Just finished reading...

Consigned to Death by Jane K. Cleland

Although I really like antique-themed mysteries, this is not one I would have ordinarilyy picked up. Frankly, the cover is boring. But enough people on DorothyL sang its praises that I decided to give it a try. And I'm glad I did.

The story revolves around Josie Prescott, an antiques dealer who left her prestigious job with a New York auction house after she gave evidence against its CEO in a price-fixing scandal. Instead of being praised for this, she was shunned by her co-worker, so she left her big-city life behind and moved to a small town in New Hampshire to start over again, away from the limelight.

So when the chief of police comes to her with the news that one of her clients has been murdered, and that she's the primary suspect, she wonders if the notoriety will begin again. In order to prevent this, she sets out to learn who actually did commit the murder. During this process, Josie learns whom she can trust, and also that she is not as alone as she'd thought she was.

I pretty much flew through this book. Though the first-person p.o.v. is a strong clue that she is innocent (as is the fact that this is the first book of a planned series), Josie is such an appealing protagonist that the reader is still eager to find out who the real culprit is so that Josie's innocence can be proven.

I eagerly await more books in this series.

Next up: Denise Hamilton's Prisoner of Memory