A Bidder End (Antiques & Collectibles Mysteries Book 7)
by Ellery Adams, Parker Riggs 

Kindle Edition, 151 pages
Published March 6th 2019 by Beyond the Page



Goodreads synopsis:
A brand-new book in the Antiques & Collectibles Mystery Series byNew York Times and USA Today bestselling author Ellery Adams and Parker Riggs. 

In the world of antiques and collectibles, it helps to have a sharp eye for quality, a good ear for gossip, and a nose for murder. 

When a retired Hollywood A-lister decides to auction off part of his enviable collection of antiques, reporter Molly Appleby is thrilled to be covering the event for Collector’s Weekly, and she’s certain it will secure the reputation of the dealer handling it, a friend of hers. But soon after the final gavel comes down, the actor’s secretary vanishes and the antiques dealer is found dead, apparently having taken his own life. Molly’s not sold on the coroner’s verdict of suicide, though, and she can’t help but start digging for clues to what she suspects is foul play. 

As she begins to delve into the private life of her friend and his connections with the actor’s staff, Molly slowly discovers that the dealer was far more unscrupulous than she ever imagined and that nearly everyone who knew him had a motive for murder. And when another body turns up and the devious killer begins leaving mysterious clues to taunt Molly and the police, Molly finds herself facing a cunning culprit who wants to see her going, going, gone . . . 

***

4 Stars

"As I have been reading this title, I realized it seemed very familiar. As I did a little investigating into my Goodreads history I discovered I had read book one in this series a few years back. Nice to see it is still going strong.

I enjoyed revisiting the characters here. Of the majority of the books I have read over the years, this series stands out to me. Now, I couldn’t have told you any of the character’s names but the antique auction, the uber bad guy and the pottery made book one in this series stand out in my mind.

The characters here were interesting and the setting was as appealing as I remembered it. I was happy to jaunt along with Molly as she met the retired actor selling off his huge collection of things. It was kind of sad, really. He sold all this stuff because his new wife, who was the same age as his daughter, told him to. She was more minimalist, I guess. I believe this is set in Vermont, so I foresee a divorce in Atlas’s future since said wife really liked the night life and the action she found when he was still in the “biz”.

The death came early in the story and it was a familiar face to Molly, one of the men from an auction house. Molly inserted herself into the case early since she was a friend of the victim and the detective thought it was suicide in the beginning, Only Molly’s knowledge of the victim helped the case to fruition.

This was a fun and complex mystery. The flow of the text was excellent but I did have a bit of trouble navigating between the three men with the names that started with J. I do recommend this to all who love a good cozy mystery. Take my advice and check out all the books in this series. You won’t regret it.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

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USA Today and New York Times bestseller author, Ellery Adams, has written over thirty novels and can’t imagine spending a day away from the keyboard. Ms. Adams, a Native New Yorker, has had a lifelong love affair with stories, food, rescue animals, and large bodies of water. When not working on her next novel, she bakes, gardens, drinks vats of coffee, spoils her three cats, and snacks on black licorice. She lives with her husband and two children (aka the Trolls) in North Carolina.

Molly Appleby is back at work writing for the Collector's Weekly. Up first, an auction of antiques from a retired actor whose young new wife doesn't want to live with old things in her house, well except for said rich husband.

Molly is thrilled her friend was chosen to host the auction. It would really boost his name recognition and hopefully make a boatload of money for his business. And it doesn't hurt that he is dating the actors secretary.

As Molly covers the auction she is taking in not only the antiques but some pretty odd behavior from some of the players.

Molly has a nose for antiques and odd behavior and when her friend turns up dead even the police know she is going to dig as deep as she has to in order to prove it was murder.

There were so many shady characters hiding in plain sight in this first of a new series. It was hard to narrow down who had the best motive. And the more she digs the more she finds out her friend wasn't the nice guy she thought. When the killer begins targeting Molly she digs her feet in harder. But who would want Molly dead? Or is someone playing cat and mouse with her?

I am thrilled to see this new series. The characters were smart and believable, the plot could have been pulled from the headlines and it all came together perfectly. As a good cozy should!

NetGalley Beyond The Page Publishing

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for a fair review. The Antiques and Collectibles mystery series was not only the first time I had read Ellery Adams but also the first cozy mystery I had ever read. Revisiting the series in A Bidder End was like catching up with a dear friend. Molly is covering an auction of antiques owned by a famous actor to be held at her friend Brett's store. The auction is a huge success but Brett's girlfriend leaves in tears. Molly is ready to write her article and enjoy a Vermont summer when she receives a call the next morning that Brett has taken his own life. Detective Lombardi doesn't see a stolen cookie jar and a game piece as a clue to foul play but Molly is determined to prove Brett was murdered. Molly is one of my favorite characters. She is feisty, determined and just flawed enough to be approachable. The humor woven through the book kept my laughing and made A Bidder End a fun read while still being a great Whodunit. I did not expect the end. I highly recommend The Antiques and Collectibles series and even if you start with A Bidder End you will not feel like you've been dropped in the middle of a story. I hope this series has a long life to come.

Not certain whether or not I have read any of the previous ones in this series. If not, this was a fine introduction. Several culprit possibilities. Good relationships and bad. Some potential ones. I like how our charming protagonist has a good excuse for her sleuthing as she is a reporter. Nice that she has a healthy relationship with the local police, as those two professions don't always concur.

Molly is excited to be writing an article about a retired movie star who is auctioning off some of his things through a local antique's dealer. While at the auction Molly gets to meet the famous star and learns that he is a fan of her work. At the end of the auction most everything has sold and it looks like her friend may have put himself on the map as not only a seller of antiques but the place to go to sell your collectables. When Molly goes to visit her friend and finds him dead of what looks like a suicide she just doesn't understand. He had no reason to kill himself, the auction went of beautifully, business was looking good, and he was dating someone new. Molly know her friend and doesn't think it was a suicide but a murder set up to look like one. The police have to look at the evidence and go with what they find so Molly decides to look into things on her own. She just needs to figure out why someone would have wanted to kill the man. As she digs into his life she begins to find clues that just may lead her to a killer. The only problem is sifting through the numerous suspects she has found herself looking at. Will she be able to find a killer or will the end result truly be a suicide. Follow along and see if you can figure it out before you get to the end!!!

Princess Fuzzypants here: New mom Molly is delighted to cover the prestigious auction her friend Brett is holding of a collection of antiques of a famous actor. The day seems star-kissed as the auction goes off without a hitch. That is until Brett’s girlfriend who happens to be the actor’s assistant rushes off afterwards. When she seemingly disappears, Brett calls Molly and asks her to talk to her close friend who is the cop she’s helped on other murder investigations.
Things really go downhill for Brent when he dies in what is thought to be suicide at first- that is by everyone but Molly. It turns out she is right and this is only the beginning. Molly soon finds herself deeply embroiled in the murderer’s “games” as she tries to unravel a series of romantic entanglements that lead to death.
I enjoy this series because both the reader and Molly are treated as intelligent creatures. As a reporter, it is not odd that Molly would investigate a story. Her connection to the police is both professional and respectful. They work together not at cross purposes, which is why the friendship has blossomed.
I confess I suspected the villain early on. The story was still engaging.
I give it four purrs and two paws up.

I enjoyed this cozy very much. It contained enough twists, turns and viable suspects to keep one guessing.
Molly Appleby realizes as soon as she sees the scene of her friend Brett's death, it was NOT suicide, even though it's been staged to appear that way.
Evidence appears to point at one suspect in particular, but Molly just can't buy it and sets to help her friend, Detective Lombardi, seek out the clues he needs to solve the crime.
Another body and a kidnapping ramps things up and they become more determined to find the answers.
Molly endangers herself as she adds up the clues and Detective Lombardi manages to arrive in the nick of time and to hear what really happened as Ivy is taken for medical treatment.
Lively and amusing I found this to be an excellent way to pass an afternoon, and highly recommend it.
I requested and received a NetGalley Arc.

Secrets abound and red herrings roost in book seven of the Antiques & Collectibles Mysteries. This is a clever cozy with a unique mystery, a motley crew of characters and a compelling plot to keep you on your toes. Four stars.

I loved this well written, engaging, and entertaining cozy mystery.
It's bit darker than the usual cozy and I appreciated the atmosphere and the pace of the book.
It starts a bit slowly but after a bit you're hooked and you cannot put it down.
The mystery was solid, full of read herrings and suspects, and even if it was not hard to guess the culprit it was really entertaining.
Even if it's the first installment in this series I had no problems in understanding the plot and the characters.
I look forward to reading other installment in this series.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to Beyond the Page Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This is the 7th installment in Antiques & Collectibles mystery. Molly Appleby is a reporter for Collecters Weekly and at the moment she is covering the auction of an actor’s collection. Her friend Brett is the dealer and she gets to meet the famous actor in the process. What a win win for her. The auction goes off without a hitch but Brett is found dead in his home of an apparent suicide. This does not ring true for Molly and she is going to find out what is going on. She finds some not nice things about her friend and there are plenty of suspects. This is a fast paced mystery and it is nice that the police cooperate with Molly and her job lends itself to snooping so it is more realistic than some other cozies. Hope this series continues.

Cozy Collectible Murder Mystery
This cozy mystery is set in Vermont with Antique and Collectibles Sales as the backdrop. This book is the 7th of a series, but the first that I have read. This novel stands alone perfectly. I never felt lost for lack of background, nor did I felt smothered in too much background. These authors found a perfect balance. In fact, they maintained great balance throughout the entire book. The plot never bogs down and the reader is kept engaged throughout. There are many suspects, no obvious red herrings and plenty of motives to go around. This was a fun novel to read and I plan on reading the rest of the series. I received this book for free and this is my honest review.

cozy-mystery, amateur-sleuth, law-enforcement, reporter

***** I really love the sleuth in this series that is new to me! A southern transplant to Vermont, Molly is a happily married reporter for a niche magazine and friend to a local police detective. The plot is original and the characters are very interesting. Cue murder of another friend and let the sleuthing begin! The publisher's blurb is well done and so is the story, so no spoilers here, just a rave review.
I requested and received a free ebook from Beyond the Page Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!

I wasn't sure if I had read any of the other books in the series but a few chapters in the main characters were familiar and I realized I had read the first one. I plan on going back and rereading it and the other five.

When a retired Hollywood A-lister decides to auction off part of his enviable collection of antiques, reporter Molly Appleby is thrilled to be covering the event for Collector’s Weekly, and she’s certain it will secure the reputation of the dealer handling it, a friend of hers. But soon after the final gavel comes down, the actor’s secretary vanishes and the antiques dealer is found dead, apparently having taken his own life. Molly’s not sold on the coroner’s verdict of suicide, though, and she can’t help but start digging for clues to what she suspects is foul play.

The protagonist Molly finds herself facing a cunning culprit who wants to see her going, going, gone . . .

I really loved the characters in this series! There are plenty of red herrings with a few twists and turns thrown in, to keep me interested. The story is well thought out with believable characters, interesting situations and good dialogue.

I recommend this cozy mystery to all my friends and lovers of this genre.

I received a copy from Beyond the Page and NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.

Reasons I enjoyed this book: Easy-to-read,Entertaining, Page-turner, Unpredictable and Wonderful characters

Molly Appleby, a reporter for Collector’s Weekly writing about antiques and collectibles, also investigates crimes that come up when she’s covering her beat.

This time she is writing about the auction of a famous actor’s collection that is being staged by her friend, Brett Hamilton, owner of Laurel Wreath Antiques and Auction House. After the successful event, Brett is found hanging in his house the next morning. Classified as a suicide by the police, Molly disagrees and sets out to find out who killed her friend.

Informally, Molly collaborates with Tony Lombardi, a local police detective who seems more open to working together than most police. There are plenty of red herrings with a few twists thrown in for good measure. The story is well thought out with believable characters, interesting situations and good dialogue. And, as with any good reporter, Molly never gives up. An entertaining cozy for a lazy afternoon.

Loved the main characters and hope we can hang out again. There are advantages of being a reporter, people expect you to be nosy. But, can you go too far with your questions? Do you like antiques? They are certainly worth some money, but if I had any, I would want to use them, not keep them hidden away. Kind of like, oh, don’t use the good china. I enjoyed the story line and how Molly kept digging. It’s nice to see civilians and the police working together. Some of these characters surprised me, but I’m not saying how. Hope you enjoy this book! I received a copy from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.

My first in this series, though I have read many by Ellery Adams. Antiques and Collectibles and their history can be so intriguing so I enjoyed the setting tied into the Auction. With such a busy and nice, main character, who actually gets along with the police! The story drew me in and I had fun following the mystery solving. Not sure I'd pick up the others in the series, but not disappointed in this one.

I love cozy mysteries and I really loved the characters in this series! That said, I feel like this was a little longer than it needed to be.

The story was good and I love the protagonist’s tenacity. I also like that she does not have an antagonistic relationship with the police and they actually have mutual admiration and trust. And bonus that here is no love triangle, but rather she has a stable relationship.

A Bidder End by Ellery Adams and Parker Riggs. 3.5 stars

I was intrigued by the title and subject matter because I am a fan of Jane Cleland and her antique mysteries. This is my first Ellery Adams and it wasn't bad. The book kept my attention and I liked the main character, Molly Appleby. She is a reporter that seems to stumble into murder while reporting on the world of collectibles. Her friendly relationship with the local homicide detective was great. I think I might have a different opinion if I read the series from the first book. because I think I am missing some of the nuances between characters that were established in prior books. The mystery plot was OK.

Thank you Netgalley and Beyond the Page Publishing for the ARC of this book.

Molly Appleby has a keen sense for antiques, collectibles and investigating murders, though not necessarily in that order. When a friend snags the auction of a famous celebrity's antique collection Molly is covering the auction and gets to meet the actor, of whom she is a big fan, to boot. A win-win to mix business with pleasure. The pleasure soon ends when her friend is found dead in his home the next morning. While it looks like a suicide, Molly is certain it isn't and questions why a cookie jar and a game piece are nearby the body before she begins searching for her own story of what truly happened.

With so many potential suspects, Molly has her hands full writing her articles, raising her family, and trying to uncover the truth. When a second body is found with a cookie jar and a game piece, she's certain they are connected and the local homicide detective agrees with her. When another of Molly and another person of interest both receive a cookie jar and a game piece, she knows they are taunting her and the police. But can they figure out who the killer is before she loses the game and her life?

I'm a huge fan of Ellery Adams and had to read this book when I saw it. While it definitely has her touch, it just didn't hit home with me as much as her solo books do. Maybe I'm just partial to her and need to be more open to her co author, and I promise I WILL read the others and keep an open mind. Especially since the story itself was well written with lots of red herring and clues.