Death of a Garage Sale Newbie

A Bargain Hunters Mystery #1

by Sharon Dunn

Solving a murder mystery is much more than the BHN bargained for!

What could Ginger the baby boomer, Kindra the college student, Suzanne the pregnant mother of three, and Mary Margret the silver-haired real-estate agent possibly have in common? Who would’ve guessed…a passion for garage sales!

This motley crew forms the Bargain Hunters Network–bonding while clipping coupons, attending half-price sales, and scouting clearance racks in their hometown of Three Horses, Montana. But when one of the four turns up missing, these shop-till-you-drop women must set their bargain hunting aside to take up an entirely new venture altogether–solving a crime.

As the three amateur sleuths retrace their friend’s fateful steps, they discover clues that lead them to suspect her murder is linked to an unusual garage sale purchase made on the morning of her death. But when their search unearths a disturbing secret that’s been carefully concealed for over twenty years, the women are drawn into a dark underworld filled with bribery, greed, and deception. With determined criminals who will stop at nothing to keep their secret safe, will these fiscally conscious females end up paying the ultimate price?

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Christian, Chick Lit, Mystery Thriller

298 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 20, 2007

About the author

After almost 27 years of marriage Sharon's beloved husband Michael passed away in 2014. Together they had a life filled with adventure, laughter and unconditional love. She considers herself blessed to have been loved that way. She has three grown children and a busy cat named Sparky.

Her love for mystery and suspense began in the fifth grade, when she found a whole set of Nancy Drew mysteries with pink covers in the school library. Sharon is the author of five humorous mysteries that were written for Christian readers. Her second book in her Ruby Taylor mystery series was voted book of the year by American Christian Fiction Writers. She has written over thirty books for Love Inspired Suspense many of which have appeared on USA Today Bestseller lists. Night Prey (Love Inspired Suspense) won the Carol Award from American Christian fiction writers.

Sharon has a bachelor's degree in film production and a master's degree in history. She loves old movies like Double Indemnity and anything by Frank Capra or Alfred Hitchcock. She enjoys reading all kinds of books but is partial to the nonfiction of C. S. Lewis. She loves to hear from readers. You can contact her and sign up for her newsletter at her website http://sharondunnbooks.net/

Reviews

[Rhonda Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

DEATH OF A GARAGE SALE NEWBIE
First in A Bargain Hunters Mystery
Written by: Sharon Dunn
Reviewed by: Rhonda Clark
Just as Sharon Dunn can’t pay retail, neither can her main character, Ginger. Ginger has honed her craft of bargain hunting into a sought after skill by her friends. Along with her protégés, Kindra, Suzanne, and Mary Margaret, they make up the Bargain Hunters Network in small town Montana.
When one of the quartet disappears, it’s up to the other three to find out what happened. With the help of a single-mom cop who’s only after the truth and a sweet, lonely widow looking for friendship the trio exposes more than one bad guy and discovers the truth of their friend‘s disappearance. You would think this would be all Ms. Dunn could fit into one novel, but it’s not.
As the ladies retrace their friend’s last steps, they find themselves distracted by their own life troubles. The secondary characters find themselves bonding with the BHN members while fighting their own home-front battles. With the search for the truth in high gear and time running out, each character finds herself wrapped tightly in God’s wonderful grace.
In the end, more than one sinister plot comes to light as the BHN members find new friendships and strengthen existing relationships.
This was a fantastic, fun, easy read. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Every time I thought I knew where the story was going, something else popped up. For such a busy book, it was very easy to keep up with all the action. Ms. Dunn did a great job at telling a complex story.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. When I picked it up, I didn't realize that it was a 'Christian' mystery, but the author doesn't shove that down your throat. It enhanced the story, IMHO. But I didn't really connect with the main characters. Ginger's best friend is found dead with an arrow through her chest. The cops are ruling it an accident. But Ginger isn't buying it. Before dying, Mary Margret had left a frantic message on Ginger's machine about being in danger. Ginger and her other friends, The Bargain Hunters, decide to get to the bottom of their friend's death. Not surprisingly, they become targets themselves.

Ginger was likeable enough, but her conflict with her husband just didn't sound very believable. I liked Kindra, Suzanne, and the female cop, Tammy (I think). The cop takes over as POV for part of the book and I liked that better.

Bottom line: A fun read with a few little kinks. I would like to read another in the series before I really decide.

[Jan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried this book because I liked the title, frankly. I had no idea it was classified as "Christian fiction" but if I had, I would have expected it to be part of the plot. Instead, I found it annoying to have the word "Christian" thrown in at what I considered odd or inappropriate places about 15 or 20 times almost as if she was doing it simply so she could give it the label of "Christian fiction." I have read the Jan Karon series and thoroughly enjoyed all of her books - and maybe the bar is set too high in my mind for a Christian setting to be an integral part of the book. In any case, I did finish it because otherwise it was a good story and I wanted to know how it ended. Too bad, really, because I was irritated enough that I won't be reading anymore of her series.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

New series and new author for me. I liked the book but my only complaint was the number of characters introduced and no definite protagonist. Yes, I realize that Ginger is probably who the author meant as the protagonist but there was also Kindra, Suzanne, Arleta, Ginger's husband--Earl, and Tammy the cop. As I commented in the Cozy group discussion this was a group protagonist which was a bit confusing. I liked the book well enough to continue the series though.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an okay mystery novel geared towards older women with a Christian theme which bordered on annoying. I didn't really relate to the characters because I've never understood people who find religion to be so important to them. Not my cup of tea, but probably a good read for the target audience.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this one after I read the second book in the series. This book is better written and develops the characters better. I still think that with a premise of 4 members of the Bargain Hunters Network, the author struggles to utilize them all. Not a particularly well written series.

[Staci · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I could not put it down. I am excited to read the next two books in this series

[Daisy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I grabbed this from the library's employee recommendation shelf. The story is fine and the content is clean, but it is painfully slow! I really had to force myself to finish.

[Barb · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just couldn't finish this one.

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted a light-hearted mystery with no swearing. It's centered around 4 women that are in the "Bargain Hunters Network". I thought that might be kind of cheesy, but so far so good.

[Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not interesting enough to finish.

[Ruth Kevghas · Rating 2 out of 5]

The mystery part was okay- didn't like the preachy part! I am going to pass on the next in the series even though I bought it already-- passing it on to someone that likes "Christian" books.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice light read with a group of bargain hunters as detectives.

[Tonya · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an easy read. I figured out the killers early on, though.

[Jackmartin61 · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Kris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Every once in a while I do this. I tend to read lots of non-fiction and heavy, thematic fiction with important social themes and commentary. And occasionally, I just can't do it anymore. So I turn to stuff that has been sitting on my shelves for years, looking for light and breezy and easy. And then, I usually remember why I read the other, deeper stuff. Because a lot of the light and breezy stuff is just not very good. It is preachy and treacly and has poorly developed characters. This was that. Not horrible, but not well done or memorable in any way.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story itself is likable, but I think it could do w/o referring to overweight characters as "wearing tents" or describing them as "bulbous" or "wobbly" or saying that someone was "as wide as they are tall". Especially from a narrator that is supposed to be Christian.

[Jessie Weaver]

It's an ordinary Saturday morning and most people in Three Horses, Montana, are snuggled in their beds or enjoying a leisurely cup of coffee. Not Ginger, Suzanne, Kindra, and Mary Margret, though. The four members of the Bargain Hunters Network are doing what they do every Saturday at the crack of dawn: hitting up yard sales.

When they all convene at Mary Margret's house that afternoon, however, there's definitely something wrong: the hostess is missing, her items in slight disarray. Ginger goes home to find two messages from her best friend on her answering machine. Mary Margret had discovered something from the past that was getting her into an awful lot of trouble. Before the night is over, the ladies have convened again, this time at the police station. Mary Margret has been found dead, an arrow through her back, near an archery practice area. It is quickly deemed an accident by the police chief.

Neither the Bargain Hunters nor Tammy Welstad, the police officer who broke the news, thinks it is an accident. The snooping ensues as the three remaining Bargain Hunters desperately try to figure out the clues Mary Margret left from her garage sales that morning: a child's fishing pole, a photo album, a hunting vest, and a box covered with shells.

I found the mystery a little hard to get into. It is longer that most cozy mysteries and thus the author has more time to expand on characters - lots and lots of characters! By the time the mystery is unveiled my head was spinning over who was who. The main characters, however, are very loveable and easy to relate to. They span all ages - Ginger is a late fifties grandma; Suzanne a mother of three with one more about ready to burst out; and nineteen-year-old Kindra is a student at the local college. All the main characters are Christian and the novel is sprinkled with their short prayers, although the faith element is not played heavily.

What gave the novel the most depth was the backstory of Ginger and Earl's marriage and how they struggled to relate to each other in their retirement. I think that story will hit home with many readers and makes Ginger very real. All in all, Death of a Garage Sale Newbie is an enjoyable though complex mystery - all the more fun if you, like Ginger, Suzanne, and Kindra, love a good deal at the mall.

[Missann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Four women discover their bargain hunting club has been reduced to three, when one is kidnapped and murdered after a morning of visiting garage sales. The clues are in front of them, they just have to figure it all out.

I thought this would be a fast read. But the characters are annoying. Ginger is the ring leader and has various subplots, from trying to pay full price for a dress to trying to fix her marriage when she can't see she devalues anything that means anything to her husband. Yet she is the good Christian wife of the book. Suzanne is always pregnant and kind of just there. She doesn't get a lot of character development. Kindra is a physics major at the university who had a sudden religious conversion thanks to Ginger, now doesn't believe in the very basics of science, but is still pulling a 4.0 average in her classes. In other words, this book is a Christian fiction fantasy.

This book illustrates what is wrong with a lot of Christian fiction. The authoress has no idea what it's like to accept basics such as evolution or the universe being billions of years old. She lives in an insular world, therefore, the characters are just as insular. Not to mention, it is not very well written, but most Christian fiction is written poorly. Everyone who is irreligious in this book who meets the main character suddenly starts thinking about God, just at the mention of God. Which means, Ginger would make a great cult leader. While the point these women are Christian is hammered home throughout the book, not one of them goes near a church, except for the funeral for their friend. Not one of them talks to their pastor about their worries, or for any counselling after their friend is murdered. The bad guys are idiots, but for these women to catch them, they would have to be. This book is total fluff. Unless you enjoy fiction that is written poorly, avoid this.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Solving a murder mystery is much more than the BHN bargained for! — Â — What could Ginger the baby boomer, Kindra the college student, Suzanne the pregnant mother of three, and Mary Margret the silver-haired real-estate agent possibly have in common? Who would’ve guessed a passion for garage sales! — This motley crew forms the Bargain Hunters Network at bonding while clipping coupons, attending half-price sales, and scouting clearance racks in their hometown of Three Horses, Montana. But when one of the four turns up missing, these shop-till-you-drop women must set their bargain hunting aside to take up an entirely new venture altogether solving a crime.

As the three amateur sleuths retrace their friends fateful steps, they discover clues that lead them to suspect her murder is linked to an unusual garage sale purchase made on the morning of her death. But when their search unearths a disturbing secret that’s been carefully concealed for over twenty years, the women are drawn into a dark underworld filled with bribery, greed, and deception. With determined criminals who will stop at nothing to keep their secret safe, will these fiscally conscious females end up paying the ultimate price?”

This was so totally NOT what I expected and was a wonderful full-fledged mystery! I was expecting some sort of “cozy” type read and this was just a wonderful, well-written, well-plotted, delightful characters (who often made me smile and chuckle) solving a murder mystery! GREAT READ!!!! Can’t wait to get my hands on the others in this series!

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

You Never Know What Will Turn Up At A Garage Sale!

Three Horses, Montana is home to many unique garage sales with bargains abounding. Meet four inseparable friends who stay on a budget while entertaining their pockets for pennies! Mary Margaret, Ginger, Suzanne and Kindra are kindred spirits, all in different stages of life, newbies and seasoned shoppers, who each share one passion: garage sales. When one member of their group goes missing the remaining three join forces and discover how danger can lurk in familiar settings, the mystery of death now compounding the circumstances.

I loved reading this adventurous, suspenseful and sometimes humorous mystery that took my attention with well crafted twists and turns which left me guessing! The main characters, who seemed like old friends I could see myself going to sales with, as well as host of many more unique characters, were well developed and entertaining. The storyline and dialogue flowed smoothly with no dull parts and from the beginning I found it hard to put down. I would recommend this enjoyable novel to others!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I picked it up at a secondhand bookstore, very appropriately. I read the book in about 24 hours. I'd compare it to Ginger Kolbaba's Lulu's Cafe series, in that this is a cozy mystery involving a close-knit group of women who are all Christians.

Just wanted to mention that although "Renata" is a character from France, when I read her dialogue, I imagined her voice and accent to be like Sofia Vergara from Modern Family.

[Nora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly pretty good and I got some chuckles from it. I could definitely relate to her bargain hunting. A point made by the husband was interesting. He said, "When all that you buy is bargain or discount, it makes me feel like I am not a good provider." I liked the camaraderie, but some of characters were shallow.

[Shawn Koca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this! I found it at our local Christian bookstore. I can't wait to go back and find the sequel that was supposed to come out this month. I always enjoy the Christian based books and this was no exception.

[Joy Gerbode · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good story, interesting mystery with some pretty good detective work, not completely predictable, and even has a bit of a moral lesson to it. Good reading, and especially interesting for those who are garage sale fanatics!

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bargain hunters mystery? Sounded promising since I am
a bargain hunter wannabee. Lots of twists and turns
but fun to read. You wonder how the amateur sleuthers
are going to get out of trouble.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a bigger fan of Dunn's "Ruby Taylor" mysteries--although their titles are pretty silly.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just a fun mystery, with some quirky characters.

[Melissa (Semi Hiatus Until After the Holidays) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute but thought provoking Christian mystery about bargain hunters and a murder.

[Joni · Rating 4 out of 5]

great book. no language issues.