Thank you NetGalley, Cordy Abbott and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC of
Dead Men Don't Decorate. This is my personal review.
This is the first book in the new cozy mystery series Old Town Antiques Mystery.
I always am eager to find a new cozy series to read and was excited when I saw this one.
Camille decides to buy the antique store her parents used to own when she wanted a change in her life. Just after she buys the store, she finds the previous owner dead and now she has to find out what happened to him and why.
The series has a lot of promise and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

A promising start to a new cosy mystery series. Camille buys back her parent’s antique store to give it new life, but the previous owner whom everyone hated is killed in the store the first night she owns it. There are plenty of suspects, but Camille is determined to find the killer so she can open her store on time. She’s an interesting character as is her son, Pepper, her part time employee and Jane the DA, but the character of Opal is extremely annoying and it puts me off the series.

*I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Dead Men Don’t Decorate is the first book in a new series and the series is very promising. Our sleuth is Camille Benson, a 55 year old art history teacher, who wants to buy the antiques store Waited4You which is currently owned by the meanest man in Marthasville, Roberto Fratelli, but was once owned by her own parents. But when Roberto is found dead in Waited4You and a wild story about a letter, supposedly from Sally Fairfax to George Washington, dated 1756, which was hidden under a chair in the shop the first beginnings for Camille trying to bring life back to Waited4You are halted. She tries to do all she can to reopen the store quickly and tries to find out as much as she can about Roberto and discovers he had some oh-so-faux Victorian furniture......

I wanted to give the book 3.5 stars, but I went for 3 as it wasn't closer to a 4 for me. The premise of the story seemed so interesting, but the story progression went very, very slowly. I also did not feel connected to the characters at the start, however I do LOVE that our sleuth isn't a 20 or 30-something and Camille started growing one me! Also Camille did not look to help the police solve the murder, but just finds out a few things left and right. As I said, the series is very promising, but I would like it if it had a bit more pace and I hope to see more in depth antique stories as I did find the whole old versus new paper (which was important in the murder solving!) very interesting.
Again, not a 3, not a 4 but a 3.5 stars from me, but I can't give that here in Goodreads. I am very curious to a next book if another one comes out as I really loved seeing Camille start a whole new career at her age and enjoying it!

Camille Benson grew up in her late parent's antique store, Waited4You but now teaches at the local community college in Marthasville, Virginia. Dissatisfied with her life and feeling in a rut she is delighted to hear the old family shop has been put on the market but unsure if she should put in an offer. Grasping her courage with both hands Camille decides to go ahead and before the dust has settled finds herself finally following in her parent's footsteps.

The previous owner was universally loathed, and no one was at all sorry to see him sell up but Roberto Fratelli was as sneaky as he was unloved and had no intention of going quietly. With her best friend, Opal, a local riverboat captain, Camille has been tidying and taking inventory so when a potentially valuable antique is discovered her excitement is high. Rushing back after a late night celebration of her new acquisition, Camille and Opal are horrified to discover the antique's hiding place empty but more worryingly a dead body lying front and centre on Waiting4You's sales floor.

Aided in her usual overly enthusiastic way by Opal, Camille is soon knee deep in an investigation she wants no part of other than to ensure it is concluded before her grand opening on Black Friday. With her son just elected as Marthasville's new mayor and the chief of police working at a snail's pace Camille is second guessing her every decision and wondering if her new future will be over before it has a chance to begin.

As the first in a new series this works really well. The scene is set early, the main characters are introduced and by the time the body is found it is a joint investigation between the reader and main protagonists as we're taken through everything from Camille's pov. There were red herrings, hints of storylines to come and a satisfying amount of historical information for a story set in an antiques store all of which promises a successful series to come.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. I thoroughly enjoyed this, happily recommend it and will definitely be on the lookout for more.

Roberto is a mean man. So when he puts his business, Waited4You, an antiques store, up for sale, the other town's merchants are elated. Camille is thrilled to get her own antiques business until the old owner is found dead.
This cozy mystery is the first book of the Old Town Antiques Mystery series, and I will be on the lookout for the next books. It has plenty of red herrings that keep you guessing, a light read with likeable, fun characters.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Thanks for the ARC. What a fun cozy mystery!! What can I say? I did not want to put this book down once I started reading it. I did but could not wait to get back to reading it. Love the cover! Will recommend!

Hello, Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley.

The file that came into my Kindle has all of the paragraphs without indentions. Thus, the reading process of this arc is not easy on the eyes or enjoyable.

Unfortunately, I found this poor formatting with several of the cozy mystery tiles from Crooked Lane books.

The only two that were formatted correctly and readable were A Christmas Candy Killing and A Good Day To Pie, both of which I loved. I will post reviews for those books later this Fall on my blog and include the links.

List of Crooked Lane Books that are incorrectly formatted are;

Death by Margins
Dead Men Don’t Decorate
The Game Is A Footnote
Calypso, Corpses, and Cooking
Streetcar Named Murder
Snuffed Out
Hidden in the Pines
Canter With A Killer

I really liked this mystery, set in the Washington D. C. suburbs. It is the first in a new series. I liked the main characters, and look forward to learning more about them in upcoming books in the series. The plot was good and kept me guessing as to who the murderer would turn out to be. There were a few typos in the ebook that I read, but nothing major. Definitely a series I would continue to read.

Dead Men Don't Decorate is the first book in the new series by Cordy Abbott: An Old Town Antique Mystery series. I found the plot of this book different and refreshing. The characters was also interesting to read. The book's cover art sets the mood of the story for readers


My thanks to Crooked Lane Books for a digital copy of this book for my review!

I was intrigued by the first in Cordy Abbott's An Old Town Antique Mystery series. It was fun to explore the environs of Washington, D.C. and try to get a feel for the setting. There are many unanswered questions about Camille Benson and her life, and at first I had difficulty sorting out characters and it felt as if it was assumed I should know answers. I look forward to more in the series to get those questions answered. The mystery of a possibly forged historical letter, the workings of local government, boats along the Potomac and possibly the best last line of a book I have read in a long time all combined to make 'Dead Men Don't Decorate' a must read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

second-career, Standard Schnauzer, small-business, small-town, murder, murder-investigation, law-enforcement, lawyers, craft-furniture, amateur-sleuth, antiquities-trade, theft, lies, secrets, misrepresentations, ephemera, fakes, archivist, greed, Virginia*****

Good story with lots of things to learn about authentication of books, ephemera, and even furniture! Camille (owned by a pair of standard Schnauzers) is burned out on her long-time job as professor at the local community college and takes the opportunity to purchase the antique shop once owned by her parents. The most recent owner turns up dead in the shop and she finds herself (with a few good friends) sleuthing around a seemingly indifferent police situation. I really liked it and found it to be much better than most first in series books.
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

Charming, hoot & a half debut cozy mystery series! Loved the characters, the banter and of course the pups. Fun read! I’m excited for the second book in the series!

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

In Dead Men Don't Decorate after helping her son win for mayor Camille Benson feels restless and tired of her everyday routine. Thanks to her best friend Opal, Camille finds out that her parents old antique store is being sold and decides to make a change in her life and buys it. Little does she know how big a change she is in for. After purchasing the store from the crankiest man in town and then finding him dead, Camille must now find out who killed him and what it has to do with a letter, some books, and a desk.

I enjoyed this book and liked learning about how to tell a book or papers age and if it's authentic. I liked how the main characters were older women, it set the book apart from other cozies that have the leading their 30's. It help make this series stand apart from other new cozies I loved the dogs they gave a bit of humor to the story. I also liked the plot of Camille looking for a new life while using her past ( her parents old store) as a way to find it.

Thank you netgallery for the arc

The local town menace meets his maker in the antiques shop he no longer owns. The new owner, mother of the newly elected town mayor, is a suspect... along with just about everyone else in town who had one reason or another to want him out of their lives.

Dead Men Don't Decorate is the debut novel for author Cordy Abbott and in the first few chapters it shows. The dialogue was stiff and the characters a bit cartoonish until the author hit their stride about half a dozen chapters in. Abbott did a lot of things really well, one being Marthasville which was the perfect quaint setting for a cozy series. Another being pacing, a steady flow of activity that kept the story moving and interesting throughout. There were a few things conspicuously missing. A big one for me is seeing the main character's home. I don't recall ever being introduced to Camille's home, which is something I enjoy seeing as a way of getting to know the main character better. Another was any mention of her history other than very recent: quitting community college teaching gig, son elected mayor (who was immaculately conceived since there's no mention of a father?)

Overall this was a solid start to a new series and many of the things I felt were missing could be present in future books in the series, which I will certainly be reading.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

Dr. Camille Benson is a 55 year old art history teacher who enjoys decorating on the side. Her parents owned an antique store when she was growing up—Waited4You—in the seaport town of Marthasville—a suburb of Washington, D.C. When her best friend, Opal Wells tells her the store is for sale, Camille decides to buy it. Her son, Paul, an attorney, has just been elected mayor, and is also looking out for his mother’s interests.

When Camille and Opal discover a dead body in the store on the night Camille closed on the store purchase; several discrepancies in the previous owner’s inventory, and a missing letter possibly written to George Washington in the mid-19th century; the two friends become deeply involved in the murder investigation plus the search for the letter. Clues are skillfully imbedded throughout the plot, and fingers can be pointed at several alleged suspects until something clicks into place in Camille’s memory and she realizes the murderer’s identity.

I enjoyed this light, easy read. I’m interested in seeing where the author takes the next story. I was thrilled the author chose two standard schnauzers as the pets and protectors of Camille. I look forward to reading future stories in the Old Town Antiques Mystery series.

I honestly reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books. All opinions are my own. Thank you.

Camilla Benson has decided to give up her teaching job and purchase the antique shop formerly owned by her parents. Roberto Fratelli, the owner she purchased the store from, is found dead inside the store. How did the murderer get in? Is the murder related to the faux antiques Roberto sold or is it due to a recently discovered letter written to George Washington? Will the murder be solved before the store's opening?
First in a new series - thanks to Netgalley for a coy.

First thing that stood out to me, is that the main character is an older woman, who is finding herself again after a divorce, and after her son has been elected Mayor of their town! Her first step in the new life is her decision to buy back the business her parents had started many years before. The new owner is an angry grumpy old man that is not liked by other towns people!

When Camille and her friend go back into the building they find the murdered body of the previous owner, Robert! Also found by Camille's best friend, Opal, is a very old letter, with a date in the 1700's, which surprisingly disappears from the store.

Camille and Opal are trying to find who committed murder, where that mysterious letter disappeared to, what part her new landlord plays in all of this, and what is the Chief of Police's son's part in all this.

I really enjoyed this book, and how the author, Cordy Abbott brought the book to life with the descriptions of the town, the area and the people.
Thank you to NetGalley, for the ARC which is a first in a new Cozy Mystery series

Publication Nov. 8, 2022

Camille Benson seems to be floundering a bit as the story opens, wondering what's next for her. Her son has just been elected mayor of their historic town and after the excitement of the campaign, heading back to her safe, no-longer challenging teaching job isn't appealing. Suddenly presented with the possibility of buying back her parent's former antique shop, she hesitates, however. Then, in almost the blink of an eye, she's buying the shop and preparing to open it on her own. Who knew things would get complicated when she and her friend Opal discover the body of the much disliked previous owner in the shop when they go to investigate an old letter Opal reports finding? And, where is that perhaps valuable letter, reportedly written from George Washington to Sally Fairfax in 1756?

To be honest, I initially had trouble connecting to both Camille and Opal. Opal comes across as unrestrained, apt to blurt out things at the worst possible time. Camille, on the other hand, while coming across initially as low key and even lacking in self-confidence, suddenly starts aggressively peppering the police chief with investigative type questions. Yet, when back in the store and it is confirmed that it was murder, her first action is to turn away from the chief and look for the chair where Opal reported the Washington letter being hidden, even physically turning the somewhat heavy chair upside-down for a better look. No segue to this this action. She just does it.

Yet, as the story goes on, I did find myself warming up to Camille. I mean, she loves her dogs. She's raised a son capable of governing a town. She's smart and savvy about history and art. She's also impulsive, a tendency that always seems to get amateur sleuths in trouble. Her quick thinking, however, could save a life. She doesn't panic easily, which is good when she puts herself in a dangerous situation. Like Opal, she's honest, even if her honesty is sometimes harsh. In other words, she's human, full of contradictions. She turns out to be a darn good sleuth, too.

Thanks #NetGalley and #CrookedLaneBooks for the invite to Alex--- er, Marthasville. Camille has intrigued me enough that I'll be back.

Okay, this wasn’t bad, there were just a few things that annoyed me, and the first was Opal. I find Opal to be a bit too unrestrained and talk too much. Camille had low self-confidence and had a nasty knack for doubting herself and her abilities. Besides these, the story was intriguing and entertaining.

A promising start to a new series. 50 something Camille is dreading returning to her teaching job when the opportunity arrives to purchase the antique store her parents once owned. She and best friend Opal have a grand time helping the police solve a crime.