Death Is a Cabaret

Antique Lover #1

by Deborah Morgan

Since Jeff Talbot left the FBI, he's been investigating yard sales as a professional antiques picker. From furniture to books, from old clothes to broken toys, nothing escapes his keen eye for appraisal. But there is one item that he always keeps his knowing eyes particularly peeled to find: a one-of-a-kind French cabaret set commissioned by Napoleon for his love, Josephine. It is an item any collector would kill for...

So when it's about to be auctioned off — and rival collectors start turning up dead — there are plenty of suspects to choose from. Suddenly Jeff finds himself polishing up his old crime-solving skills as the search for a cabaret set becomes the search for a killer. But can he pick out the right clues before the killer adds him to the collection of dead bodies?

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Fiction, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller

243 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2001

Reviews

[Sally906 · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is the first book in the ‘Antique Lovers’ mystery series. Jeff Talbot left the FBI and became a professional antique picker. This means he looks for antiques for customers rather than himself. Jeff travels to an island to attend an auction where he thinks that a particular cabaret tea set which he is after for a client is to going to be up for sale. On the first night a fellow picker is murdered and Jeff helps with the investigation.

I really liked Jeff and his wife’s illness was very believable. There was also lots of historical facts about the various collectables mentioned in the story – I love when history is introduced in such a readable way. There was a wide group of characters who could all have done it and as a result lots of twists and turns. I didn’t guess who the guilty person was until the announcement. I would certainly read more of the series.

[Colleendearborn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to this one from Overdrive (I think.)
Enjoyed the setting of Mackinaw island. Really liked Jeff Talbot, the protagonist and antique "picker." His character had some depth, with realistic struggles and feelings. I also appreciated the sympathetic portrayal of his wife's agoraphobia. Not just the same-old, same-old characters and plot.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

DEATH IS A CABARET by Deborah Morgan is 220 pages in paperback form. It is #1 in An Antique Lover's Mystery. Its main character is Jeff Talbot, an ex FBI man.

Brief Description:

ONE MAN'S JUNK IS ANOTHER MAN'S MOTIVE.

Since Jeff Talbot left the FBI, he's been investigating yard sales as a professional antiques picker. From furniture to books, from old clothes to broken toys, nothing escapes his keen eye for appraisal. But there is one, item that he always keeps his knowing eyes particularly peeled to find: a one-of a-kind French cabaret set commissioned by Napoleon for his love, Josephine. It is an item any collector would kill for...

So when it's about to be auctioned off--and rival collectors start turning up dead--there are plenty of suspects to choose from. Suddenly Jeff finds himself polishing up his old crime-solving skills as the search for a cabaret set becomes the search for a killer. But can he pick out the right clues before the killer adds him to the collection of dead bodies?

I loved this first book in the series about an antique picker. I had no clue who the killer was and enjoyed every minute trying to figure it out. There are a host of characters in this book and a lot of possible killers that you keep you thinking. Everything was sequential too, so you didn't lose track what is going on in the story.

The setting was described very nicely and you had a sense of the atmosphere. It did remind me a little of the Golden Age a bit. With everyone dressing to the nines. In some places it was quite witty and in others very serious.

There was even a bit of history about Napoleon in this book and I found that to be fascinating. There is a bibliography at the end of the book so you could follow up on anything that you wanted to learn more about. I found this to be very nice too.

This is a book that could be read in a day, but I just didn't have the time to sit and read all at once. I am giving this 4.5 stars out of 5. I did enjoy it, I just wanted to have more.

BUY NOW: Conniesbookshelf $9.99

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this first book in a new series that is deep into antiques with murder. Set on Mackinac Island where I have been and in Seattle which always seems to be an interesting city in books, so I will look for more of them. Jeff is a genuine good guy, and it will be interesting to see how the characters develop.

[Agnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars from me- not riveting, but an interesting read. I'll be checking out other titles by this author.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeff Talbot is a former FBI man who now works as an antique picker. He opens by crossing paths contentiously with a fellow Seattle-area picker. In search of a rare tea set he’d long sought for an antiques seller he particularly likes, Talbot travels to Mackinac for a convention. Once there, he meets other convention-goers, makes a friend or two, and thinks he has seen the fellow picker from Seattle. Then someone is killed, then someone else dies under curious circumstances. Talbot turns on his inner investigator and works with the local law enforcement folks who don’t see murders often, to find the culprit or culprits. Clearly, author Morgan brings her own interests in antiques to the story. She did also develop Talbot reasonably well, giving him an interesting and unique wife to go with his mixed background. Morgan built the mystery itself well, the difference between three stars and four here. For someone not into antiques, the descriptions seem over-the-top, so it’s the mystery that kept me in.

[Kellene · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very different from the typical cozy for me, and I really liked it. I found myself drawn to Talbot and his wife, as well as the secondary characters that I hope are recurring. Antiques are not really my thing, but I do love history and the book was full of enough to keep me wanting to rush to look stuff up on my computer. The mystery was a good one and no, I had no clue until the resolution (well, I had the culprit narrowed down but not the motive). Looking forward to the next in this interesting series.

[Kristen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this might be a good way to try something different with the cozy genre, as it is a male main character and narrator [I listened to this as an audio book]. Unfortunately, this did not work for me at all, and I DNF'd it at the one-third point.

Mainly, I gave up on this because it was slow-moving and dull to me. At the point where I gave up the murder had just happened, and while I understand some set-up is required, if you need a full third of the book to set the scene in a cozy mystery, you need to tighten things up a bit.

And a smaller complaint that really irritated me was the fact that the narrator apparently did not know how to correctly prounounce Mackinac [as in Mackinac Island, which is an amazing place in Michigan and a great setting for any book - I have been there]. There are several points at the beginning where it is prounounced "Mack-i-nack" and others where the narrator says it correctly as "Mack-i-naw". Aside from the fact that if you are a professional narrator you should find out how to properly say the name of the location of a book, it is even worse when you pronounce it two different ways multiple times. I may be the only person who would notice this, but I did notice it and it annoyed me a lot.

Overall, though, I gave up on this because I found it boring. The mispronunciation was just the icing on the cake that eventually made me give up on this.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting read. I had a bad getting into the writing style of the author but the plat was pretty easy to follow and enjoyable. I will say I had no idea or inkling of who could have been the perpetrator but it’s because of course the author held back some information. That’s completely understandable because how else were you supposed to know or gas what was going on. That sounds kind of silly but I always try to solve along with the main character and when there’s information held back you really can’t do that effectively. But anyway it was really interesting and I like the characters. I’m really hoping that Sheila eventually comes to the point where she can recover enough to travel with Jeff. It would be very interesting. I think watching her evolve as a character, the minor character, will be.

[Betty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Book#1 of Antique Lovers series and features Jeff Talbot whos is a former FBI agent turned antique picker. He travels to Mackinac Island with a goal of becoming the high bidder on a French china cabaret. Of course, there is a murder and a subsequent suspicious death.
I enjoyed learning some new facts about antiques and antiquing, the location, and being introduced to a new character. I like him and look forward to becoming better acquainted in future books.

[Anita Byler · Rating 2 out of 5]

This isn't the best chick-lit mystery but it's far from the worst. There are more books in the series and I'll continue for now.
Negatives- don't have a native German speaker so terribly mispronounce German words- ie Schreibtisch. 😵‍💫
Don't have the same character say "Mackinac" both the wrong and right way, seemingly randomly.

[Karen Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, a bit different. I liked the main characters and picking up a bit of history was interesting too. Some of it seemed about ponderous, almost too much internal dialogue, but I'll definitely try another. I didn't guess the final outcome at all.

[Tracey Williams Walton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I choose this book on a whim. I love mysteries and decided to take a chance on this one. There are very few books that I start and can't finish. This one was informative and enjoyable. I hope I can find some other books in this series because it was a good read.

[Sally Woodard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this as an audiobook when I had a lot of time to spend in the car.
The book was adequate. It had a good variety of characters. I don't feel drawn to reading more in the series, but, also, did not find the book a waste of my time.
That sounds like a solid 3/5 rating doesn't it.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm enjoying this series very much. I also enjoy learning about antiques and the author has lots of reference material in the back of the book.

[Carlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first by this author, in the antique lover's mystery series, and I would definitely read more. Note: I was on my singing vacation in the Berkshires this past week with no time to read!

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good solid mystery. Will look for more in the series.

[Lorna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Learning about collectibles, good descriptions of place & people. Likable characters.

[Leslie Carlson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good start. Interesting setting for a cozy mystery.

[Gennielc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great reader, good story. I loved the history of the piece.

[Stephanie Dahlberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

As an antique lover, I enjoyed the information as well as the interesting story.

[Lucinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this book

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice cozy mystery with a little bit of antiquing thrown in. Good characters and story.

[Sharon Sala · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed

[JulieAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the metaphors! Her descriptive technique throughout made me admire this writer to the fullest. She has a certain class with her writing and she certainly knows her craft.

[Amber]

Wonderful!! 5 stars-this is a great series!

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like Antiques and mysteries this is a book you will enjoy.

[Erth · Rating 4 out of 5]

now i am hooked. This was such a great, easy and creative book. i was hooked after the first page.

The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.

i would highly recommend this author and this book.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice way to escape the world for a few hours, and learn something about antiques and antiquing to boot. The premise is pretty improbable, each important character being a resounding success in their profession or life choices; the agoraphobia angle for one of the characters is an interesting angle.

Cozy mystery lovers should enjoy this series.

[Moondance · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was something you didn't often see on the expressway: a factory-condition '48 Chevy woodie, glossy black-it had, easily, twenty coats of paint-with gleaming wooden side panels from which came its nickname, and whitewalls like new ivory.

Usually a sentence like that will keep me from reading a book. I'm so glad it didn't. Jeff Talbot is a former FBI agent now working as a professional picker for antiques. Frank Hamilton is Jeff's chief rival. Frank is obnoxious and seem to turn up like a bad penny. Jeff learns that a rare tea set, a cabaret, that was commissioned by Napoleon for Josephine is to be auctioned at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan. He has been looking for this piece for some time for Blanche Appleby. The set once belonged to Blanche's family and she would give almost anything to have it returned to her. Jeff sees Frank on Mackinac arguing with a woman and then finds his body the next day in a fountain.

I really enjoyed this book! I have a major addiction to all things tea. I collect tea ware and have a couple of cabaret sets. (The cabaret is intended as a tea for one. It has a pot, creamer, sugar dish, a cup and saucer and a tray) The setting at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island made me swoon. I would so love to visit. I enjoyed the descriptions of the characters, the clothing and the hotel. Jeff was an intriguing character. His agoraphobic wife was an interesting twist. The plot was good, the characters well balanced and a lovely mystery.