"Ruby Red Herring" by Tracy Gardner is the debut novel in the Avery Ayers Antique Mystery series, blending the worlds of antiques, art appraisal, and amateur sleuthing. While the book offers an engaging premise and a promising start to the series, it falls short in terms of pacing and character development.

The story follows Avery Ayers, an antiques appraiser who becomes embroiled in a mystery involving a stolen ruby and the deaths of her parents. Gardner creates a compelling backdrop with the Lilac Grove setting, filled with eccentric characters and an intriguing family business. The incorporation of antiques and art appraisal adds a unique dimension to the mystery genre.

However, the novel's pacing can be sluggish at times, with lengthy descriptions and dialogues that slow down the narrative. Additionally, the character development, particularly that of Avery and her sister Tilly, lacks depth. Readers may find it challenging to connect with and invest in the characters' journeys.

The mystery itself is well-crafted, with multiple suspects and twists to keep readers guessing. Gardner successfully creates a sense of intrigue and suspicion surrounding the stolen ruby and the deaths of Avery's parents.

Overall, "Ruby Red Herring" is a three-star read that lays the foundation for an intriguing mystery series. While the pacing and character development may leave some room for improvement, the novel offers an engaging premise and a promising start for fans of cozy mysteries and antiques.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

This is a new author and series to me. I was initially intrigued because u love cozy mysteries and am always on the lookout for a new series or new premise. I love how this book takes place among antiquities and jewels. It added a layer that I am unfamiliar with. The characters were pretty well written, although I'm not sure how I like all of them yet. I look forward to reading the next in the series (and hoping the author writes more).

An Avery Ayers Antique Mystery Book #1 by Tracy Gardner.

Avery is working on authenticating a ruby for the Manhattan Antiquities Museum. She receives warning letters to stop working on the case from her supposedly dead father. Is he really alive or is someone behind a devious plan?

This is an action-filled cozy mystery! It’s like a treasure hunt to unravel clues to find the truth. There is always something happening that puts Avery’s life in danger, making it hard to put the book down! I loved all the characters especially Art, the protector, and love interest. I can’t wait to read more of this series! If you love a good action mystery, you will enjoy this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Avery and Tillie Ayers were in the car when it crashed killing both their parents. Their Aunt Midge and her dog Halsten immediately moved from Manhatten to Lilac Grove where they all dealt with their grief and tried to move on. For Avery that meant stepping into her parent’s shoes in the family business, Antiquities & Artifacts Appraised. The business has been hired to appraise and authenticate a large rare ruby. A ruby that may be the missing piece from a dragon medallion from the Xiang Dynasty currently being exhibited by the museum. A piece her parents appraised right before their deaths. Avery with assistance from her employee and friend Micah Abbott must first determine if the ruby is real and if it is, analyze if it is indeed the jewel missing from the dragon medallion.

While Avery is trying to concentrate on the jewel she receives a threatening note followed by other strange events including the murder of an art collector. Realizing the danger she faces she knows they must complete the appraisal as quickly as possible but then someone else is attacked. She finds help from an unusual source to keep her safe. They also work together to try to uncover the killer but their luck just may run out before they do . . .

Oh, this was an exciting story.

I am very appreciative that the author took the time to really introduce these characters and give us readers their back story. Avery is a complex protagonist because she is not only dealing with the deaths of her parents on a personal level but on a business level as well. She has some big shoes to fill and she knows it. It is a lot for a twenty-five-year-old to handle so I was happy to see that her mental health was addressed and that she is seeing a therapist. Tilly has a big audition coming up and it could mean a huge step as she starts her college life. She too is in therapy to help deal with her loss. Their Aunt Midge is their rock. She does anything she can for the girls and keeps the grief of losing her brother under wraps. They are a close family unit and for the most part, they are getting on with their lives. These characters all have a genuine feel and I felt it was very easy to care about what was happening in their lives.

The supporting cast features Micah, Sir Robert, and Art Smith. Micah and Sir Robert work for Antiquities & Artifacts Appraised and have known Avery and Tilly their whole lives. Micah comes across as caring and competent. He has suffered his own loss that turned his life upside down before losing his friends, Anne and William Ayers. Sir Robert seems to be very art smart but lacking in life knowledge. He just isn’t really tuned in to what is happening around him at all times. Art Smith is a fantastic character. He is working as a security guard at the museum but he is so much more. Ms. Gardner did of nice job of letting these characters develop over the course of the story.

I love that this mystery was different from most of the cozy mysteries I read. The focus was truly on the ruby with a variety of tentacles building off of it. The mystery was truly challenging and riveting, The museum was a busy place, open for its regular exhibits plus there was a movie being shot in one wing. That added to the intrigue as more people came into play. It also adds to the suspect list. Ms. Gardner had me taking notes about all the connections and interactions as I tried my best to solve the mystery before all was revealed. I was still kept guessing right up until the very end and was thrilled by that.

A wonderfully entertaining mystery full of truly interesting characters inhabits the pages of Ruby Red Herring. I love Tracy Gardner’s writing style and was delighted by the precise way she added humor and romance in all the right places. This book is a real gem! It checks all my cozy boxes!

After her parents' untimely death in a car accident, Avery Ayers returns home to Lilac Grove, New York, to help run her family's business, Antiquities & Artifacts Appraised. She lives with her younger sister Tilly, and her Aunt Midge, who had moved in after the deaths, leaving her Manhattan apartment for Avery to use while in the city.

Avery is working on verifying a very large Burmese ruby that was acquired from a mysterious collector. This ruby might be the twin to the bejeweled dragon medallion which is currently housed in the Museum of Antiquities, with the other ruby ensconced as its left eye. If this one is verified, it could make the medallion worth millions. But strange things are happening, and not only on the work front.

Avery hopes to find her parents' verification papers on the other ruby, but before she can do anything with them, there is a break in at her home and they are stolen. There are mysterious notes that appear to come from her deceased father. Then someone is murdered, and it changes everything. With one clue that links her to someone named Art, she asks him for help, and suddenly she discovers that her life is in danger and Art might be the only one she can turn to. Who is trying to kill her? And more importantly, are Tilly and Midge in danger, too?...

This is the first book in a new series, and I wish I had had the time to read it sooner. It is definitely the most intriguing book that I have read in a long time. It's full of details, of mysterious goings-on, and plenty of red herrings (hence the title). I absolutely loved this book and devoured each page eagerly, wondering where the story line was going to take me next.

Avery is probably one of the most intelligent protagonists I've ever come across; she's generous, smart, fiercely protective of her family, dedicated to her job; while at the same time being vulnerable, recognizing that therapy has helped her cope with her tragedies, and willing to take a chance on trusting someone other than her family. She's human. She has flaws. But she does what she needs to to find out the truth of what is going on.

And what is going on is more complicated and deadly than anything she might ever have imagined. It fills her with fear. Yet she knows that in order for it to end, she needs to do whatever is necessary, and with the help of the mysterious Art, she will find the truth to free herself and learn who's behind the fatal car crash.

In the end, when the killer is revealed, it comes not so much as a surprise, as the fact that the person who has caused such havoc does not care, and would continue to do so again. This is a wonderful book, full of everything you would expect in a mystery, and I am eagerly awaiting the next in the series. Highly recommended.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher but this in no way influenced my review.

An intricately detailed cozy mystery that kept me guessing the whole time and I didn’t see the ending coming! In the audio book I thought the narrator sounded way too young and that put me off at first. When I switched to ebook I flew through the story without hesitation. Bravo!

It took a while for me to actually get into Ruby Red Herring by Tracy Gardner. However, once I did, I couldn't put the book down. Not a lot really happened until about halfway through the book, which is why I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5. It was kind of a mixture of cozy mystery and suspense thriller with the focus being on antiquities fraud and murder. I really like all the characters. But as I was reading I was really hoping that Micah wouldn't turn out to be a bad guy since he was like a father to Avery. I'm glad that the author didn't make him the villain. I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

After her parents' untimely deaths, orphaned Avery Ayers takes over the family's antiques-appraisal business. When asked to appraise and authenticate a rare and beautiful 16-carat ruby, questions arise as to whether the ruby may or may not be the Museum of Antiquity’s famous dragon medallion. This was an interesting cozy mystery with a unique hook: the appraisal and authentication of precious gem stones. I enjoyed the plot and meeting and getting to know the Ayers sisters. I look forward to more installments in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley, Crook Lane Books, and author Tracy Gardner for a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Ruby Red Herring: An Avery Ayers Antique Mystery is the first in the series by Tracy Gardner where we meet Avery Ayers, Antiquities & Artifact Appraised in Manhattan. Livving with her younger siter and Aunt Midge after her parents death.. Avery is knee with the appraisial of the a rare, resplendent ruby when the trouble starts!

I really enjoyed reading this book and can't wit for the second in the series. Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for letting me read this wonderful book.

I enjoyed this book and would like to read more of the series. However, I had trouble connecting to the characters of the story. I did learn some about jewels, grading of jewels, and a few other things, but I have an issue with interest in the storyline. I wish the author would have spent more time on character development.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

This is the stellar start of a new cozy series. This book kept me engrossed from the very beginning until the end. The characters were intriguing and antiques, who doesn't love antiques?! This well crafted book make me anxious to read book 2.

Debut of new cozy series focused on antiques and antiquities full of interesting characters in an well-plotted and researched mystery. While Avery Ayers carries on with her family business of certification and analysis if antiques, mystery and danger arise around a large ruby that could be a missing jewel from a Chinese medallion. Looking forward to reading the next in the series.

Enjoyable read in a new series by an author I have just discovered. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

An absolutely outstanding cozy mystery debut. By debut I mean a brand spanking new series!

This was absolutely incredible. It felt like a non-stop, action packed adventure in the world of appraisals. There were times I kind of felt like I was forgetting to breath and my eyes were popping out of my head because of the events that were going on. It was SO much fun.

It almost felt like I was watching a movie. It was so descriptive and well fleshed out that I forgot I was reading because I was seeing it all so vividly.

I’ll be sitting here anxiously awaiting the next instalment!

Princess Fuzzypants here: It took a bit of time to sort out the characters and what was going on in the story but once I did I found the story gripping. Avery is attempting to authenticate a huge ruby that was donated to the Museum. Her initial job is to verify that the stone is a real ruby and then whether the stone is a missing eye in a very important piece that the Museum owns. It is fascinating to learn some of the techniques they use to prove whether it is a fake or not. It is quite a scientific and intricate process but this rock and the mask in which it might have belonged have an even more complicated and diabolical history. Avery is shocked to learn that one of the things connected to the ruby might have been the death of her parents who had been working to authenticate the stone at the time of death.

Murder attempts, break ins, cryptic notes, a detective moonlighting a a security officer at the Museum, a charming movie star and so many other things will keep Avery’s head spinning. Other than her sister and aunt and her co-worker, Micah, she is confused and dismayed. She is told to trust no one and the facts indicate that is good advice.. it is not only the stone and the artifact that is in question. Someone is determined to hide the truth and is willing to go to any lengths to achieve it.

Quick paced and exciting with interesting characters and a couple of really good twists, it was an enjoyable read. Five purrs and two paws up.

What a delight! I am new to Tracy Gardner's writing but I have quickly come to enjoy it.
The characters are well thought out and the plot is smooth and suspenseful. I usually read book in short spurts but I found the story to be too engaging to set the book down. I caught myself saying "oh my gosh!...." several times (which I never exclaim while reading) - there were so many twists and turns.

I typically find myself critiquing the pace of cozy mysteries but Ruby Red Herring was outstanding. The characters were interesting and certainly not annoying like some books in the genre. No, this was a well-rounded book and I am excited to pick up more by Gardner!

First in a new series and just as good as the Shepherd Sisters mysteries! A unique way to start a cozy, with the dead, already dead, or are they? Such a clever plot and I love learning about history and unusual tidbits of knowledge such as what a spinel gem. I was a tiny bit disappointed that there wasn’t a recipe at the end of the story for any of the family BBQ foods. Loved the way the plot developed and the supportive family/friends were perfect. So many new facts and details to keep track of with each chapter that you never want to put it down and the mini reveals along the way just added to the overall big reveal at the end. Looking forward to the next one!

FANTASTIC STORY! I really enjoyed this opener to a brand new series by Tracy Gardner. Wonderful mystery and great characters. This was a perfect cozy for me. The art angle made for a great mystery with all sorts of things to untangle, and a budding relationship for Avery made for a story I could not put down. I need book two asap!

Ruby Red Herring by Tracy Gardner
Book #1: Avery Ayers Antique Mystery Series
Source: NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books
Rating: 3/5 stars

The Bottom Line: Yet again, I must admit to struggling with a read I truly expected to blaze through. It took me days to finish this book and I think it had to do with the wonkiness of the plot. There is a lot going on in this book, between the project Avery and her partners are working on to the suspicions surrounding the deaths of Avery’s parents. While the two stories are actually intertwined, I found the blending of the two to be somewhat clunky and awkward. I also found the pacing of the first two-thirds of the book to be somewhat slow and it wasn’t until the last third that the pace picked up and I was able to move more easily towards the end. Though I struggled with this book, I like author (another series I follow!) and the cast of characters in this book. I have faith the second book will overcome some of the clunkiness of this read and I will more thoroughly enjoy the succeeding books in this series. I am not yet ready to kick this series to the curb and will dive into the second book as it becomes available.

This was a good beginning to a new cozy series, and I liked how it was a unique premise! I would definitely recommend trying this book!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.