Antique Magic
By Eileen Harris
Publisher: Wings ePress
Published: Nov. 6, 2011
ASIN: B0064BJF5U
Amazon Synopsis:
Antique dealer Alicia Trent is hired to appraise a huge
collection of treasures hoarded by a woman who has recently died in the town
where Alicia grew up.
The huge old house poses mystery after mystery from the moment she arrives, but the stakes become deadly when murder is added to the mix. The question then becomes, can she stay alive long enough to unmask the killer?
The huge old house poses mystery after mystery from the moment she arrives, but the stakes become deadly when murder is added to the mix. The question then becomes, can she stay alive long enough to unmask the killer?
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Without consciously making a
decision to do so, I grabbed my robe and headed for the door. If the thief was
in the house, it might be my chance to identify him or her. One last glance at
the globe showed the black was now mixed with a lot of orange. It looked like a
Halloween decoration.
I turned off the light in the room,
then quietly unlocked and opened my door. A flashlight would be a big help, but
mine was packed in my suitcase. This was the first time I’d needed it. I eased
out into the dark hall. A nightlight plugged in at the top of the stairs made a
dim glow and I started in that direction. Moving slowly, I listened intently
for any unusual noise. Everything seemed quiet and peaceful. I didn’t think
anyone had stayed overnight in the house except Naomi and me. The stairs were
solid and didn’t make a sound as I crept down. Time moved in slow motion and it
seemed to take forever to reach the bottom. Once there, I began making my way
to the living room. We always turned off the electronic security on that door
at night since there were no potential buyers coming in and out after five.
Even though I still hadn’t seen anything suspicious, somehow the atmosphere
seemed wrong. Danger seemed to lurk in every dark corner. I was anxious to make
sure the items displayed for viewing hadn’t been disturbed. Moving into the
room and closing the door seemed to take forever. I couldn’t wait to get the
light turned on. At first glance everything looked fine. Walking around the
items for a closer look, I still didn’t see any evidence of tampering. Maybe I
was overreacting and chasing ghosts. I decided to return to my room, but
instead I veered into the study for a quick look. I wasn’t quite ready to admit
my fears were just my nerves playing tricks. This time I hadn’t done the smart
thing and called for Dan. He had to be tired of my crying wolf and not finding
any evidence. I’d need a darn good reason before choosing to disrupt the entire
household again.
At first the study also seemed
undisturbed, but as my eyes adjusted, my heart skipped a beat. Someone had
pushed the button that moved the desk aside. The light on the stairs leading
down into the passageway had been turned on. Someone had entered the house, but
I couldn’t call Dan from here and didn't want to lose the chance to discover
the identity of the intruder. All of a sudden my policy of not crying wolf
dididn't seem so wise. I picked up a large letter opener from the desk and
started down the stairs. The cloying feeling of danger increased with each step.
The second bookcase on the left hand side of the hall was moved aside,
revealing a passage I hadn’t known existed. The walls in this new passage were
lined with artwork. Creeping silently along, I noticed that the art consisted
of a variety of styles. At a quick glance I saw pen-and-ink, charcoals,
watercolors and oils. I wouldn’t know what all was there until I had time to
investigate. Right now my attention was focused on finding out who was down
here and why. The passage climbed steadily upward. There didn't seem to be any
side doors, at least none that were obvious, until the end of the passage. Here
one door opened to the right. By now my sense of direction had become confused
and I wasn’t sure what part of the house this passage ran through, but it might
be somewhere on the second floor.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
My Thoughts:
Antique dealer Alicia Trent has met Mrs.
Hall, the woman in the huge house with the large hoard of treasures only once,
many years ago when she was a teenager. Now, as an adult, she has been hired to
appraise the collection after Mrs. Hall has died.
From the moment Alicia arrives, there is
mystery after mystery. Alicia even suspects that Mrs. Hall did not die of
natural causes. The mystery deepens when she finds a bottle with swirling
colours and hidden passageways all throughout the mansion.
I loved the pacing of the book. It kept me
on edge waiting for the next dreadful thing to happen or to be found. Mixed in
to the whole story was a little romance to lighten things up a bit. It was a
good balance.
I appreciated getting to know the characters.
I think my favourite was Mrs. Baylor, the housekeeper with a flair for making
wonderful meals and making the others feel better when tough stuff was
happening.
I liked the determination in Alicia’s
character to finish out the job even when it seemed like her life might be in
danger. I especially liked the way the author was able to represent the
characters in one light that made them possibly be threatening on one hand, or
could take that behaviour and turn it into something positive so that it became
just like a plot twist. You didn’t know if they were good or bad.
Lots of plot twists. Lots of fun. I gave Antique Magic 4 stars out of 5.
Thank you to the publishers for providing a
copy of the book in exchange for a fair and honest review. A positive opinion
was not required. All thoughts are my own.
About the Author:
From living off the grid in the Arizona desert, Eileen
has moved to the woods of upstate New York. She has authored a standalone
adventure novel called Desert Shadow. She is also the author of Alicia Trent
Series. The Black Cane : Dowager Diaries Book 1 is her latest release.
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