in murder, and the supremely eligible but emotionally distant local police chief seems to think she's the prime suspect.
Josie has suddenly got a lot to lose and no desire to leave her new life—or the possibility of a little romance—behind. So she sets her mind on identifying the killer and making the best out of her unfortunate circumstances. After all, Josie is grateful for her second chance in life and knows a third is just too much to ask…especially with a vicious killer on the loose.
Consigned to Death is the first novel in Jake K. Cleland's delightful series of mystery and antiques on the New Hampshire coast.
Jane K. Cleland
JANE K. CLELAND once owned a New Hampshire-based antiques and rare books business. She is the author of nearly twenty novels and short stories in the beloved Josie Prescott Antiques mystery series, is the winner of two David Awards for Best Novel, and has been a finalist for the Agatha, Macavity, and Anthony Awards. Jane is the former president of the New York chapter of the Mystery Writers of America and chairs the Wolfe Pack’s Black Orchid Novella Award in partnership with Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. She won the Agatha Award for both of her books on the craft of writing, Mastering Suspense, Structure and Plot and Mastering Plot Twists. She is part of the fulltime English faculty at Lehman College, a contributing editor for Writer’s Digest magazine, and lives in New York City.
Read more from Jane K. Cleland
Business Writing for Results: How to Create a Sense of Urgency and Increase Response to All of Your Business Communications Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Putting First What Matters Most: Proven Strategies for Success in Work and Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBusiness Writing for Results Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to Consigned to Death
Titles in the series (4)
Consigned to Death Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Lethal Treasure: A Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hidden Treasure: A Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jane Austen's Lost Letters: A Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for Consigned to Death
79 ratings11 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Formulaic mystery but interesting. I learned some things about the appraisal business.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Great mystery read with an antique spin.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A great debut of a new cozy series. Josie Prescott is a suspect in the murder of a potential client. One or two little loose threads, but all-in-all a great first. I'll keep reading this series!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This was a fun story in the sense of a beach-read. The narrative was a bit drawn out in developing the plot twists but Josie Prescott is an engaging protagonist. I didn't find the who-dun-it aspects very surprising but certainly enjoyed a peek at the antiques' trade.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A very good series start, a lot of good characters.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I can't believe it took me this long to try this series. Highly recommended on the mystery listserv DorothyL I've had it on my "TBR" list for a long time.
This is a first in a series and I can't wait to read more!
Josie Prescott is an antiques dealer in a shore town in New Hampshire. When a potential client is killed Josie becomes a "person of interest". Then, when a masterpiece of art goes missing, then shows up in Josie's auction house the stakes become even higher for Josie and her business.
There is a lot of character development and place development but it is worthwhile because it establishes a solid background for the future books.
I had several people picked as potential killers and one of them did turn out to be the one, but it wasn't my first choice so as usual I was slightly surprised by the ending.
All in all a great book and I can't wait to find out more about Josie, her employees and her friends. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Ms Cleland is able to make you feel like you are there with both the way she has written the characters and describes things. I am ready to read the rest of this series. Josie is person you want to get to know better and if you like antiques the descriptions are great.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5First book in the Josie Prescott mystery series. Josie is an antiques dealer who runs a warehouse and auctions in New Hampshire. She left New York a few years ago after getting caught up in her boss's illegal activities and wearing a wire to get him arrested. She wants a fresh start and her business is growing. Things start going badly when the local chief of police questions her about the death of an older man she was talking to about selling his antiques on consignment. It was murder, and Josie is a suspect.I really liked this book. the characters and plotting were good, but the best thing is that both plots and characters were so rational. Josie, her lawyer, and the police chief all listen to each other and cooperate with each other. That's just refreshing. I get so tired of books where the characters do stupid things to advance the plot. Cleland proves that it isn't necessary. I've put the rest of the series on hold at my local library.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This new series reminds me of the cooking mystery series written by Diane Mott Davidson. Being a new series, I expected there to be more character development from the author. The book alludes to Josie's role as a whistleblower in a price fixing scandal but doesn't provide much more information than that. Josie becomes a detective after a potential client of hers was found dead the same morning she had a scheduled appointment. The story provides useful information about antiques. This is definitely an easy read and I found Josie a bit daft when she doesn't figure out the real culprit until being told who it is by the lead detective.Fun to read but not too deep.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I really didn't like this book. The main character was a wuss. She was always bursting into tears, she had no backbone and was hard to take seriously. The other characters lacked substance and the plot was rather thin. Not a good book at all!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Another good book. Not too much violence.