Carmen De Luca Art Sleuth Mysteries: Book 1
Publication Date: May 31, 2023
Coming out of retirement can be deadly…
After tragedy struck three years earlier, art sleuth Carmen De Luca vowed to never work in the field again. But fifty is too young to fill her days with water aerobics and bingo, so when her former partner calls and begs for her help, Carmen gladly agrees.
Yet after their first assignment – the recovery of a rare medieval prayer book from an eccentric collector living in rural France – goes horribly wrong, Carmen ends up in the crosshairs of both the local police and a murderer!
With her target dead and the stolen book missing, she and her partner will have to pull out all of the stops to sleuth out the true killer’s identity – before their stay in France becomes permanent.
Introducing Carmen De Luca, an art sleuth with a nose for mystery and the job of locating valuable artwork stolen from museums around the world. If you love strong and resourceful heroines, puzzling mysteries, and a dash of art history, pick up Collecting Can Be Murder now!
Carmen De Luca Art Sleuth Mysteries:
Book One: Collecting Can Be Murder
Book Two: A Statue To Die For
More adventures coming soon!
These mysteries contain no graphic violence, sex, or strong language.
Harold Moreau is a collector of rare books and even more rare and valuable illuminated manuscripts, also known as prayer books. In author Jennifer S. Alderson’s Collecting Can Be Murder, the main character, Carmen De Luca, is on her first mission in three years for the Rosewood Agency accompanied by her trusted sidekick, Lady Sophie Rutherford, affectionately known as “The Baroness.” Their assignment is to verify the authenticity of the Avron Book of Hours, thought to now be in Harold Moreau’s collection.
Harold Moreau has assembled a variety of wealthy collectors, museum curators, and family members at his Villa Saint Marie, located in the French countryside, with the purpose of showcasing his rare manuscripts and selling them to the highest bidder. However, when a bookcase suspiciously falls on Harold, killing him and injuring Carmen, it is discovered that all of the illuminated manuscripts have been stolen, and now, there is also a murderer in their midst.
This is supposedly Carmen’s forte, and with the Baroness’ help, they do their best sleuthing, ultimately interviewing their fellow guests who, like them, are trapped at the chateau due to a raging storm. Clues point to first one, then another of the guests, leaving the police with two suspects to sort between, with even Carmen as a suspect as well.
When the murderer clumsily reveals themselves, it’s a stunning revelation to everyone, but most especially Carmen.
With so many suspects and nothing substantial to really differentiate one from the other, the clues and theories of Carmen and the Baroness become a bit confusing, causing the reader to continually question what plot points they’ve missed along the way.
The plausibility of the plot and the characters’ relationships and ages also raise big question marks. While the murder and thefts are resolved, and Carmen is quite pleased with the results, too many questions remain unanswered. The result? Well, somewhat of a letdown.
Collecting Can Be Murder has a whodunnit premise along the lines of Agatha Christie with a household of captive guests where everyone suspects everyone else, with everyone purportedly having a motive.
Jennifer S. Alderson was born in San Francisco, grew up in Seattle, and currently lives in Amsterdam. After traveling extensively around Asia, Oceania, and Central America, she lived in Darwin, Australia, before finally settling in the Netherlands.
Jennifer’s love of travel, art, and culture inspires her award-winning Zelda Richardson Mystery series, her Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mysteries, and her Carmen De Luca Art Sleuth Mysteries. Her background in journalism, multimedia development, and art history enriches her novels.
When not writing, she can be found perusing a museum, biking around Amsterdam, or enjoying a coffee along the canal while planning her next research trip.
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Sounds like a book I will enjoy.
Thank you!
What a thought provoking review ! I am looking forwarding to diving into this book!
That’s sweet! I hope you enjoy it!
Thanks for reading my book! I’m sorry to see it wasn’t quite your cup of tea, but appreciate knowing why. All the best! Jennifer