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Laura Fleming #5
Tight As a Tick: A Laura Fleming Mystery
A flea market turns out to be a hotbed of greed, envy, and ruthless competition, so when dealer Carny Alexander is found chopped up with his own collectible knives, Laura Fleming has a slew of suspects from which to choose. Reprint.
308 pages, Paperback
First published October 24, 2013
5 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
Toni L.P. Kelner
38 books72 followersToni L.P. Kelner is the author of the "Where are they now?" mysteries and the Laura Fleming mysteries. She was awarded the 2002 Mystery Series Award from Romantic Times Book Reviews Career Achievement Awards for Best Author for the Laura Fleming series and and her story "Sleeping with the Plush" won the Agatha for Best Short Story of 2006. Kelner has also been nominated for the Anthony, the Macavity, and the Derringer awards. You can find more out about her on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Toni-LP...), Twitter (@ToniLPKelner) or her official website (http://www.tonilpkelner.com/).
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 11, 2022
I met Toni L.P.Kelner at a mystery convention quite a few years ago. I liked her, and made a mental note to read something she wrote. However, that goal got lost in the shuffle until I happened upon her book in a lot of used cozy mysteries a couple weeks ago.
Set in the small town of Byerly, NC, Laura Fleming and her husband, Richard, are tasked by her family to solve the murder of an unlikable fellow. He was stabbed at the Tight as A Tick Flea Market at which Laura's aunt works. It seems there are plenty of people who have reason to want the man dead.
Laura's aunt asked her to get involved. The flea market straddles two towns. The police of both districts are bickering over the crime, and fumbling the case, so she and her husband step in to investigate.
This book had too many colloquialisms in my opinion. I have been in the South since I was eleven and have never heard some of the phrases she uses. I found them distracting to an otherwise well-written cozy mystery. Because of the off-putting Southern lingo, I rated it only 3 stars. Otherwise, it was very good.
Set in the small town of Byerly, NC, Laura Fleming and her husband, Richard, are tasked by her family to solve the murder of an unlikable fellow. He was stabbed at the Tight as A Tick Flea Market at which Laura's aunt works. It seems there are plenty of people who have reason to want the man dead.
Laura's aunt asked her to get involved. The flea market straddles two towns. The police of both districts are bickering over the crime, and fumbling the case, so she and her husband step in to investigate.
This book had too many colloquialisms in my opinion. I have been in the South since I was eleven and have never heard some of the phrases she uses. I found them distracting to an otherwise well-written cozy mystery. Because of the off-putting Southern lingo, I rated it only 3 stars. Otherwise, it was very good.
September 17, 2024
On another visit to her relatives in small-town North Carolina, Laura's aunt pulls her into investigating a murder at the local flea market. There's a new cast of characters here, who are interesting in their own right - Kelner does paint memorable characters. The twists in the mystery are also good, and perhaps Kelner's best on an intellectual level.
But, I still think this's the weakest book in the series so far. Laura our detective is clearly an outsider here; the plot has very little emotional impact on her. She's merely an observer to the mystery. As Sayers said once, that brings down the quality of the best story. And here, the other characters' emotional revelations rarely lead to arcs - perhaps due to their not having the relationships among themselves we've seen in Kelner's previous books (where they're usually family or coworkers).
I'm interested to see where Kelner's next books will go; I hope she'll return to her previous better formula.
But, I still think this's the weakest book in the series so far. Laura our detective is clearly an outsider here; the plot has very little emotional impact on her. She's merely an observer to the mystery. As Sayers said once, that brings down the quality of the best story. And here, the other characters' emotional revelations rarely lead to arcs - perhaps due to their not having the relationships among themselves we've seen in Kelner's previous books (where they're usually family or coworkers).
I'm interested to see where Kelner's next books will go; I hope she'll return to her previous better formula.
April 3, 2020
I really enjoyed this one. It was not only nice to be back in Byerly but also with Aunt Maggie at the flea market. Laura and Richard help her out at the flea market while they try to solve a murder that happened there.
There was a lot going on in this book that tied up pretty well at the end, and Toni LP Kelner is pretty clever at times, particularly when I thought she had made it so no one could figure out the mystery, only for her to remind the reader of the clues she gave in the beginning of the book.
Richard was oddly insecure at times in this book to the point where I was a little annoyed at him. Seriously, if he didn't want to solve murders in a small Southern town he could have said so at any time! Other than that the book was fun and I liked reading about the flea market and the people there.
There was a lot going on in this book that tied up pretty well at the end, and Toni LP Kelner is pretty clever at times, particularly when I thought she had made it so no one could figure out the mystery, only for her to remind the reader of the clues she gave in the beginning of the book.
Richard was oddly insecure at times in this book to the point where I was a little annoyed at him. Seriously, if he didn't want to solve murders in a small Southern town he could have said so at any time! Other than that the book was fun and I liked reading about the flea market and the people there.
September 10, 2022
A small town flea market is the scene of number of murders. The property is between 2 county lines which provides joint jurisdictions that complicates the investigation
December 30, 2022
I don't often give four stars. I really like these books.
June 6, 2012
This is my favorite Laura Fleming book so far. It's back to Byerly after the last book, Country Comes to Town, had Laura stuck in snowy Boston. There's been a murder at the local flea market, and Laura & Richard have to go undercover and investigate all the flea market vendors who are suspects. The vendors are quirky and all have their own strange issues and secrets.
I did figure this one out, which makes me think it was too easy. I always think if *I* figured it out, it's too easy! There are a lot of suspects and none of them had anything to do with the case in the end, but you won't find many red herrings as entertaining as these. Kelner is exceptionally skilled at capturing offbeat details and making something routine and mundane very compelling.
Laura also had a nice character-building moment with her cousin Augustus, which I found very touching and well-done. Plus, Laura and Richard's dialogue was top-notch, even with Richard on a self-imposed hiatus from Shakespeare-quoting!
This is a wonderful book, and easy to get into if you've never read any other books in the series.
I did figure this one out, which makes me think it was too easy. I always think if *I* figured it out, it's too easy! There are a lot of suspects and none of them had anything to do with the case in the end, but you won't find many red herrings as entertaining as these. Kelner is exceptionally skilled at capturing offbeat details and making something routine and mundane very compelling.
Laura also had a nice character-building moment with her cousin Augustus, which I found very touching and well-done. Plus, Laura and Richard's dialogue was top-notch, even with Richard on a self-imposed hiatus from Shakespeare-quoting!
This is a wonderful book, and easy to get into if you've never read any other books in the series.
July 19, 2014
Laura Fleming and her husband, Richard, leave Boston to return to her hometown of Byerly, NC, for a family get-together but soon find themselves caught up investigating a murder. Flea market dealer Carney Alexander is found dead, and a long list of viable suspects and interesting characters emerges as the investigation progresses. Comic relief is provided by Richard's penchant for quoting literature and the contrast between Yankee and Southern habits. This thoroughly charming and entertaining mystery captures the meaning of community in a small Southern town. A great read, holds onto you til the end. Love this series.
May 9, 2009
Laura and Richard Fleming are in Byerly for her cousin's birthday party but the party was rescheduled for the next weekend and her cousin failed to call. The family talk them into spending their week's vacation in town. Since they are going to have free time, Laura's Aunt Maggie asks for her help in solving a murder of one of the other dealers at the flea market where Maggie has a booth.
The book is interesting but a tad mundane.
The book is interesting but a tad mundane.
March 8, 2013
Another mystery solved.
February 7, 2023
DNF. As a North Carolina woman, I have to say ‘Bless your heart. You must have worked on the book so hard.’
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews