Silent Auction

Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery #5

by Jane K. Cleland

Agatha finalist Jane K. Cleland brings us an irresistible new blend of coziness, crime, and collectibles...The autumn foliage is in full fiery glory on a beautiful day in the little coastal town of Rocky Point, New Hampshire. Josie Prescott arrives at the town's renovated lighthouse to conduct an antiques appraisal and is horrified to discover the bludgeoned body of her neighbor Zoë's beloved nephew, Frankie. The owners of the lighthouse are avid antiques collectors, and Josie soon begins to suspect that a scrimshaw tooth from their collection may be the key to solving the crime that has shaken Rocky Point, and broken her dear friend's heart.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Cozy, Romance

302 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Jane K. Cleland writes the multiple award-winning and bestselling Josie Prescott Antiques Mysteries. Her short stories are published by Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. She’s also written the bestselling and Agatha Award-winning how-to books, Mastering Plot Twists and Mastering Suspense, Structure & Plot , both from Writer’s Digest Books.

Her latest release is the craft of writing book, Beat the Bots: A Writer's Guide to Surviving and Thriving in the Age of AI from Regalo Press.

In addition, Jane presents a free monthly webinar series on the craft of writing as well as the Mystery Mastermind series—her small-group virtual writing workshops. She is also a Contributing Editor for Writer’s Digest Magazine, chairs the Wolfe Pack’s Black Orchid Novella Award, in partnership with AHMM, and is the Vice President of the Florida chapter of Mystery Writers of America.

Jane has an MFA (in professional and creative writing) and an MBA (in marketing and management). Jane is a lecturer at Lehman College where she is also the director of the Program for Professional Communications, and a frequent workshop facilitator and guest author at writing conferences and university programs.

For more on Jane, visit www.janecleland.com.

Reviews

[Barbara ★ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book (but not the last) that I've read by this author. I picked it because I needed a book with a boat on the cover and thoroughly enjoyed they mystery. Just enough red herrings to keep the reader guessing and honestly I was guessing until the very end. The culprit was a definite surprise --- to me and everyone else.

I will continue reading in this series. As a matter of fact, maybe this time, I'll start with the first book in the series.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Antiques dealer Josie Prescott is preparing for the annual Rocky Point Harvest Festival. Josie’s receptionist reminds Josie that Guy Whitestone has a meeting with her to go over his Maritime collection for appraisal.

Frankie Winterelli is the Whitestone’s caretaker, part time employee of Josie’s and nephew to Josie’s good friend, Zoe. Josie calls Frankie as he is ten minutes late but he doesn’t answer his phone. She lets himself into his home and discovers Frankie dead on the kitchen floor. Some one has bashed his skull in.

There is a new sheriff in town…literally. Josie’s ex-boyfriend was the sheriff but he let town. Today is Chief Ellis Hunter first day on the job. Ellis won’t have much time to get his feet wet as he has a murder to solve.

Silent Auction is the fifth Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery novel. Though, it can be read as a stand alone novel. This book just happens to be the first time I have read anything by this author. After reading this book, I have to wonder why I haven’t tried one of the books in this series sooner. I like that Josie didn’t just sit back and wait for the police to take their time solving Frankie’s murder. Josie was right in the action, conducting her own investigation with the help of Zoe. They make a good team together. Author, Jane K. Cleland shows me why I love who-dun-it mystery novels. They are simple and fun to read. Don’t let your next book choice be silent but instead pick up a copy of Silent Auction. You won’t be sorry.

[Lindap · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

Josie finds her neighbor's nephew, Frankie, dead at the lighthouse he's a caretaker for. Frankie's Aunt Zoe is also Josie's good friend. After his death they notice an antique Myrick scrimshaw missing. There are two mysteries going on in this book. Since they're dealing with an antique Josie is not only involved because of the murder, but also because of the antique.

As always Josie is a wealth of information and has good investigative skills when it comes to antiques. Ellis Hunter, the Police Chief, relies on her to help in that aspect. I like Wes, the local journalist...he's always calling or meeting up with Josie to get the latest scoop. It's not one sided, Wes has his contacts that help Josie puzzle things out.

Altough these books aren't the in-depth crime novels of other authors, I do enjoy getting to know the characters and the process. To me they're fun cozy murder mysteries.

[anesthine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read five chapters of this book and had to set it aside. While I was intrigued by the mystery, the characters felt about as dimensional as the paper they were printed on. Dialogue among the cast felt stilted, and the plot was frequently stalled for each bare-bones character description that sat atop the plot like an oil slick on water. Needless to say, I did not enjoy this book. I didn't even finish it. Two stars for being a quick read with an interesting premise, but it doesn't have much else going for it.

[Madelyn Flammia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this series, but this book is not my favorite. There was no surprise regarding who was guilty. The information on scrimshaw was interesting. My favorite part about this series is the information on antiques and collectibles.

[Christine Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

was good

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good mystery, well told, nice continuation of characters in the series but can certainly be read as a standalone.

[Whi · Rating 4 out of 5]

was lady scrimshawer
Zoe meets chief (and now we're all paired up nicely of course)

[Sarah Wisner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done.

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy this cozy mystery series and always learn something new about antiques.

[Janice Hom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A page turner as always

[Karin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I knew nothing about scrimming before reading this and now I feel like an expert!

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

First, the title misleads. The bulk of the novel explains scrimshaw in minute detail. The resolution is unsatisfying but the best that could happen with the tight focus on art and forgery

[Mary Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up at a library sale. I didn’t need to read the first four to figure out the back stories. Setting great.

[Thomas Bruso · Rating 5 out of 5]

The success of a good mystery includes a dead body right from the get-go and does not let you out of its grip until the last page. As it happens in "Silent Auction", Cleland knows how to keep her readers turning pages.

In the fifth installment of Josie Prescott mysteries, the body of Frankie Winterelli is found in the kitchen on Rocky Point Light, his head bashed in. Enters antique appraiser and amateur sleuth, Josie Prescott, who, with a nose for sniffing out the truth, stumbles into real danger along the way. Light on gore and bad language, the book succeeds on telling an interesting, page-turning story instead.

This is my first introduction to Jane Cleland's smartly written mysteries. Being a lover of antiques and whodunits, I was eager to start reading. And I am already searching out other titles in the series. Cleland writes crisp, clean sentences that drive you to read on. The beautiful imagery described throughout the novel leaves a smile on your face, while closing your eyes and picturing the scene. Cleland writes: "I was cocooned by a mantle of sound as the unrelenting waves thrashed the barnacle-covered rocks."

Her smooth, almost flawless, prose guides you through the dark police procedural involving Josie, Rocky Point Light's police chief, Ellis Hunter, and Josie's brusque, nosy friend/reporter, Wes Smith (one of my favorite characters). Great characterization, Cleland makes all of her characters shine, even the bad guys. She tells a story at a solid, comfortable speed that you will forget all about real life responsibilities.

With its great storytelling, engaging, well-drwan characters, and solid writing, this book kept my attention to the very end. I will definitely check out Cleland's other mysteries featuring antique appraiser, Josie Prescott. To all who enjoy a well written, fun mystery, this traditional whodunit will appeal to all mystery lovers.

[Viccy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another nice serviceable entry in the Josie Prescott series. Josie has been hired to appraise a nautical collection owned by some wealthy residents of Rocky Point. When she arrives, she finds the body of Frankie Winterelli, nephew of her landlady and good friend, Zoe. Frankie was out of jail, but was doing a good job of getting his life back on track and no one will admit to disliking him. There is a new chief of police in Rocky Point as well, Ellis Hunter is replacing Josie's boyfriend, Ty, who now works for Homeland Security. Ellis enlists Josie's assistance, especially in dealing with all the ins and outs of the antique world and the various merchants in Rocky Point. There is a lot of good information in this book regarding the art of scrimshaw and how contemporary artists are now producing pieces. This is one of the things I really enjoy about this series, all the good information about antiques. Recommended.

[Debbie Maskus · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a Josie Prescott mystery set in a fictional town in NEw Hampshire where the vicious weather plays a constant hand in setting the tone of the story. In this novel, the time is early fall with hints of winter glimpsing through the warm weather. The town of Rocky Point has a new Chief of Police, Ellis Hunter, an ex New York City cop. This story involves the antiques of scrimshaw-a process done in the past by sailors. Josie is a tour de force, always sticking her nose into every crime, but the end result is usually good. I would die for the recipe for Ty's chocolate chip cookies and for Josie's Lemon Drop drink. A fun mystery, but a little heavy on the antique discussion.

[Connie Deeter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like Jane Cleland as an author - however, as a collector of Scrimshaw Jewelry and Artifacts, I wasx hoping that she would have included more details in this book of the actual pieces that were in her friends collection. When I talked with her at Eva Perry Library in Cary NC about this book, I thought that there would be more of the background of the history of scrimshaw included in the story.

I was a little disappointed because I don't think that this book was up to her usual standards.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Josie Prescott, who owns an antiques auction house, arrives to do an appraisal at a millionaire's seaside retreat, she finds the body of someone she knows. Her boyfriend, once police chief in Rocky Point, is now working for Homeland Security, and the new police chief has just started. He seems very willing to enlist Josie and her expertise, since a piece of scrimshaw, possibly a valuable antique, possibly a counterfeit, is missing.

[Lynda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book in the Josie Prescoitt series because it was less frantic than some of the stories. Josie is assisting the new police chief with his inquiries into a murder connected to antiques fraud and Josie's friend and landlord Zoe. It was refreshing to see Josie using her talents rather than being accused of a crime. Nice addition to the series.

[Grey853 · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like learning about antiques, this series has it for you. Each one has a different focus. In this one it's mainly about maritime work.

While I like the story and the character overall, it does bug me that it's so unrealistic to think that the new sheriff would just happen to ask Josie to be his helper.

Still, it was an easy read.

[claudia reads it all · Rating 1 out of 5]

what a piece of crap. the "heroine" is irritating with her incessant yapping, the characters are all caricatures, and the author has yet to learn to Show, not Tell, because everything is described in excruciating detail.

i figured out who the killer was right away, and it's obvious from the narrator's description since it's so biased.

not reading another one of these!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a great cozy! The main character, Josie, was a strong woman with confidence, skill and admirable qualities. The back story was fascinating. I feel I learned a lot about scrimshaw and evaluating antiques. The mystery itself was quite well plotted. If you enjoy cozies at all I think you would enjoy Ms Clenland's novels.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good story, and very informative with interesting things about Scrimshaw. I like the characters that Jane brings to life. I must say that I do not always guess the right person for the "Who Done It". This particular book kept me guessing till the very end. Well, until the last 3 chapters, anyway. Still, a good book.

[Remmy Rem · Rating 1 out of 5]

Please, please diversify the names. Every character has the most stereotypical all-American white names in the world. There couldn't be one, one character with a twist to it or something? The author never described skin colour (probably because she never learned "Show don't tell") but I know for a fact everyone is white as white, hexidecimal #FFFFFF.

[Rita Mcallister davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book of Jane K. Cleland I have read from the Saltville Library in Saltville, Va. Enjoyed both and liked because this one was in big writing. It was a little long and didn't understand, even though it went into the scrimshaw tooth. Zoe's nephew, Frankie, was killed n they were trying to find out who killed him.

[Cara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know why I didn't like this more - maybe because I thought I knew the killer within the first 50 pages, and I was right.

I don't think I'll read another Josie Prescott unless I am real need of something to read.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have really never been interested in scrimshaw, still can't really say that I am. However, I learned a lot about it reading this novel and have a greater appreciation of this artform than I did before.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was something about this book that seemed to drag on, seemed to be a lot of chit-chat between Zoe and Josie that was boring. I like when it's more mystery than talk. Just not enough excitement to keep me turning the pages. I'll take a break from the series then come back and try Deadly Threads.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Number 5 in the Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery series. Josie finds her friend Frankie's body. Who killed him and why. Frankie has turned his life around. His Aunt Zoe is Josie's good friend/neighbor. Lots of intrigue in the antique business.