Absence of Alice
Sarah’s latest client, Alice Krandle, is sure she has a fortune in antiques on her hands. She’s already gotten a generous offer for the whole lot before her garage sale has even begun, but she thinks she can earn more with Sarah’s expert help. The problem is that while Sarah’s sorting through items from decades past, her landlady, Stella, faces a clear and present danger.
Stella’s kidnapper has contacted Sarah with a set of instructions, and “Don’t call the police” is at the top of the list. But they didn’t say anything about Sarah’s friend Harriet, who happens to be a former F.B.I. hostage negotiator.
Series: A Sarah W. Garage Sale Mystery – Book #9
Author: Sherry Harris
Genre/Category – Cozy – Amateur Sleuth/Business/Hobby
Publisher: Kensington Books
Page Count: 288
Rating: 
Readers know that there are books that will be good before they even crack the spine. What they don’t know is how good it will be. The newest “A Sarah W. Garage Sale Mystery” Absence of Alice, is one of those books. It doesn’t matter if you have not read any of the other books in this series; readers will fall in love with Sarah. They will also take up the hobby of garage sales if they’re not careful!
Sarah’s garage sales business is going well, despite having a former helper now her competition and being a bit underhanded. But when someone kidnaps Stella, she is faced with a decision she hopes she will not regret. This time a killer is playing a game, and it’s very personal. The suspects are people Sarah wouldn’t naturally suspect or fear. The motive, however, isn’t clear to her. Could her new competition be so desperate for business that she is willing to kill and kidnap someone to run Sarah’s garage sales business into the ground? Is she being targeted because of her mobster next-door neighbor? Does she or Stella have an enemy that would be this despicable? There are just too many possibilities.
In this book, for the first time, I felt that Sarah was truly in danger and that we might lose a beloved character. The mystery was written very well, and the cast was everything a reader would want in a cozy. Some were helpful; some were threatening, others were unaware of the danger but worried about Sarah anyway. I loved having Harriet more involved this time, she is a wonderful character, and I could see her and Sarah becoming involved in and solving future investigations. Introducing us to Alice as one of Sarah’s garage sale customers was delightful, and having an added mystery surrounding her kept the story fresh and exciting. The book is action-packed and has twists and turns readers won’t see coming. Before they know it, readers will either have a new hobby, going to garage sales, or having a garage sale of their own. This series makes people want to clean out their old junk and maybe find a treasure.
Absence of Alice is a roller coaster ride with plenty of drama. The killer may not be easy to discover, and many readers will not figure out the who-done-it until the very end. Of course, Sarah figures it out but only just in time. Her newest garage sale is a success, and all is righted in her world, or as right as it can ever be for Sarah. Readers of this series know it won’t be long before she is knee-deep in murder again, soon. This is one of my favorite series, and it keeps getting better with each new installment. I highly recommend this series to readers who love a real mystery, charming characters, and happy endings.
Other Hobby or business-based series and books I am happy to recommend include Christin Brecher’s scented candle inspired “Nantucket Candle Maker Mystery” or Sally Goldenbaum’s knitting based “Seaside Knitters Society”.
About the Author:
Agatha award-nominated author, Sherry Harris, started bargain hunting in second grade at her best friend’s yard sales. She honed her bartering skills as she moved around the country while her husband served in the Air Force. Sherry uses her love of garage sales, her life as a military spouse, and her time living in Massachusetts as inspiration for the Sarah Winston Garage Sale series.
Sherry, her husband, and guard dog Lily are living in northern Virginia until they figure out where they want to move to next. Sherry loves books, beaches, bars, and Westies — not necessarily in that order. She is a patent-holding inventor.
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