Deadly Appraisal - Paperback

by Jane K. Cleland (Author)

Josie Prescott is settling into her new life in New Hampshire. Her antiques business is thriving, she's beginning to make some close friends, and her relationship with the local police chief is becoming more interesting. Not bad for someone who has completely uprooted her life as a New York City auction house expert in order to get a fresh start in a small New England town.
With so much suddenly to lose, Josie can't help but worry when murder invades her seemingly quiet community. Josie is sponsoring the Portsmouth Women's Guild Annual Black and Gold Gala and is looking forward to receiving a kindly worded thank-you for her efforts. Instead, the Guild representative, Maisy Gaylor, dies a horrible death in the midst of the banquet. Who could have wanted to kill earnest, drab little Maisy? "Funny, isn't it," muses the hostile Detective Rowcliff, "how a lot of people end up dead when no one has any enemies."
Everyone who had access to the wine Maisy drank, including Josie herself, soon comes under suspicion. Can Josie manage to ferret out the truth, keep her business running smoothly, and continue to put down roots in her new town, or will everything prove too much for her to handle on her own?

Author Biography

JANE K. CLELAND once owned a New Hampshire-based antiques and rare books business, and now lives in New York City with her husband. Her first novel, Consigned to Death, was an Independent Mystery Booksellers Association bestseller and was nominated for the Macavity, Agatha, and David book awards. Her second, Deadly Appraisal, won the David Award for Best Novel 2007 and her fifth, Silent Auction, was nominated for the David Award in 2011. She is the past president of the New York chapter of the Mystery Writers of America and chair of the Wolfe Pack's literary awards. Jane also hosts The Writers Room, a series of television interviews airing on local cable and online.