Shadows at the Spring Show

Antique Print #4

by Lea Wait

She's an antique print dealer, a college professor, and now...a parent? Maggie Summer is considering adopting a child from the New Jersey agency Our World, Our Children, and she has happily agreed to stage a benefit antiques show on their behalf. With her dealer friends, her college, and her lover, Will Brewer, all donating their time and support, everything is falling into place. But someone is harboring a vicious grudge against Our World, Our Children. The adoptive mother of thirteen children is the first victim, and then Maggie begins receiving threats. With the crowded benefit set to open and hundreds of innocent lives at stake, Maggie races to preserve the future with a clue hidden in her prints from the past....

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Adoption

258 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2006

About the author

Maine author Lea Wait writes the NYT-praised 8-book Shadows Antique Print Mystery series, the latest of which is SHADWS ON A MORNING IN MAINE, and the USA Today best-selling Mainely Needlepoint series which debuted with TWISTED THREADS in January, 2015, and was followed by THREADS OF EVIDENCE in August, 2015, THREAD AND GONE, in January, 2016, DANGLING BY A THREAD in late October, 2016, and TIGHTENING THE THREADS in March, 2017. Wait also writes acclaimed historical novels for ages 8 and up set in 19th century Maine, the latest of which, UNCERTAIN GLORY, takes place in a small northern town during the first two weeks of the Civil War. Lea's LIVING AND WRITING ON THE COAST OF MAINE, about being an author and living year 'round in Maine with a husband who's an artist also includes writing tips. Lea did her undergraduate work at Chatham College (now University) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and her graduate work at New York University. While she was raising the four daughters she adopted as a single parent she worked as a manager for AT&T. Now she writes full time and speaks at schools and libraries. She loves rowing, visiting historical sites, and, of course, reading and writing. See her website,
www.leawait.com, and the blog she writes with other Maine Mystery writers, http://www.mainecrimewriters.com, friend her on FB and Goodreads, and, if you'd like to be on her email list to find out when her next book will be published, send her your email address write to her at leawait@roadrunner.com

Reviews

[Missi Martin (Stockwell) · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you pick up Shadows at the Spring Show by Lea Wait, please be advised you will want to clear your immediate schedule. Once you pick up this fourth book in her Antique Print Mystery series, you are not going to want to put it down !!

If you have read the previous books in this series, you cannot help but be a fan of Maggie Summer. If you haven't read them and are picking up this book first, you are going to fall in love with her and put the previous books on your to read list.

In Shadows at the Spring Show Maggie is home trying to decide if she is ready to be a parent and is looking into adoption. She is also very involved with Our World, Our Children, an adoption agency. She is so involved with them that she is organizing a fund raiser for the agency......an antique show !!

Unfortunately when the organization and Maggie start to receive "hate mail", there is talk about cancelling the show. Maggie does not want to back down and let the person or people behind the threats win but she has to think about the safety of all involved.......

Maggie has a unique talent of working things out no matter how busy she is and boy is she busy in this book !!! It is nice to hang out with Maggie at the college and at home with her cat, Winslow, and see her organizing the show....we even get to see her "boyfriend" Will and friend Gussie. And Lea Wait has that awesome knack of keeping the reader interested from the first word until the very last and all that adds up to is a HUGE win for the reader !!!!

[Mom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book shows insight into the thinking processes of some multi-racial children in the foster care and adoption system.

The author has first-hand experiences with these situations and handles it well without undue dwelling on the negative aspects of foster care, adoption, multi-racial children, and the often odd placement and thinking by social services and the legal maneuvers. Usually the victims are the children...

[Sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

A show of antiques is being organized at a community college with the proceeds going to a popular adoption agency- an admirable endeavor one would think. However someone doesn’t want the show to go on and several threats are received although it is not clear what is motivating the sender.. In the wake of the terrorist activities of 9/11 the residents of the small New Jersey town don’t feel kindly about giving in to terrorist threats and the show opens even after a participant’s car is bombed. Who is threatening the show and why? Can they be stopped? I found the character development to be wanting and the motivation of the terrorist to be weak and of course this interfered with my enjoyment of the book.

[Ann Boytim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maggie Summer is a professor at a community college and also an antique print dealer. Maggie is single but is considering adopting a child and is involved in a New Jersey Agency, Our World, Our Children. Children up for adoption are mostly mixed race or from another country. Maggie is organizing a big fund raiser for the organization and putting on an antique show. There seems to be some opposition to this event and the agency receives threatening letters as does Maggie . A first victim is shot and then someone is murdered. Maggie is determined the "show must go on" even when her van is blown to pieces.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the 4th book in the series. Maggie has offered to put on an antiques show in support of a local adoption agency, one that she is considering using if she goes forward with adopting a child. The process is harder than she thought, but she gets support from both her school and the agency and its clients. She is stunned to find out that both the agency and the show are receiving threats. The decision is made to go forward, but when people associated with the agency start getting hurt, Maggie begins to worry that something terrible may happen at the show. She and Will work together to try to piece together who the culprit is before it is too late.

[Crystal Toller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maggie Summer, a college professor, and antique print dealer is considering adoption to become a mother. When the antiques show she has helped organize to raise funds for Our Children, Our World receives threats and an adoptive mother is shot and an adoptee is killed things seem dire. How Maggie with the help of her friends and the police discover the person making the threats makes for a very good mystery story. Another great read by a wonderful author, who is sadly no longer with us. I've been savoring these books and really enjoyed this one. Highly recommend this book and the series.

[carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read some of the author's other "Shadow" books before. I like the one set in Maine better, although, I can't really think of why. I enjoy this series, with the same characters from her other books

[Mary Jo Doig · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book in the curbside library in my small eclectic town of Batesville, VA. I read it in one day, this story in a series about antiques. Woven through the story was an excellent sub-story about bi-racial adoptions

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The antiques content is interesting, and the adoption content, while I found it dated in some respects, was fairly thoughtful. But the mystery is lackluster.

[Roscoe Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I fell in love with the characters and the writing. A must-read!"

[Liz V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nit:
Cover : 14 not 13 kids

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The previous book (Shadows on the Ivy) had a lot of slightly out-of-place lectures on prints in American history and culture. This book serves up a dose of the realities of adoption, particularly adopting older children and children of different (and/or mixed) races or ethnicities. But in this case, it fit much better into the overall plot. Maggie managed to get herself an antique show organizing gig, as a fund raiser for a local adoption agency. As the show nears, the suspense and mystery ratchets up.

I felt that this was a well-written mystery. It didn't have as many blatant red herrings as some of her earlier works. Although I must admit, there was some clue early on that tipped me off to the eventual culprit - but there wasn't an abundance of blatant support for my suspicions, so the mystery kept my attention to the end.

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The previous book had a lot of slightly out-of-place lectures on prints in American history and culture. This book serves up a dose of the realities of adoption, particularly adopting older children and children of different (and/or mixed) races or ethnicities. But in this case, it fit much better into the overall plot. Maggie managed to get herself an antique show organizing gig, as a fund raiser for a local adoption agency. As the show nears, the suspense and mystery ratchets up.

I felt that this was a well-written mystery. It didn't have as many blatant red herrings as some of her earlier works. Although I must admit, there was some clue early on that tipped me off to the eventual culprit - but there wasn't an abundance of blatant support for my suspicions, so the mystery kept my attention to the end.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad--a good quick read. There were a couple of editing problems I found distracting. It is stated several times in the book that Maggie is just about to turn 39 (though the characterization seems older to me), then it says she was widowed at 38, that she's been seeing Will for about a year, and that she has been a widow for 17 months. Doesn't add up. Also, at one point it says she's looking forward to not seeing her friend Gussie. She was actually looking forward to seeing Gussie. Little things, I know, but they bother me. Other than those two things I liked the book. This is the second of these "Shadows" books I have read and I enjoy the antique print angle.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always a delight to discover a new, talented author, but to discover she is a write of mysteries is indeed a pleasure. Lea Wait, an experienced antique collector, has written a series (this is #4) involving Maggie Summer, an antique print collector and dealer and American studies professor. In addition to intelligent writing, interesting characters, the themes (in this case, adoption) reflect the author’s extensive research, knowledge and experience and inform the reader. I will be happy to read the rest.

[April · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is 4th in the Maggie Summers series but my first. It was OK, but somewhat cumbersome. The characters didn't always gel for me. For instance, the main character is addicted to Diet Pepsi, but I don't think you have to mention it every 5 pp! The idea is interesting in that Maggie is an antiques print dealer and a single woman who is considering adoption and puts on this show to help fund the adoption agency she is considering. Then she starts receiving threats of violence if she doesn't cancel the show. So I liked the idea, but the execution was a bit clumsy, I thought.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

09/14/05 #163
TITLE/AUTHOR: SHADOWS AT THE SPRING SHOW by Lea Wait
Rating: 4/B
GENRE/PUB DATE/# OF PGS: Mystery, 2005, 244 pgs
COMMENTS: 4th in the Maggie Summer/Antique Print series.
Maggie hosts an antique show at the community college where she teaches to benefit a local adoption agency. The adoption agency and Maggie receive threats to call off the show.

[Ellen L. Ramsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating mystery. Maggie Summer, an antique print dealer and college professor, makes a skilled detective. And the book is filled with references to artists like Arthur Rackham, Winslow Homer, Jessie Wilcox Smith, Grant Wood, and Kate Greenaway.

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maggie Summer Antique Print series #4
First Lea Wait book I’ve read, thou I read her Chowdah mystery written under her pseudonym.

Interesting characters, lots of antique print lore, adoptions info. Like that there is no gratuitous violence or gore. Have requested the rest of the series.

[Valerie Griswold-Ford · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fun. I like Maggie and Will, and it wasn't too dumb. I figured it out about the same time as Maggie did, and I loved the feeling of the antique show.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book concentrated more on the adoption process than on the antiques; I would prefer a bit more on antiques. Interesting tidbit about Humphrey Bogart's mother who was an artist.

[Cherie Bush · Rating 3 out of 5]

#4 in the series. Interesting discussion about adoption.