The Sayers Swindle

A Book Collector Mystery, Book 2

By: Victoria Abbott

Narrated by: Carla Mercer-Meyer

When Jordan manages to locate her boss' missing books, they are in the possession of Randolph Adams, an elderly man in a nearby town. Offering a valuable Hemingway first edition as an incentive, Jordan thinks she's about to seal the deal - but some of Randolph's relatives think he should hold out for more.Then the entire family disappears - and a dead body shows up. It's up to Jordan to collect the clues - and make sure a killer gets booked.

©2013 Penguin Group (USA) LLC. (P)2014 Tantor

Turning into a really fun series!

This is the second book in a new series by Victoria Abbott, starring Jordan Kelly, who has a job working as a research assistant in the library belonging to the universally hated Vera Van Alst. The setup begins in the book prior to this one, where we learn more about the comically cop-phobic uncles who raised her (they steal, do not commit more serious crimes, and are generally presented as warm and adoring of Jordan). In this book, as in the first, Jordan must locate a set of valuable mystery books--in this case first editions of the works of Dorothy Sayers.

These are not deep, they have many amusing moments, and like most cozies, pretty much exceed what could possibly pass for realistic situations/solutions. The charm in this one lies in the author's ability to create a set a characters whose chemistry works well together. Light enough not to be a taxing, heavy, intense read, yet filled with enough action to feel like a page turner at the same time. I best enjoy Jordan, her uncles and the unlikable Vera. I find Officer Smiley a bit weakly drawn.

This book sees Jordan tracking after an old man she met while seeking the Sayers books. Upon returning to the house, the whole family is missing, a murder has been committed and she tries to find out info from a woman cop who is on the scene. It all builds to a spectacular ending, and the reader (or at least I) enjoy the twists and turns along the way.

Don't expect this to be John Grishom. This is a cozy series, meant for fun, and among those that I am aware of, it has lots of charm, is a great read and I look forward to hearing the next in the series.

Wonderful books referred to and want to read

This is my second book that I've heard and I am enjoying it for all it's references and wonder. I want to go back and listen to the classics that this Mystery book refers to.

I love this series!

I love absolutely everything about this series. Vera is my favorite and she definitely does not disappoint. She has all of the sass in the world!

LOVE

I adore how this series tied the old in with the new! It is not predictable and continues to be witty and fun! It has the elegance of the classics with the sassy freshness of cozy mysteries! LOVE!!

Fantastic!!

This was a great mystery book! Love the characters and how the story kept taking turns. Great narration! Gave a good image of the characters personalities.