Garage Sale Secret

Mysteries Of Lancaster County #2

by Elizabeth Ludwig

Why was her uncle Paul buried so far away from his family’s plot? And at Secondhand Blessings, another mystery emerges. Like clock- work, a group of four women come into the shop every Monday to consign their weekly garage-sale and estate-scavenging finds. But when only three of them show up one week, it soon becomes apparent that something sinister is afoot for the missing woman.

Meanwhile, Mary can’t quite figure out a man who has come to Bird-in-Hand. While the charming, attractive man seems friendly enough, and maybe even interested in Mary, there’s just something about him that puts her on the defensive. Is Mary just being overly cautious, or is there good reason for her wariness?

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery

255 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2019

About the author

Elizabeth Ludwig is an accomplished speaker and teacher, often attending conferences where she lectures on editing for fiction writers, crafting effective novel proposals, and conducting successful editor/agent interviews. Book three in her popular EDGE OF FREEDOM series, Tide and Tempest, was named a finalist for the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. Elizabeth was also named a finalist in the 2015 Selah Awards for her novella “One Holy Night”, part of the bestselling anthology collection, Christmas Comes to Bethlehem, Maine. Most recently, she was honored to be awarded a HOLT Medallion for her book, A Tempting Taste of Mystery, part of the SUGARCREEK AMISH MYSTERIES series from Guideposts. Her latest releases include Sheeps Passing in the Night, part of the MYSTERIES OF MARTHA’S VINEYARD series, also from Guideposts, and The Coffee Club Mysteries from Barbour Publishing. To learn more, visit ElizabethLudwig.com.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sisters find out that their uncle, who was never talked about, was buried in a remote spot far from the rest of the family in the local cemetery. They start wondering why. They have 4 ladies who bring items to their store once a week, this week only 3 show up and they start wondering where the other lady is. Between finding their uncle’s stuff in the basement and a break in at their store, they are all kept busy. This series doesn’t seem to have the depth of earlier guidepost series.

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

While there is much to love about Guideposts fiction series; unfortunately there is quite a bit that I don't like. The hardback beautiful covers are well laid out and easy to hold. I also enjoy the slow and easy pace of everyday life with older characters to read about. Lots of dialog and never too much introspection. Perfectly clean as always. My struggle with this one much like the others I have tried is the characters. The authors just don't seem to write realistic coversations between them. There is so much odd praising and shallow talk. The mysteries are nice and realistic but the people just aren't. These three sisters read so much like the others in the Guidepost series. One sister has the wonderful husband who passed and shes constantly trying to overcome and then theres another sister with a bad divorce and relates every man to her experience and another sister who never married. I felt sure I had already met these women. They are good but just difficult to pay up for on Amazon when they are just average.

[Paula Shreckhise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sisters Mary, Martha and Elizabeth live in Bird-In-Hand, Pennsylvania. They run a shop lrft to them by their parents called Second Hand Blessings. They come across a family mystery.....Why is their Uncle Paul not buried near other family members? Their remaining relatives are tightlipped. Soon it is more than a mystery when someone breaks into their shop. A friend is missing as well and her apartment ransacked.
This was a great who-done-it. It has a charming atmosphere of a quaint village in Amish territory.
It takes all three of them plus some friends to decipher the mystery. Will they be pleased or shocked with what they find. Through it all they learn to rely on each other and their faith.
*I won this book from Jerusha Agen’s Fear Warrior blog. All opinions are my own.*

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was more enjoyable than the previous book. The story involves family, a cemetery, a painting, a teapot, theft, and a missing person. There are two mysteries in this story. One is the missing person, and the other is a stolen painting. The stories are connected in the past and the present, and I liked the way it all came together.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mysteries abound after Mary finds some items in their basement from Uncle Paul.

[Leslie Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cutesy mystery with some rudimentary dialogue and a somewhat far fetched premise. Probably won't read one of these again.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the sisters running Secondhand Blessings take in inventory for consignment, one of the items is a pretty silver teapot. Mary quickly purchases it for herself, she likes it so much. However, there seems to be some difficulty learning much about it. After a trip to the cemetery, the sisters begin to realize they have a deceased uncle they never knew much about. His grave is not with the other family members and no one will tell them why. These two mysteries keep the sisters on their toes as they try to run their business and find out the answers they need. An easy read for a quiet afternoon.

[Sheila McIntyre · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of the book is a good one, and it was certainly intriguing enough to want to read. While the characters were solid, they lacked the dynamic pull that thrusts the reader right into the plot with them. I found the middle of the book really lagged, and I struggled to get through that part. The last third of the book did pick up and added a lot more mystery/suspense to the plot. Overall, it was a good read.

[Jackie Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second book in Classen series. Mary, Martha, and Elizabeth continue in store. They are doing well and take in consignments from other folks. This time it leads to mystery and theft. They have very valuable items that appear to be stolen by one of their own relatives. Couldn't put it down til end.

[Cris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another Guidepost series. I found books 2,3,4 at ECHO thrift store this week. I enjoyed this story that centered on 3 sister who had reunited to run their parents resale shop,Secondhand Blessings. Mary found a family grave a ways from the rest of the family plot. Why was Uncle Paul not berried with his Brothers and Sisters?

[Sandra Holladay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not realize this was a Christian mystery when I picked it up; whole lot of praying going on, much more than I care for in my books. The characters weren't fleshed out much, their dialogue was a bit stilted. I skipped whole sections because they were so slow, only went to the end to find out the culprit.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a delightful book about three sisters who decide to find out why an uncle was buried away from the rest of the family. It was a nice read when I needed something peaceful yet kept me going. This book sufficed.

[Brenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

My rating: 3.5/5 stars

My mom read this and gave it to me to read since I like cozy mysteries. It's standard cozy mystery fare. Like reading a Saturday afternoon Hallmark mystery special. Just the right read on a drizzly Saturday afternoon.

[Sandra Thierer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second book in this cozy series about three sisters who have taken over the family business

[Nick Vantangoli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful tale. These sisters are quite something. I look forward to reading more.

[Jae Roth · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was so slow and banal I had to abandon it 5 or 6 chapters in.

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable book

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guideposts books are always a good read.

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun continuation in the Mysteries of Lancaster County series. If you read the first book, you'll definitely want to read this one, as well.

[Beverly Duell-Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading this book!