Death of a Garage Sale Newbie
by Sharon Dunn
Published by Multnomah Publishers (March 2007)
Click on book
cover to order
at Amazon.com
Reviewed by Laura V. Hilton
Ginger Salinski is a garage sale expert and has taught her friends how to live frugally. This particular Saturday seems no different than most. Ginger and her friends go to garage sales, then they meet at Mary Margret's house to share their finds.
But Mary Margret never shows up. She's calls and leaves a message for Ginger, sharing that she discovered something scary, and giving her a gift basket with a few odd finds, which she leaves on the counter. After waiting for a time, the youngest member of the group, Kindra, offers to stay at Mary's house and wait while the others go and look for Mary.
Up near the archery club, a hiker discovers Mary's body, shot in the back with an arrow.
What did Mary discover on her hunt for bargains? Will Ginger and her friends be able to learn why Mary died, and find her killer?
Death of a Garage Sale Newbie is the first book in the Bargain Hunters Mysteries series, and its wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Ginger and the others and going through their trials with them. All the characters have a well-developed character arc, with goals and motivations clearly outlined. I identified with these women, and could easily have been friends with them in real life.
The book is well-written, and held my interest from the very beginning. I had to keep reading and stayed up late to find out what happened. The inspirational theme is expertly woven in and isn't preachy.
I highly recommend Death of a Garage Sale Newbie. This is a book you will not want to miss. It's one of the best mysteries I've read in a long time.
Armchair Interviews says: The first in what we hope is many Bargain Hunters Mysteries.