The Longest Yard Sale

Sarah Winston Garage Sale Mystery #2

by Sherry Harris

ONE MAN’S CLUTTER

When Sarah Winston turns Ellington, Massachusetts, into New England’s largest garage sale for a day, it’s the small town’s biggest event since the start of the Revolutionary War—but without the bloodshed. That is, until a valuable painting goes missing…and the lifeless body of an Air Force officer is found in Carol Carson’s painting studio, his face perfectly framed with the murder weapon—a metal picture frame.

IS ANOTHER MAN’S CLOVER

Sarah is mad as heck that someone used her town-wide garage sale to commit a crime—and frame her good friend Carol. She is definitely on this case…but it’s not easy rummaging through increasingly strange clues that point to cheating spouses, downright dirty investment schemes—even the mob. And Sarah will have to be very careful if she wants to live to bargain another day…

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Fiction, Audiobook, Contemporary, Romance

344 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 30, 2015

About the author

Sherry Harris is the Agatha Award nominated author of the Sarah Winston Garage Sale mystery series and the Chloe Jackson Sea Glass Saloon mysteries. Sherry is a past president of Sisters in Crime and a member of Mystery Writers of America. Sherry loves books, beaches, bars, and bargain hunting — not necessarily in that order. She is also a patent holding inventor.

Reviews

[LORI CASWELL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Book #2 of this series has Sarah Winston organizing a huge garage sale, the largest in New England. The day arrives with crowds of people, traffic jams, happy customers, and a very happy town manager. The tourists would come for the sale and spend money and then she hoped would come back again and again. But then, a man is found murdered at the Paint and Wine studio and a painting is missing. Then another valuable painting is stolen from the library. Sarah’s ex, C. J. Hooker is ready to pin the crimes on Carol Carson, the owner of the studio and Sarah’s friend. With the town’s garage sale over Sarah has some time on her hands and she is going to use it bag the real culprit. The clues have her chasing all over town and the Air Force base. She may solve more than one mystery before she wraps up her investigation.

I love Sarah Winston. Between her garage sale business, dating two men, her ex, and Seth, the local district attorney, and volunteering a the base thrift store, she is one busy woman. But she uses all of it to try to catch a killer. People open up to her very easily and she can do a little snooping under the guise of garage sale business. Her friends are great sources too. She also has no problem asking C.J. and Seth for information either. Every character that the author has created comes off realistically. They have grown since the first book. I enjoyed getting to know all of them a little better.

The mystery this time has several tangents with twists galore. The story starts a little slow but then the pace picks up as more clues are revealed and the motive becomes more clear. There is a lot of ground covered in this story, but by the end, the plot and subplots come together nicely with just a little romantic cliffhanger that has me excited to read book #3.

I love the author’s writing style, the way she shares life on an Air Force Base and it’s neighboring town. The way she picks up that Boston accent and the way real people talk. The dialogue in this story is excellent. Her descriptions of time and place clearly enabled me to picture everything that was happening. The mystery was well plotted and real life was portrayed honestly. The romance was depicted well and made me laugh more than a few times.

I am late to the party for this series but hope to catch up before I Know What You Bid Last Summer comes out at the end of February.

[Mallory · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is becoming one of my favorite cozy mystery series. I like Sarah and I enjoy the humor and big more of an edge that slips into these books. I like that Sarah is figuring out her life and then figuring out where her potential men fit in. In this volume Sarah is hired by the city to throw the largest yard sale in Massachusetts and it goes well although a few small fires put the event in jeopardy. Not long after her good friend Carol finds a dead body in her wine and paint studio and quickly she becomes the main suspect. Sarah can’t allow the police to arrest her friend and she’s sure she’s innocent so she takes the investigation on herself.

[beachbum bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

For my thoughts on this book and others check out my cozy mystery YouTube channel @: https://www.youtube.com/@theBeachbumb...

[Kellye · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has become one of my favorite cozy series. I love that the author bucks some of the common tropes (Sarah can't cook, is allergic to cats, is divorced from the police chief yet still figuring out if she wants to get back with him.) The author also does a great job weaving in military life and garage sale tips. Definitely worth the read if you are looking for a good light weight, funny mystery. I need her to get with (REDACTED) though and stop playing around!

[Readaholic Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not as good as the first one but still a good mystery. I could have done without the love triangle but I love the characters, especially Sarah.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though not quite as good as the first in this series, The Longest Yard Sale was a fun, fast-paced story that I enjoyed. Sarah has been hired by the town of Ellington, Massachusetts to organize the biggest yard sale in New England. On the day of the sale, however, mysterious fires start appearing around the area, and later a man is found murdered. When Sarah's good friend, Carol, is accused Sarah knows she must find the killer before the killer puts Carol behind bars.

I love Sarah, she's a fun MC who doesn't use badgering tactics to get answers from people. Her friends, Rosie, Angelo, Stella, and Carol are all fun, too. However, there are two love-interests in this book, though both know about each other. I wouldn't call it a love triangle because of the way the author sets it up, but it's still there and sometimes it gets annoying.

The mystery was good, though it dragged slightly in the beginning of the book. However, it picked up about 1/3 of the way through and by the end I wanted more.

Overall a very good book. Looking forward to the next book! With acceptable characters and an average mystery The Longest Yard Sale gets 4/5 stars.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good series and I am enjoying the characters in the story. I think I enjoy series books so much because I fell like the characters are friends and I don't lose them after one good read.

[Heidi Prockish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this one! I am not into garage sales but so far this series is so fun. I am totally torn between CJ & Seth. Looking forward to the next one.

[Linda Langford · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's autumn in Ellington, Massachusetts, and Sarah Winston is organizing New England's Largest Yard Sale. It's a great success despite several alarming small fires reported, but quickly extinguished. Residents are left wondering if they have an arsonist in their midst. Carol, a close friend of Sarah and her ex-husband, C.J., finds a commissioned painting she's working on missing, and she's frantic. As if that wasn't enough, the dead body of a local financial planner, Terry McQueen, is discovered in Carol's shop, Paint & Wine, with a frame around his neck, and she's in the limelight as the main suspect. So--we have a dead man, mysterious fires, and an art theft. How on earth are they connected? Author, Sherry Harris, leads us around and about the yard sale route, as she cleverly maps out dead ends until the killer reveal.

I really enjoyed the character of Gennie 'Jawbreaker' Elder, an aging cage fighter, who's one of Sarah's clients. And, Vincenzo, is a hot Italian defense attorney, who'll make you wanna get in trouble so you can call him to come bail you out!! Characters from the first story, like Laura and Seth, are back as well.

I've barely touched on ALL the mystery, intrigue, and drama in this story! It's a very entertaining and excellent cozy mystery!

I received a complimentary copy from the author. This review is my own personal opinion and not influenced by anyone else.

[Mark Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sarah has been working hard to set up the largest community yard sale in New England. When the day arrives, some fires outside of town are the only thing that goes wrong – or so she thinks. After the day is over, she learns her friend Carol was robbed of a painting she was doing on commission. The next morning, Carol finds a dead stranger in her shop. What is happening?

This is a very fun mystery filled with great characters. Seriously, I love spending time with them. The plot includes a few intriguing sub-plots that all tie together in some way at the end of the book. The result kept me turning pages. One word of warning, one part of the first book is spoiled here, but there is no way to continue Sarah’s personal life without doing so.

NOTE: I was sent an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[Jenni Schell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this type of mystery. Sarah seems to always land in the midst of a real good one. This is no different. Great characters and great story. Fingers crossed for a third installment.

[Christa · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this second book of the series, several unsettling events begin to occur. On the town "longest yard sale day" several fires are set in the area. A man turns up dead, and it looks like a financial partnership is bilking townspeople out of money. Sarah's friend, Carol, is the main suspect in the murder, so Sarah jumps in to prove she's innocent. As Sarah investigates, it begins to look like these crimes may be connected.

This one had an interesting and entertaining storyline. There was quite a bit going on in it, providing plenty of action. Sarah was a great character, as she was in the first book. I like her loyalty and determination. The secondary cast of characters was back, and was also great. I look forward to moving on to the next book.

[Sanderella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok! Book #2 was way better than the first one. I don't write the blurb of a book in my reviews... You can read that on your own.
Sarah certainly has a lot on her plate..... Running yard sales for people, helping out with the thrift shop on a military base in MA, visiting friends, eating a lot of good food, and juggling her ex hubby and a handsome, rich suitor. I wasn't able to figure out who the murderer was until the very end. Pretty good story.
My love life advice to Sarah would be to stay away from CJ and Seth....for a while anyhow. Enjoy single life for now. The right man will find his way to her heart... Been there, done that. ;)

[Shawna Shaheen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the 1 st book a long time ago. It was good. I forgot about this series so I wanted to read 2 nd one. I love yard sales especially for finding a bargain.Sarah has got divorced to her husband C.J. 6 months ago. C.J. Is a cop now he used to be in air force but a woman that was working there too told everyone on base that she slept with C.J.It was a lie but Sarah believed it so they got divorced. Sarah trying to figure out if she wants to be with C.J. Again take it slow or with a guy Seth that is working with C.J. But Sarah is keeping on the downlow. Sarah is a yard sale associate helping people with their yard sales and finding out how much the items are worh. Sarah gets a comission. Sarah and Nancy (the town's planner of events) set up a Largest yard sale in New Engand. It went off with a hitch until someone set of fires all over the place. Carol one of Sarah best friends worked advIsing and Wine had painted a picture of a real man's painting that looked alike. But Carole did not know who the man was. The man told her he will give her a very sizable amount.. So Carole did it. But the painting got stolen and she did not put her signature on it. A man got strangled in her shop. Carole was a suspect. I Loved all the items Sarah finds and fixes the up. And she negotiated with people. She has friends there that are like family. Sarah is from California but she loves New England. I will read another book

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

A+++ The second volume of Sherry Harris' Sarah Winston Garage Sale Mystery Series is brilliant! Not only are the characters fresh and appealing, but the plot is so devious and so clever and so convoluted that I defy anyone to figure it out before Ms. Harris lets you!
Sarah Winston is divorced from her ex-military husband, CJ Hooker, now the town's police chief. She is making her way by organizing yard sales. Her big ta-da comes when she is hired to organize New England's Largest Yard Sale as a fundraiser for her town. The event, though very successful, is marred by suspicious fires and the discovery of a murder suspect right in Sarah's best friend's painting studio. Since her friend, Carol, is suspect numero uno, Sarah has no choice but to help find the murderer. The story is further complicated by a lovely romantic triangle between Sarah, her ex who is trying to win her back, and the hunky DA, with whom she just happened to have a drunken one night stand.
The writing is well paced and well edited, and the entire story is one of the best I've read in a while.

[Ricci Beck · Rating 2 out of 5]

Surprised at the high ratings for this book. The first one was meh, this one was worse. I still don’t care for any of the characters other than the restaurant owners. The love triangle is annoying as is Sarah’s internal dialogue about both guys. I knew who the killer was almost from the first scene they were in. The subplot at the thrift store was pointless. Moving on to another series

[Kaitlyn Dunnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even better than the first one. Loved it!

[Dawn Frazier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series!!

[Carol Fillmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Longest Yard Sale by Sherry Harris was a really good cozy, ranks more like a 4. 5 stars. This book kept my interest from page 1 through to the end. The plot was complex, the characters are well done, and believable, and the main character did not try to solve the crime and constantly place herself in dangerous situations. Instead, she intelligently sought information that she passed on to the police chief, her romantic interest. Well actually there are two romantic interests.. At the end of the book, she is being presented with a choice but which one will it be. Next book perhaps will reveal this.
The author is new to me. She's made a great impression with this title. A very well written mystery that isn't filled with madcap silliness with outlandish plots. Recommening this book,

[Marla Bradeen · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE LONGEST YARD SALE is an enjoyable story. Quite a bit is going on in this book, including, of course, a murder. Like the first book, this one also has plenty of references to yard sales, military life, and the Boston area. Cozy mystery fans will find a lot to like about this series.

Disclosure: I won a free copy of this book in a giveaway.

[Jennifer Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cozy mystery and a yard sale, what's not to love?! I enjoyed this one and listened to it in two walks. I like Sarah (the main character) and her attitude towards life. I have high hopes for her future (or herself in future books!)!

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Longest Yard Sale by Sherry Harris is the second book in her Sarah Winston Garage Sale mystery series. It has been quite awhile since I read the first book, so this was almost like visiting small town of Ellington, Massachusetts for the first time.

Sarah Winston is divorced ex-military, now Sheriff, C.J. Because she needed to earn money, she began helping people organize and hold their own profitable garage sales. She was a great success and because of this, the Ellington Town Council hired her to organize and run New England's Longest Yard Sale. The hugely successful yard sale creates problems for the police department. There are traffic jams, several small fires set and a stolen painting. As the story progresses, we find out how these things all link together. When Sarah's best friend, Carol, finds a murdered man in her Art shop/studio the next morning, she calls Sarah before the police. As the investigation proceeds, Carol is the main suspect in the murder. Sarah is anxious to clear her friend and is on the case. Her involvement isn’t welcomed by C.J. her ex-husband the police chief or Seth, her current love interest, who happens to be the county DA. There are actually several mysteries in this book, the murder, stolen art, fraud and embezzlement as well as theft on the Air Force Base. Because of Sarah's friendship with military wives, she finds herself right in the thick of things. Try balancing all that and two men at the same time.

The Longest Yard Sale’s plot is well paced, and the characters are well developed. It is easy to get a good sense of Sarah Winston through her interactions with the other characters and there are many. At the end of the book there are some tips for yard sale buyers and sellers. I thoroughly enjoyed this cozy mystery, and I plan to get right to the third one in the series.

[Chaitra · Rating 1 out of 5]

I changed my mind. I thought Sarah wasn't exactly unlikable in the first book but in this one I could almost not finish the book because of how much I hated her. Enough to call it quits with this series.

[Melodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the first in this series and this one was just as good. I had the bad guy pegged early on, but that didn't take away from the story. I like the characters and the locale and the idea of making a living staging garage sales is fascinating! The one thing that I REALLY don't like here: the TRIANGLE!! Enough already! Can we be done with those as a plot point in so many cozies, please? It's trite, it's worn out, it's stupid and it's BORING!! Why do so many of these writers seem to have a problem writing about REAL adult relationships?? Get on with it! Otherwise, recommend!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, a pleasant read. A bit too much going on in terms of backstories and I don't want to be a plot spoiler so I'll have to leave it at that. The romantic tension between Sarah and Sean continues and CJ seems to be in the distance...

I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. If you haven't read the first book, I suggest you do so. While this book can stand alone, I recommend reading Tagged to Death before this book.

[☺Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, no! I hate love triangles . . .
That being said, I really enjoyed the mystery set-up and solution in this, book two, of the Sarah Winston Garage Sale cozy mystery series by Sherry Harris.
I am beginning to get a clearer picture of who Sarah Winston is: a supportive friend, a good organizer, an appreciative eater (who also loves "fluffernutters" - a big plus, imo), but she is also a late-thirty-something woman who doesn't know exactly what, or who, she wants in her life.
The cast of supporting characters is getting more fleshed out, too:
1) Stella - the landlady/opera singer/friend, not at all what I first pictured (now, I picture Nigella Lawson minus the British accent).
2) Carol - best friend/Paint and Wine shop owner, her husband Brad and her kids don't figure much in Sarah Winston's life (or in Carol's either, it would seem).
3) C. J. Hooker - Sarah's ex-husband/Chief of Police, ex-military, after nineteen years of marriage, it doesn't seem that he and Sarah have much of a connection.
4) Seth - district attorney/local hottie and most-eligible bachelor, who dated a Victoria Secret model - it was mentioned more than once and said beauty (who has an annoying voice, though - can't have her be too perfect and a perfectly nice woman, can we?) even shows up at Seth's place! Seth seems too good to be true.
5) Laura - friend/military base thrift shop coworker/volunteer, a very convenient relationship as Laura "sponsors" her whenever Sarah needs access to the base to volunteer at the thrift shop, needs to dig for clues, or needs to pump Laura for information as a reliable source of base gossip.

[Nolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Garage sale organizer and amateur sleuth Sarah Winston is hosting what she bills as the largest garage sale in New England in her small Massachusetts community. Her ex-husband is the chief of police, and he’s not happy with her for creating this event with its accompanying traffic and crowd control problems. Sarah, on the other hand, is thrilled with it until a local financial analyst dies. They find his murdered body in the art studio belonging to Sarah’s friend, Carol. Before Sarah’s ex can rush Carol off to prison, Sarah learns who the real killer is.

This is an ok series. I’ll read the third book in it eventually. One intriguing subplot is Sarah’s ability to juggle amorous advances from her ex-husband and the local county attorney. You’d think a woman in her 30s would figure out that the kind of man-juggling she’s doing is never going to end well.

[Diane ~Firefly~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

During the longest yard sale, there are some fires and a theft. Sarah has really annoyed me this book and even though I own the next one I'm in no hurry to read it.

What I enjoyed:
* Love DiNapoli's, a great restaurant run by amazing people
* The garage sale tips are interestin

What could have been better:
* The only thing worse than a love triangle is one where 1 part doesn't know they are in one. Sarah is not telling her ex that she is also seeing Seth is unacceptable. Yes, she told them they should see other people, but she is actively hiding her relationship with Seth (and I'm not sure why he puts up with it).
* Which brings me to the fact I don't think I like Sarah. The hiding Seth is awful, but she also snoops on official emails in her ex's office and almost reads files at Seth's. How is anyone supposed to trust her?

[Dawn Filler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a quick read with twists and likeable characters. I love this series and can't wait to read the next book!

[Gale Penton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read and series. Love the characters. This plot kept me guessing until the end.