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Den of Antiquity #7
A Penny Urned
Pickled...Then Potted
All that remains of Lula Mae Wiggins-who drowned in a bathtub of cheap champagne on New Year's Eve-now sits in an alleged Etruscan urn in Savannah, Georgia. Further north, at the Den of Antiquity antique shop in Charlotte, North Carolina, plucky proprietor Abigail Timberlake is astonished to learn that she is the sole inheitor of the Wiggins estate. Late Aunt Lula Mae was, after all, as distant a relative as kin can get. Arriving in picturesque Savannah, Abby makes a couple of startling discoveries. First, that Lula Mae's final resting pot is more American cheap than Italian antique. And second, that there was a very valuable 1793 one-cent piece taped to the inside lid. Perhaps a coin collection worth millions is hidden among the deceased's worldly possessions-making Lula's passoing more suspicious than orginally surmised. With the strange appearance of a voodoo preistess coupled with the disturbing disappearance of a loved one-and with nasty family skeletons tumbling from the trees like acorns-Abby needs to find her penny auntie's killer p.d.q...or she'll be up to her ashes in serious trouble!
All that remains of Lula Mae Wiggins-who drowned in a bathtub of cheap champagne on New Year's Eve-now sits in an alleged Etruscan urn in Savannah, Georgia. Further north, at the Den of Antiquity antique shop in Charlotte, North Carolina, plucky proprietor Abigail Timberlake is astonished to learn that she is the sole inheitor of the Wiggins estate. Late Aunt Lula Mae was, after all, as distant a relative as kin can get. Arriving in picturesque Savannah, Abby makes a couple of startling discoveries. First, that Lula Mae's final resting pot is more American cheap than Italian antique. And second, that there was a very valuable 1793 one-cent piece taped to the inside lid. Perhaps a coin collection worth millions is hidden among the deceased's worldly possessions-making Lula's passoing more suspicious than orginally surmised. With the strange appearance of a voodoo preistess coupled with the disturbing disappearance of a loved one-and with nasty family skeletons tumbling from the trees like acorns-Abby needs to find her penny auntie's killer p.d.q...or she'll be up to her ashes in serious trouble!
284 pages, Hardcover
First published September 5, 2000
About the author
Tamar Myers
72 books295 followersTamar Myers was born and raised in the Belgian Congo (now just the Congo). Her parents were missionaries to a tribe which, at that time, were known as headhunters and used human skulls for drinking cups. Hers was the first white family ever to peacefully coexist with the tribe, and Tamar grew up fluent in the local trade language. Because of her pale blue eyes, Tamar’s nickname was Ugly Eyes.
Tamar grew up eating elephant, hippopotamus and even monkey. She attended a boarding school that was two days away by truck, and sometimes it was necessary to wade through crocodile infested waters to reach it. Other dangers she encountered as a child were cobras, deadly green mambas, and the voracious armies of driver ants that ate every animal (and human) that didn’t get out of their way.
In 1960 the Congo, which had been a Belgian colony, became an independent nation. There followed a period of retribution (for heinous crimes committed against the Congolese by the Belgians) in which many Whites were killed. Tamar and her family fled the Congo, but returned a year later. By then a number of civil wars were raging, and the family’s residence was often in the line of fire. In 1964, after living through three years of war, the family returned to the United States permanently.
Tamar was sixteen when her family settled in America, and she immediately underwent severe culture shock. She didn’t know how to dial a telephone, cross a street at a stoplight, or use a vending machine. She lucked out, however, by meeting her husband, Jeffrey, on her first day in an American high school. They literally bumped heads while he was leaving, and she entering, the Civics classroom.
Tamar now calls Charlotte, NC home. She lives with her husband, plus a Basenji dog named Pagan, a Bengal cat named Nkashama, and an orange tabby rescue cat named Dumpster Boy. She and her husband are of the Jewish faith, the animals are not.
Tamar enjoys gardening (she is a Master Gardner), bonsai, travel, painting and, of course, reading. She loves Thai and Indian food, and antique jewelry. She plans to visit Machu Pichu in the near future.
Series:
* Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery
* Den of Antiquity Mystery
Tamar grew up eating elephant, hippopotamus and even monkey. She attended a boarding school that was two days away by truck, and sometimes it was necessary to wade through crocodile infested waters to reach it. Other dangers she encountered as a child were cobras, deadly green mambas, and the voracious armies of driver ants that ate every animal (and human) that didn’t get out of their way.
In 1960 the Congo, which had been a Belgian colony, became an independent nation. There followed a period of retribution (for heinous crimes committed against the Congolese by the Belgians) in which many Whites were killed. Tamar and her family fled the Congo, but returned a year later. By then a number of civil wars were raging, and the family’s residence was often in the line of fire. In 1964, after living through three years of war, the family returned to the United States permanently.
Tamar was sixteen when her family settled in America, and she immediately underwent severe culture shock. She didn’t know how to dial a telephone, cross a street at a stoplight, or use a vending machine. She lucked out, however, by meeting her husband, Jeffrey, on her first day in an American high school. They literally bumped heads while he was leaving, and she entering, the Civics classroom.
Tamar now calls Charlotte, NC home. She lives with her husband, plus a Basenji dog named Pagan, a Bengal cat named Nkashama, and an orange tabby rescue cat named Dumpster Boy. She and her husband are of the Jewish faith, the animals are not.
Tamar enjoys gardening (she is a Master Gardner), bonsai, travel, painting and, of course, reading. She loves Thai and Indian food, and antique jewelry. She plans to visit Machu Pichu in the near future.
Series:
* Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery
* Den of Antiquity Mystery
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
December 31, 2019
This was an enjoyable book. Abby was in Savannah this time. The story was a bit different and the situations Abby and her friends get in are funny.
October 27, 2015
Another one I have kept for years after the first read. I must have been comatose.
The best part of the book is an almost 50-year-old (& proud of it) as the main female character. On the down side, this almost 50-year-old talks "baby" talk to her cat; "my snuggle bunny will be back in his own widdle bed." YECK. My cats would leave home if I dared.
The characters believe they are much funnier than this reader does.
The best part of the book is an almost 50-year-old (& proud of it) as the main female character. On the down side, this almost 50-year-old talks "baby" talk to her cat; "my snuggle bunny will be back in his own widdle bed." YECK. My cats would leave home if I dared.
The characters believe they are much funnier than this reader does.
September 30, 2021
Abby, her mom, and two pals take a road trip to Savannah, where the town is caught up in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil madness. Oh, yeah - there's also a mystery to be solved.
A good, silly palate cleanser after a serious, and sad book - When Ghosts Come Home.
A good, silly palate cleanser after a serious, and sad book - When Ghosts Come Home.
January 7, 2019
I took this book out because of the pun in the title. (I am just a sucker for that!) Although dated, I was around during the time period (haha) so I understood the references. The things I liked: Chapters went in order...the reader is not left hanging because the chapters follow each other; The ending was clever; The change of heart of the main character about the inheritance and who it should go to. The things that were questionable: Descriptions of attitudes of Southerners; The introduction of a ghost into the story; the disappearance of the main character's mother (& why). Still, all in all, a fun weekend read.
May 12, 2010
I found the book a bit outlandish and more screwball than cozy. The situations and characters were over the top and I had a hard time finishing it. The main character in particular was extremely rude, but so were her friends and mother, so there you go.
July 22, 2019
I’ve previously noted the author needs a better editor. In my used copy of this book, the previous reader marked the grammatical errors, so I am not the only one.
Now, to the book, if you were to believe this author, nearly every woman is incapable of having a conversation without launching into an irrelevant soliloquy about nothing. The author herself does also appear to be burdened by this because she too will go off the tracks at least once a chapter.
The story itself is fun, but not the least bit believable. I bought these books as a set or I’d quit.
Now, to the book, if you were to believe this author, nearly every woman is incapable of having a conversation without launching into an irrelevant soliloquy about nothing. The author herself does also appear to be burdened by this because she too will go off the tracks at least once a chapter.
The story itself is fun, but not the least bit believable. I bought these books as a set or I’d quit.
January 17, 2019
Unfortunately this series is getting sillier, and I think I’m needing something with fewer puns etc.
August 3, 2020
This series is growing on me.
July 13, 2021
Very funny at times..
August 24, 2022
I have spent too much time to finish this book. I finally gave it up as a loss. Too much crap going on with too many characters, and way too many coincidences
July 7, 2024
Another fun book by Tamar Myers. I'm off to read the next one!
May 17, 2026
Most of this was not so much as cozy mystery as just plain silly and ridiculous.
June 14, 2026
This book was somewhat entertaining but mostly ridiculous. I was not really a fan.
January 10, 2012
Abby finds herself in a murder case. After her mother takes a call in her name she goes to collect what has been left by a cousin, aunt...extened family memeber she only knew by stories. Traveling with her mother and two friends the story take a roller coaster ride of events where Abby learns that the vic was her aunt that was not spoken of because of a marriage the family disproved of. Along the way she meets step family members and a weird hotel clerk that has more to do than check people in.
A lite read, with some crazy thoughts and steps along the way. There were laugh out load moments and made for a fun weekend read. It does what books of cozy should in my mind, lets you get away with out making you work too hard at it.
A lite read, with some crazy thoughts and steps along the way. There were laugh out load moments and made for a fun weekend read. It does what books of cozy should in my mind, lets you get away with out making you work too hard at it.
August 14, 2009
The set of women who whine, gripe, and can't keep their mouth shut about other people's business makes this book a barely okay read. I almost didn't finish it, but had to find out who got the moolah. And of course the not-so-innocent references to the other series by the same author, and the author herself, were eye rolling.
Speaking of which, the cast of this book do so much eye rolling I wonder if the eyes swell from the muscle building?
I have other books in the series, but don't plan to read them, based on this one. Luckily I didn't shell out my hardearned dollars, but checked it out of the library, whence it shall return posthaste!
Speaking of which, the cast of this book do so much eye rolling I wonder if the eyes swell from the muscle building?
I have other books in the series, but don't plan to read them, based on this one. Luckily I didn't shell out my hardearned dollars, but checked it out of the library, whence it shall return posthaste!
March 25, 2013
Quite hilarious. This one had me laughing. I've gotten to where I can ignore all the dumb stuff and just enjoy the stories.
Now I want to read the next one to see if they talk about stuff that happened at the end of this book.
Now I want to read the next one to see if they talk about stuff that happened at the end of this book.
December 6, 2015
This was fun--silly in places but fun. I enjoy this series much more than I did the PennDutch series by this author. It doesn't have all the repetitive descriptions and jokes that plagued the PennDutch series, and I enjoy the characters a little better. Intriguing twists and turns
June 25, 2008
For those who love mysteries...
Read
September 1, 2011Abby Timberlake, and her erstwhile entourage, heads to Savannah to look into a mysterious bequest. Nothing goes as planned but somehow it all ends very well!
January 5, 2012
Not the best of her works. I thought it was rather silly. There wasn't a real plot and you couldn't work out the "crime" for yourself.
December 28, 2014
Tkhis was not great. There wasn't the usual amount of antique info and the characters all seemed to flunder a bit. Not one of the best I have read in this series.
July 10, 2015
Good cozy mystery!
November 11, 2016
These books are just silly, but always a fun read.
January 7, 2010
Basic mystery. Quick read. Amusing
January 23, 2013
Cute characters and fun mindless reading.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews