Guilty Pleasures

Lina Townend #4

by Judith Cutler

A Lina Townend mystery - The last way antiques dealer Lina Townend wants to spend a summer’s afternoon is helping at a church fête. However, Robin, the vicar, is an old friend, so Lina ends up selling bric-a-brac. But a harmless event turns into a crisis when someone tries to steal a tatty old snuff box. Tatty it might be, but it’s valuable enough for the would-be thief to attack Griff, her dear mentor, to frame Lina for a crime, and to kill an old friend. And maybe other people, too . .

Genres: Mystery, British Literature, Fiction

208 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2011

About the author

Judith Cutler was born and bred in the Midlands, and revels in using her birthplace, with its rich cultural life, as a background for her novels. After a long stint as an English lecturer at a run-down college of further education, Judith, a prize-winning short-story writer, has taught Creative Writing at Birmingham University, has run occasional writing course elsewhere (from a maximum security prison to an idyltic Greek island) and ministered to needy colleagues in her role as Secretary of the Crime Writers' Association.

Reviews

[Damaskcat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book in this entertaining series I've read and the fourth book in the series. Lina Townend spots a couple of good things at a church fete held in aid of one of her friend Robin's churches. She decides that the little silver box she has bought may just be worth more than she thought it was when someone tries to steal it. This is a running theme throughout the book with mysteries strangers trying to get their hands on the box which is actually a very old silver snuff box.

Then people keep saying they've seen Lina in places she knows she definitely wasn't and she starts to wonder if she has a double somewhere and whether that double is related to her. Lina ends up having more contact with the police than she really wants and she wonders whether she is going to escape from it all with her good reputation intact as someone - at least one person - seems to have it in for her.

I found this book entertaining reading and thought the background in antiques was very well done. The plot is well constructed and the characters are believable and likeable. The series characters grow and change through the books which makes them more realistic too. If you like something a bit different in the crime genre then try this series. The books can be read in any order.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this easy to read book ,
Thank you for introducing me to a new character (Lina Townend).
Thank you - I'll look forward to reading more of your books.
Kind regards
Heather

[Liz Smith]

OK light read,

[Tanya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just wasn't my cup of tea and I couldn't get into the story.

[Mrs Nicole M Middleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good. up to usual standard of excellence

Great read. Love all the characters and the story lines are brilliant.
Next one now! Hope there will be lots more

[Louise Armstrong · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was OK, but won't be sending me rushing off to find the rest of the series.

The main character was supposed to have been a street urchin, and much is made of her acquiring new vocabulary throughout the book, but as a bona fide ex-street urchin, she didn't ring true to me, and I realised it was because, although much is made of her lack of education, her syntax is flawless. She used 'whom' perfectly, while I still struggle with it and remain devoted to the double negative.

Her language also didn't alter under stress. Most people drop back to the speech habits of youth under pressure. Nice try, though.

[Sharneel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another country fete and another antique fair arouses acquisitive crimes. This one an antique snuffbox that garners
Lina's attention at St Jude's ' fair. Of course, the merry chase begins with car tracers, security cameras and multiple car exchanges to foil a would-be tracker. The usual characters add their zaniness and charm as Lord Elham continues to drink his bubbly while forging documents, Aiden and Griff hold one another up through break ins, Robin has a spiritual challenge before getting married and, of course, Lina drags in Morris to help. Just fun.

[JackieB · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good, entertaining crime book. I can't decide if it's a cozy crime or not, as the main character was an antiques dealer, but the police were involved and did much (most?) of the detecting. However, regardless of whether it counts as a cozy crime or not, it had an intruiging mystery and the characters were well described. A good, quick enjoyable book to read. I'll look out for more of these.

[Anne Dart · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started so slowly I fell asleep on several attempts to read it. Finally gave up. Later I read it, yawning most of the way through it. The only reason aI finished it was sheer determination to FINISH what I started. About halfway through there were some highlights and again around Chapter 90. Characters were two-dimensional. Basically boring.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, who knew there would be so many books with this title?

This is the second book I read in this series and I enjoyed much more than the previous book. But I don't know if it was the book or me that was different. In any event, quite an enjoyable read.

[Christine Myres · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have now read all of these three times at least ... they never get old!

[Carlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

More, more, more!