Consigned to Death

商家名称	信用等级	购买信息	订购本书
		Consigned to Death
		Consigned to Death

基本信息·出版社：Minotaur Books
·页码：288 页
·出版日期：2006年04月
·ISBN：0312347251
·International Standard Book Number：0312347251
·条形码：9780312347253
·EAN：9780312347253
·装帧：精装
·正文语种：英语
·丛书名：Josie Prescott Antiques Mysteries

内容简介 Josie Prescott+s friends thought she was nuts when she left her high-paying New York auction house job to live on the beautiful New Hampshire coast. Truth is, Josie wondered herself-nevermind that her peripheral involvement in a high profile price-fixing scandal made the idea of a new start enticing.And things are looking up-that is, until she gets mixed up in murder, and the eligible but emotionally distant local police chief pegs her as a suspect. Josie suddenly has a lot to lose, and no desire to leave her new life-and the possibility of a little romance-behind. So she sets out to find the killer. After all, Josie is grateful for her second chance...even with a killer on the loose.
作者简介 Jane K. Cleland once owned a New Hampshire–based antiques and rare books business and now runs her own business communications firm in New York City. Consigned to Death is her first novel.
媒体推荐 Advance Praise for Consigned to Death

“As an Antiques Roadshow junkie, I am captivated by Jane K. Cleland’s Consigned to Death. Josie Prescott is an engaging heroine—smart, ethical, and brimming over with antique lore which she communicates so naturally that I never felt as if I were being lectured. Beautifully crafted, thoroughly enjoyable.”
—Margaret Maron, author of Rituals of the Season

“Learn from my mistake: Don’t start this one at bedtime. Consigned to Death is a satisfying mixture of suspense and romance set in the highly competitive world of antiques auctions. I’m keeping my eye out for the next Josie Prescott mystery.”
—Donna Andrews, author of Owl’s Well That Ends Well

“Fans of Antiques Roadshow and cozy mysteries will love Jane K. Cleland’s debut mystery, Consigned to Death. It’s a real find definitely worth a nod and a bid.”
—Karen Harper, author of The Fatal Fashione

“Don’t just browse through Josie Prescott’s consignment shop mystery, savor the setting. Consigned to Death is chock-full of charm, humor, and intrigue in a cozy city on New Hampshire’s coastline.”
—Nora Charles, author of Death is a Bargain
专业书评 From Publishers Weekly

In Cleland's satisfying cozy debut, a New Hampshire antiques dealer, Josie Prescott, formerly employed by a big New York auction house, turns sleuth after a potential client, wealthy recluse Nathaniel Grant, is found stabbed to death in his mansion in Rocky Point, N.H. Cleland, who herself was once an antiques dealer in the Granite State, puts her insider knowledge to admirable use in depicting what is often a cutthroat business, from price setting and haggling to handling difficult clients and competitors. She also proves adept at shifting suspicion from one character to another, including a well-established professional rival of Josie's, his harpy of a wife and the slain man's greedy granddaughter. A few valuable paintings of uncertain provenance that have gone missing and a soupçon of romance for the wary Josie help raise the excitement level. Readers will want to see more of her. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Josie Prescott left a good job at a New York auction house after blowing the whistle on her former employer in a price-fixing scandal. Her new business in a small New Hampshire coastal town is doing well. She is busy setting up an auction when the chief of police shows up to ask questions about a murder. A potential client is dead, and Josie has become a murder suspect. With a great deal to lose and no desire to leave her new life, she must clear her name. Using her knowledge of the art and antique trade, she starts searching for the killer with a bit of help from her lawyer and an enterprising young reporter. The fact that the chief of police is quite attractive--and Josie could use some romance--provides a bit of extra motivation. Josie is a nice addition to the ranks of female sleuths, and the antique-auction milieu provides an interesting background. Barbara Bibel
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
文摘 Chapter One 
Eric!” I shouted from under the table.
 
“Yo!” he answered cheerfully, close by.
 
“Didn’t I tell you to use linseed oil on this one?”
 
“I did.”
 
I pushed myself out from under and stood up, brushing the grit from my hands onto my jeans. “Not on the back of the legs, you didn’t.”
 
“I thought I did,” he said, beginning to hedge.
 
I’d been working hard and I was tired. Fighting an inclination to snap, I reminded myself that Eric was only nineteen, basically untrained but willing to learn, reliable, mostly honest, and pleasant to be around—overall, a much-better-than-average employee. I smiled a little, hoping to blunt the force of my next comments.
 
“I just looked at it, Eric. You missed the backside of all four legs. Everyone considering bidding on this table will know its quality. And if they’re willing and able to pay the price I expect it to fetch, they will damn sure get down on their hands and knees and examine it closely.”
 
He began to look embarrassed. The Mission-style table dated from the early twentieth century and featured select quarter-sawn oak finished in a warm brown. When properly oiled, the finish became lush and supple. It was a beautiful piece.
 
“The problem with poor-quality work,” I continued, “is that it creates a negative image for the firm, implying that we’re lazy or sloppy. People may even think we’re sleazy. For instance, potential buyers might figure that we slapped some oil on the table as a quick fix, to disguise its previous ill-treatment. Does that make sense?”
 
“Yeah,” he said, grinning sheepishly. “Sorry. I was in a hurry.”
 
“Don’t be. I pay you by the hour—you don’t nee
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