The first title in Cordy Abbotts's An Old Town Antique Mystery Series, Dead men Don't Decorate, is off to a good start. Camille Benson feels stuck in a rut teaching art history at Northern Virginia Community College. Her son, Paul is the newly elected mayor of Marthasville, small suburb of Washington D.C. and she would like a change too. When Roberto Fratelli,( the meanest man in Marthasville) decides to sell Waited4You, the small antique store once owned by Camille' s parents, she sees this as the chance to change and buys the store. Camille and her BFF Opal Wells inventory the store's contents but after finishing and leaving the store they return to look for a mysterious old letter Opal saw taped to the bottom of a chair. The letter is missing, but Roberto's body is in the middle of the shop. Finding and authenticating the "Washington" letter, looking for the creator of the " fake antiques", uncovering Roberto's shady business dealings and weeding thru several suspects all combine for a fast paced, well done story. 🌟🌟🌟🌟

From the theme (Art, cozy mystery) to the Benjamin Gates vibe with "a secret dating back centuries", including the fact that it's a series debut, this novel had all the chances to make me hooked from chapter one. Sadly it fell flat for me. I'm disappointed because I really wanted to enjoy it. Too bad.

A nice start to a new series. Camille is a professor but she's also the proud new owner of the antiques store her parents once owned and the mother of the Mayor of Marthasville, Va. She bought the store back thinking she'd revive it but then....she finds the body of Roberto, the last owner and there's a whole issue with a letter. Luckily, she's got a good friend in Opal and the two of them can snoop out the real villain. It's fairly standard cozy stuff but the characters are nicely done (and there are dogs). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Looking forward to the next one.

This is a great book that is the first in the promising Old Town Antiques Mystery series. The story opens with Camille Benson, a 55-year-old college professor, contemplating her future. Camille’s son has just been elected mayor of their town. Camille, however is somewhat adrift. Teaching is no longer challenging for her and it’s lost its appeal. Unfortunately, though, she doesn’t know what direction she wants her life to go in - until the opportunity to purchase an antique shop comes her way. In fact, it’s the very same antique shop her parents once owned. She quickly buys the shop from the curmudgeonly owner, Robert Fratelli, aka the least liked person in the entire town.

Shortly after buying the shop, Camille gets word from her friend Opal that a letter said to have been written by George Washington to Sally Fairfax in 1756 is hidden in a chair at Camille’s new shop. The two women go to the shop to find the letter. But upon arrival, they not only can’t find the letter but find George Fratelli dead. At that point, the mystery begins and the plot quickly picks up speed. Along the way, we are introduced to an eclectic set of characters, follow multiple twists and turns with Camille as she becomes a reluctant amateur sleuth, and encounter some red herrings, until at last the mystery of Fratelli’s death is solved.

There were so many things I loved about this book. First, it’s set in historic Virginia, one of my favorite places. Next, it was so refreshing to read a cozy mystery with a protagonist who is a mature 55-year-old with a lot of life experience behind her instead of the all too common twenty- or thirty-something heroine who more times than not in my experience falls madly in love with the investigating detective, complete with all the attending details of their budding romance woven throughout the storyline. There’s a place for the latter kind of cozies, and I won’t argue with that. But there’s also a place for cozies with more mature protagonists like Camille who are largely ignored in the realm of cozy mystery books. Finally, Cordy Abbott has an excellent writing style and is adept at creating interesting characters and a plot capable of keeping readers guessing.

Dead Men Don't Decorate by Cordy Abbott is the first book in the Old Town Antiques series. This book has wonderful characters, and great dialogue. I really enjoyed following along as this murder mystery was solved. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

3.5 stars

This debut featuring antique store owner Camille is uneven at times but has some things going for it. Camille is neither a 20-something or a senior sleuth, an unusually welcome age group for an amateur detective.

The setting is a Georgetown like historical suburb of Washington D.C. and is well-depicted, both in the physical surroundings and the attitudes. Camille's parents owned an antique store which was sold upon their deaths, but Camille re-acquires it on a whim when the current owner Roberto decides to retire.

Roberto is universally disliked by the surrounding business owners -- he is unpleasant, belligerent, and confrontational and they are thrilled to welcome Camille. But the very night she signs the papers, she and best pal Opal discover Roberto's body in the shop, murdered. She soon uncovers some less than ethical business dealings which could well provide a motive.

Camille is a fun character, mostly. There are a lot of plot detours and some of the characterizations don't entirely make sense. Her friend Opal is supposed to be a retired Coast Guard officer but she comes across as being fairly silly. And the is he or isn't he love interest, Camille's new landlord, changes back and forth between a villain and a nice guy. For some reason Camille is practically bipolar in her dealings with him. Camille's son Paul just happens to be the newly elected mayor and Camille seems a bit over involved in his life.

Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

But, there is humor here and the writing is nicely done. There is just enough detail about the antique business to make it interesting. There is a major plot element featuring the authenticity of an old letter supposedly written to George Washington which takes up a lot of energy.

3.5 stars, rounded up

The residents of Marthasville, Virginia, are happy to learn that the nasty owner of the town’s antique store is selling the business, and Camille is excited about buying the store her parents used to own. But when the former owner is found dead in the store, and potentially valuable items are missing, Camille and her friend, Opal, are curious enough to investigate.

This is the first book in a new series by a debut author. The descriptions of the town where the book is set remind me of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania – full of historic sites and reliant on tourist traffic to keep the town afloat. I learned a bit about antiques, sometimes more than I wanted to know, although the methods used to verify (or disprove) the authenticity of a document were interesting to read about.

I like that the MC and some of the other primary characters are older, retired women who still have brains in their heads and know how to use them. Given that the murdered man was very unpopular in town, there were a lot of potential suspects with good motives, and my mental list changed frequently as the book progressed. I was surprised by the identity of the killer, although not by the motive. I will look for the next book in this series and look forward to my next visit with Camille, Opal and the rest.

This book was very entertaining and a great mystery all around! I will definitely be reading more from this author! I would highly recommend this book to everyone!!

I really enjoyed this first entry in the Old Town Antiques Mystery series. Abbott’s not only written incredibly likeable characters but perfectly balances the red-herrings and clues to create one heck of a twisty, turny whodunit plot. Plus Camille’s schnauzers, Stickley and Morris, are so stinking cute. Not only is it interesting learning about the Washington letters and all the decorating/antiques information but I have to say Abbott’s shout out’s to the great music from the 70s and 80s were the perfect playlist to this great mystery and I can’t wait for book two.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

Dead Men Don’t Decorate is a great first book in the Old Town Antiques Series. The main character, Camille, leaves her job as a professor at a community college and buys an antiques store. Soon after, a man is killed in the store after hours. The mystery is very good. I liked that the author made Camille a former community college professor, rather than a university professor. I thought that was unique, and cool. There is a lot of American history discussed, as well as talk about antiques. Both topics are well done and interesting. Camille’s best friend, Opal, is a great character. She’s a lot of fun, but not ridiculous or irresponsible. I really enjoyed her and look forward to reading more about her in future books. Both ladies seem to be in their mid-fifties. There are a lot of classic rock references, which I enjoyed.

As for a possible romance sub-story, I don’t know. In that area, Camille seems to overreact and came across as preachy to the possible love interest. We learned absolutely nothing about her former relationships, so maybe if the author brings that into future books the reader will have a better understanding of why she’s like that. The positive take on this, she’s very human.

Overall, it is a really good book; interesting, fun, and well-written. I’m glad I found it. I look forward to reading book two!

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this wonderful ARC. I’m submitting my honest review and opinion. I will post this review to my blog, Goodreads, Bookbub, & Amazon accounts on the publication date, 11/8/22.

Camille Benson finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery. Someone killed the former proprietor of her antiques store. Roberto Fratelli may have been a mean man and involved in dealing fake furniture, but he does deserve justice. Camille and her friend Opal begin an informal investigation that's hampered by a reticent lawyer and a cagey detective.
I like the antiques angle and the dogs! The author also includes fun music references. But the writing style is choppy and abrupt. I had to push through to read until the end.

I must say that I had high hopes for #DeadMenDontDecorate by Cordy Abbott, which I received from #NetGalley, given the description and the lovely cover, but by the time I'd read about 35% I was prepared to toss in the towel.
The story started at a snail's pace, the victim was a person that no one in the book and indeed myself cared was dead, and the characters were either difficult to relate to or downright irritating, as I found the character of Opal to be. Add to that the propensity of the author to lecture regarding books, paper, and antiques - all something I didn't really anticipate or want the book to go into such depth and ended up skipping over - and the first half of the book was a chore to read.
A day after reading it and I also find myself thinking that the title has little to do with the storyline.
I stuck with it, though, and while I still didn't feel for any of the characters, the mystery itself picked up and kept me reading to the end. The writing, while not gripping, is proficient and technically sound.
I don't expect I will be continuing with this series.

Camille has just decided to purchase Waited4You, an antique store once owned by her parents. The seller is a surly curmudgeon. Within hours of Camille and her friend completing an inventory of the story and the signing of the papers, Roberto Fratelli , the seller is found dead--in Camille's new store!! How did he even get in the store? Camille noticed some odd situations, such as a table labeled as an antique but was not. Was Roberto scamming his customers? Did he make someone mad? Was it just that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Camille and her friends are fun. I enjoyed the mystery and the characters. The writing style is easy to read and the story kept me engaged. I would love to read another book by this author.

If there is a blank fill-in-the-blank template for cozy murder mysteries, this followed it: small artsy business proprietor, crazy friend, close kids who are dating, stupid cops & a small town location by the sea. Dead Men Don't Decorate is a pleasant read, but there's very little _new_ about it and to top it off, the mystery solution was practically called out with a strobe light from very early in the book. Normally I don't like complaining about something following the tropes, because I like a good trope as well as the next person, but this felt _too_ paint by numbers. Still, it's a nice read to while away a weekend.

I really enjoyed this novel and this author's writing style! I thought the pacing was well done as sometimes it can be slower within a cozy setting, but this one held on well. I also enjoyed a lot of the vintage aspects throughout the novel that for an anthropologist and history buff like myself felt was really a fun quality and made the story more intriguing for me. The characters were well thought out and I enjoyed the environment everyone was in.

In appreciation for this ARC provided by the author & publisher via NetGalley, this is my review of Dead Men Don't Decorate. All opinions/thoughts are mine alone.

In Marthasville, VA, local curmudgeon Roberto Fratelli is the owner of antiques store Waited4You. He's miserable to customers and fellow merchants alike. Waited4You is up for sale and the buyer is Camille Benson, whose parents originally owned the shop. Her son Paul is also the newly elected Mayor of Marthasville.
Camille is informed of a valuable letter related to George Washington and a little-known aspect of his life taped to the bottom of a chair by her best friend Opal Wells, who assisted her with conducting inventory of the shop as part of the purchase. When they return to the shop to obtain the letter, Roberto Fratelli is found murdered and the letter is missing. Camille becomes a reluctant sleuth to solve the mystery of Fratelli's murder and the missing letter--is it real or fake?

I found this book from a new-to-me author charming and fun! I easily identified with MC Camille Benson, who is actually close to me in age (usually, the cozies I read have their female protagonist to be in their late 20s - early 30s). It's mentioned once in the book that she's 55 years old and has white hair--otherwise, there's not much time being spent on her age or looks. Camille is a classic rock fan, as it's noted she plays The Police and Pink Floyd (a woman after my heart).

I liked the relationship between Camille and Opal--it reminds me so much of the relationship between myself and two of my closest friends. I could also identify with Camille's relationship with her son Paul: wanting the best for her son, hoping he finds someone to share his life with. I felt the world-building was done well and Marthasville (which appears to be based on Alexandria, VA) is a place I would like to visit. I had guessed the culprit rather early, but I enjoyed the twists and turns while heading to the aria. There were times I laughed out loud at Opal's antics throughout the book.

I enjoyed this book overall and plan to read additional books by the author.

Overall a pretty cute new series; lots of colourful characters and I like the antique & modern angle. I’d love to see more info on our colourful cast of characters in the next book though; considering how long this was, there wasn’t a lot of info on anything. The mysteries were I retesting, but fairly easy to solve.

Thank you Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for e-ARC of the book.

Dead Men Don’t Decorate is a cozy and paced murder mystery book. It all starts when Camille Benson, mother of new mayor of Marthasville, decides to buy the antique store. At one point it used to belong to her parents, so she is happy when the current owner Roberto Fratelli decides to retire and sell it to her. Camille has big plans on how to attract new customers and rearrange a store. Soon after the purchase the previous owner was found dead. Things get more complicated as Roberto had a reputation of the meanest man in the city.

I enjoyed reading this book because I love Alexandria (as I understood that Marthasville was based on that) and every mentioning of familiar streets gave me a smile. I adore the amateur detectives and how they offer a different angle on investigation.

What made me give 5 stars to this book were some historic remarks and insights in the antiques. I feel it was just a perfect amount to make it educational and not too boring.

This was my first ever cozy murder mystery! A bit slower of a read than I’m used to, but it was still very enjoyable. I absolutely loved the setting. Both the area and the antique shop. So many little history, geographic & antique knowledge tidbits shared too. Pacing was good. I liked how the end of each chapter left you wondering what happened next. Loved the little romantic interest. Thank you so much for a great introduction to cozy murder!

Roberto Fratelli, proprietor of the antiques store Waited4You, is the meanest man in Marthasville, Virginia. So when he puts the business up for sale, the other merchants in town are overjoyed. And now the business has a prospective buyer: local resident and the newly elected mayor's mom, Camille Benson, who’s thrilled at the prospect of getting into the antiques business. During a celebration in honor of Camille’s new venture, her best friend, Opal, tells her about finding a letter, purportedly from Sally Fairfax to George Washington, dated 1756, hidden under a chair in the shop. When they return to retrieve the cache, they find Roberto’s lifeless body on the floor and no letter.
Police question Ella Coleman, Roberto’s ex-wife, and discover that her current husband supplied Roberto with oh-so-faux Victorian furniture. Did the two cheat the wrong customer? Or could the murder be connected to an earlier theft of rare books from the shop—a theft Roberto never reported?
As Camille prepares to confront these questions and investigate the murder, she knows she might become the latest knock-off.
This debut novel was a very good book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.