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Den of Antiquity #15
Poison Ivory
All antiques dealer Abigail Timberlake Washburn wanted was to find a perfect gift for her darling (if not altogether together) mama Mozella's birthday. She never expected her online purchase of an exquisite, seventeenth-century rosewood linen chest to place her in federal custody, accused of trafficking in illegal ivory! Then insult is heaped on her injury when she's forced to turn to her lawyer-snake ex, Buford, to spring her—since ex-cop /current hubby Greg's “good ol' boy” contacts don't happen to include any feds.
Abby may be small in stature, but she's a force to be reckoned with when riled—and she's determined to root out the real smugglers who she blames for her recent indignities. But in her zeal to stick it to the elephant eliminators who have invaded her beloved Charleston, Abby might just land herself and mama alike up to their pearly whites in lethally hot water!
Abby may be small in stature, but she's a force to be reckoned with when riled—and she's determined to root out the real smugglers who she blames for her recent indignities. But in her zeal to stick it to the elephant eliminators who have invaded her beloved Charleston, Abby might just land herself and mama alike up to their pearly whites in lethally hot water!
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 26, 2009
15 people are currently reading
260 people want to read
About the author
Tamar Myers
63 books293 followersTamar Myers was born and raised in the Belgian Congo (now just the Congo). Her parents were missionaries to a tribe which, at that time, were known as headhunters and used human skulls for drinking cups. Hers was the first white family ever to peacefully coexist with the tribe, and Tamar grew up fluent in the local trade language. Because of her pale blue eyes, Tamar’s nickname was Ugly Eyes.
Tamar grew up eating elephant, hippopotamus and even monkey. She attended a boarding school that was two days away by truck, and sometimes it was necessary to wade through crocodile infested waters to reach it. Other dangers she encountered as a child were cobras, deadly green mambas, and the voracious armies of driver ants that ate every animal (and human) that didn’t get out of their way.
In 1960 the Congo, which had been a Belgian colony, became an independent nation. There followed a period of retribution (for heinous crimes committed against the Congolese by the Belgians) in which many Whites were killed. Tamar and her family fled the Congo, but returned a year later. By then a number of civil wars were raging, and the family’s residence was often in the line of fire. In 1964, after living through three years of war, the family returned to the United States permanently.
Tamar was sixteen when her family settled in America, and she immediately underwent severe culture shock. She didn’t know how to dial a telephone, cross a street at a stoplight, or use a vending machine. She lucked out, however, by meeting her husband, Jeffrey, on her first day in an American high school. They literally bumped heads while he was leaving, and she entering, the Civics classroom.
Tamar now calls Charlotte, NC home. She lives with her husband, plus a Basenji dog named Pagan, a Bengal cat named Nkashama, and an orange tabby rescue cat named Dumpster Boy. She and her husband are of the Jewish faith, the animals are not.
Tamar enjoys gardening (she is a Master Gardner), bonsai, travel, painting and, of course, reading. She loves Thai and Indian food, and antique jewelry. She plans to visit Machu Pichu in the near future.
Series:
* Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery
* Den of Antiquity Mystery
Tamar grew up eating elephant, hippopotamus and even monkey. She attended a boarding school that was two days away by truck, and sometimes it was necessary to wade through crocodile infested waters to reach it. Other dangers she encountered as a child were cobras, deadly green mambas, and the voracious armies of driver ants that ate every animal (and human) that didn’t get out of their way.
In 1960 the Congo, which had been a Belgian colony, became an independent nation. There followed a period of retribution (for heinous crimes committed against the Congolese by the Belgians) in which many Whites were killed. Tamar and her family fled the Congo, but returned a year later. By then a number of civil wars were raging, and the family’s residence was often in the line of fire. In 1964, after living through three years of war, the family returned to the United States permanently.
Tamar was sixteen when her family settled in America, and she immediately underwent severe culture shock. She didn’t know how to dial a telephone, cross a street at a stoplight, or use a vending machine. She lucked out, however, by meeting her husband, Jeffrey, on her first day in an American high school. They literally bumped heads while he was leaving, and she entering, the Civics classroom.
Tamar now calls Charlotte, NC home. She lives with her husband, plus a Basenji dog named Pagan, a Bengal cat named Nkashama, and an orange tabby rescue cat named Dumpster Boy. She and her husband are of the Jewish faith, the animals are not.
Tamar enjoys gardening (she is a Master Gardner), bonsai, travel, painting and, of course, reading. She loves Thai and Indian food, and antique jewelry. She plans to visit Machu Pichu in the near future.
Series:
* Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery
* Den of Antiquity Mystery
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
September 7, 2022
The first couple of pages made me laugh, and I thought to myself, "Maybe this one will be good . . ." and then I hit page 5, and everything turned into the same meandering slurp that the last several in the series have been.
Falsely accused of indulging in the illegal ivory trade, Abby sets out to catch the realkiller scumbag who doesn't give a shit about dead elephants.
There was this rant that I enjoyed:
Who has enough time to just read? Eat, Pray, Love was a good book, but I needed to get beyond memoirs and self-help books, and tragic Oprah picks, and above all, books that scream: this book is literary, punctuation optional.
One more in the series to go. Can Tamar redeem herself?
Stay tuned.
Falsely accused of indulging in the illegal ivory trade, Abby sets out to catch the real
There was this rant that I enjoyed:
Who has enough time to just read? Eat, Pray, Love was a good book, but I needed to get beyond memoirs and self-help books, and tragic Oprah picks, and above all, books that scream: this book is literary, punctuation optional.
One more in the series to go. Can Tamar redeem herself?
Stay tuned.
May 18, 2023
So, there I was, sitting in a library waiting for someone. Was it my fault I picked up a book to pass the time? This is a mice little piece of fluff, reminded me of the "The Cat Who..." books, but without the protagonist cats. A middle aged woman who runs an antique shop, gets taken into custody because of an illegal ivory shipment directed to her address... Fun.
July 25, 2025
Not crazy about this authors style.
Abby owns the Den of Antiquity. She lives with her husband and mother. Abby is arrested for importing contraband. Once released, she is asked to participate in a sting operation. These books read like Lucy and Ethel run a sting operation in the Carolinas. The stories are silly, tedious and I won't waste time reading any more.
Abby owns the Den of Antiquity. She lives with her husband and mother. Abby is arrested for importing contraband. Once released, she is asked to participate in a sting operation. These books read like Lucy and Ethel run a sting operation in the Carolinas. The stories are silly, tedious and I won't waste time reading any more.
March 12, 2022
Do not read this book. It needs some serious revising. Conversations between the characters are disjointed . Often, attempts at what I think are humor not only fall completely flat but just don't make any sense. Multiple typos only add to the frustration.
December 13, 2025
I love her other series and was excited to start this. It was wonderful and funny in the first 250 pages but for me it dragged on and on after that. My other complaint is that there is a cat on the cover but no cat in the book. Will I read another of her books, Absolutely.
September 11, 2017
Fun if a bit silly series. Played for laughs
May 9, 2018
I found this book hard to read.
January 7, 2019
One of the most poorly written books I have ever read.
March 25, 2019
Love the stories but the humor seems to get a little more crude with each book which is a shame, because she is so witty without having to 'go there'
May 3, 2025
pun names work when it's mysteries
February 12, 2011
Poison Ivory is the fifteenth mystery in the Den of Antiquity series featuring amateur sleuth, antiques dealer and heroine Abigail Timberlake-Washburn.
When she purchases (not "buys", because proper southern ladies don't buy) an antique rosewood linen chest for her mother, Abigail is arrested on suspicion of trafficking illegal ivory. After her ex-husband Buford Timbersnake, uhhh, TimberLAKE, bails her out of jail, Abigail goes on her own sleuthing adventure to uncover the true identity of the evil ivory trafficker.
Poison Ivory is a whirlwind of random, off-the-wall humor and misadventures so much to the point of being too zany and wacky for even me to finish. I regret to sadly admit that this is officially the last Den of Antiquity novel I will ever read. I've been faithful to Tamar Myers since I began this series because it started off being fun, cute, and containing many witticisms that southerners can appreciate! I had similar negative feelings toward book fourteen of the series called Death of a Rug Lord, which was also quirky to the point of near ridiculousness. My review for it can be found here: Review for Death of a Rug Lord.
Upon finishing and being disappointed with Death of a Rug Lord, I chalked it up to the fact that not all series books can be winners; perhaps Tamar Myers was just having an off-moment. However, since the pattern continues with Poison Ivory, I'm just not sure what's going on in the head of Tamar Myers and must take a permanent break from the series.
The book's euphemisms are consistent with the previous Den of Antiquity installments, but even C.J.'s out-done ramblings are becoming tiring. Perhaps I would have stuck with the series had Tamar Myers redirected her focus on further character development and mystery components. I'm genuinely sad that I can no longer enjoy the Den of Antiquity series.
While writing this review, I stumbled upon Tamar Myers' full bibliography, which I see now includes two books in a new series featuring a new character, Amanda Brown! The first book is The Witch Doctor's Wife (2009) and the second is The Headhunter's Daughter (2010). According to the synopses, the novels take place in Congo-Africa and looks to follow Tamar Myers' missionary background. Still remaining a devoted Myers fan despite the direction the Den of Antiquity series is taking, I have put these novels on my wish list. I'm truly excited to read them and hope they're an improvement over the latter!
Read more book reviews at http://dreamworldbooks.com.
When she purchases (not "buys", because proper southern ladies don't buy) an antique rosewood linen chest for her mother, Abigail is arrested on suspicion of trafficking illegal ivory. After her ex-husband Buford Timbersnake, uhhh, TimberLAKE, bails her out of jail, Abigail goes on her own sleuthing adventure to uncover the true identity of the evil ivory trafficker.
Poison Ivory is a whirlwind of random, off-the-wall humor and misadventures so much to the point of being too zany and wacky for even me to finish. I regret to sadly admit that this is officially the last Den of Antiquity novel I will ever read. I've been faithful to Tamar Myers since I began this series because it started off being fun, cute, and containing many witticisms that southerners can appreciate! I had similar negative feelings toward book fourteen of the series called Death of a Rug Lord, which was also quirky to the point of near ridiculousness. My review for it can be found here: Review for Death of a Rug Lord.
Upon finishing and being disappointed with Death of a Rug Lord, I chalked it up to the fact that not all series books can be winners; perhaps Tamar Myers was just having an off-moment. However, since the pattern continues with Poison Ivory, I'm just not sure what's going on in the head of Tamar Myers and must take a permanent break from the series.
The book's euphemisms are consistent with the previous Den of Antiquity installments, but even C.J.'s out-done ramblings are becoming tiring. Perhaps I would have stuck with the series had Tamar Myers redirected her focus on further character development and mystery components. I'm genuinely sad that I can no longer enjoy the Den of Antiquity series.
While writing this review, I stumbled upon Tamar Myers' full bibliography, which I see now includes two books in a new series featuring a new character, Amanda Brown! The first book is The Witch Doctor's Wife (2009) and the second is The Headhunter's Daughter (2010). According to the synopses, the novels take place in Congo-Africa and looks to follow Tamar Myers' missionary background. Still remaining a devoted Myers fan despite the direction the Den of Antiquity series is taking, I have put these novels on my wish list. I'm truly excited to read them and hope they're an improvement over the latter!
Read more book reviews at http://dreamworldbooks.com.
July 6, 2012
I'm very happy I stumbled upon about 5 books of hers from this series at a church yard sale and now have a new cozy mystery writer to follow.
I was between a 3 star and 4 star on this one. The mystery plot portion was not so great or very memorable, but the characters were wonderful and had me laughing throughout. I continued to turn the pages not because I wanted to know who the culprit was, but instead because I wanted to learn what odd character would show up next. Also, any book that makes me laugh boosts my rating of the book up.
Although this is the 15th book in the series, this is the first one I've read so I'm hoping the mysteries will be a little better in the other ones. I was pleased that I was able to jump in the middle of the series and not feel lost, the characters gave little hints about past books that left me intrigued to read the others, and everything was tidied up by the end of the book (though in this one I felt the author was kind of hurried in explaining the culprit).
I was between a 3 star and 4 star on this one. The mystery plot portion was not so great or very memorable, but the characters were wonderful and had me laughing throughout. I continued to turn the pages not because I wanted to know who the culprit was, but instead because I wanted to learn what odd character would show up next. Also, any book that makes me laugh boosts my rating of the book up.
Although this is the 15th book in the series, this is the first one I've read so I'm hoping the mysteries will be a little better in the other ones. I was pleased that I was able to jump in the middle of the series and not feel lost, the characters gave little hints about past books that left me intrigued to read the others, and everything was tidied up by the end of the book (though in this one I felt the author was kind of hurried in explaining the culprit).
April 3, 2013
So now the Mama's time warp is the 1960s? Ah, heck. At least she properly described the silence of a snowfall within the first few pages!
And it's nuts how CJ went right to "Cheng" after that muddled up genealogy in the last book. No mention yet of a divorce from Toy Wiggens either. Hmmm. Okay, that was fixed mid-book.
All of a sudden, Abby conveniently has a parlor trick of double-jointedness? Oh boy. I think this might be my last book. I'm barely into chapter two and already incredulous.
I'm wondering what happened to Wooden Wonders. Ed's off fishing and Wynnell is working for Abby.
For the second time in as many books, Abby goes off with Bob and ends up talking to Rob.
Now I'm finished. The story wasn't riveting. It had a few laughable moments, but was mostly rather dull. I think this is the last of these books I'll read for the time being. Too many editing errors and too few episodes of witty dialogue. The older books in this series are much better than these last few.
And it's nuts how CJ went right to "Cheng" after that muddled up genealogy in the last book. No mention yet of a divorce from Toy Wiggens either. Hmmm. Okay, that was fixed mid-book.
All of a sudden, Abby conveniently has a parlor trick of double-jointedness? Oh boy. I think this might be my last book. I'm barely into chapter two and already incredulous.
I'm wondering what happened to Wooden Wonders. Ed's off fishing and Wynnell is working for Abby.
For the second time in as many books, Abby goes off with Bob and ends up talking to Rob.
Now I'm finished. The story wasn't riveting. It had a few laughable moments, but was mostly rather dull. I think this is the last of these books I'll read for the time being. Too many editing errors and too few episodes of witty dialogue. The older books in this series are much better than these last few.
January 16, 2012
Every bit as satisfying and laugh-producing as all Tamar Myers books are. The cover art did stall me a bit with those bloody cat paw prints, which certainly got my attention but failed to materialize in the story. The "Nip and Tusk" header in red on the back cover also gave me pause, as at first I thought that was another book I needed to look for, instead of a description of the one in my hand. There were perhaps 7 or 8 typos as well, something I never or seldom noticed in previous volumes. But the night in the woods and the Small Hairy Ones made up for all of those nits.
July 26, 2010
I enjoyed this book far more than the previous one. Ms. Myers seemed to have paid more attention to her characters again. Also, brought CJ back to her former self. This was based on an important topic...Ivory smuggling. Done with humor and the usual odd characters, the book, leads you to learn more on the topic.
Nicely done in an 'afterword' by Ms. Myers is a short autobiography of her personal experiences. Excellent.
I look forward to the next installment.
Nicely done in an 'afterword' by Ms. Myers is a short autobiography of her personal experiences. Excellent.
I look forward to the next installment.
June 15, 2013
This is the first book I've read in this series and I enjoyed it as far as " cozies" are concerned. It's also the first that wasn't about a murder but about a topic far from it ( except for the thought of killing elephants for their tusks maybe) but not a direct murder mystery, yet a good mystery anyway. Kudos to Ms Myers for being my first that didn't have to do with murder. Quite enjoyable and I loved the quirky characters Will read more of her books
November 9, 2013
Some interesting plot concepts (I think!) but the characters were so overdone that I couldn't finish the book. Even the minor characters, like the cops in the first couple chapters were more like Keystone Kops on steroids, exceedingly unrealistic. Sadly, even though a HarperCollins/Avon imprint, the typos were rampant ... Not an author--or imprint--I'd pick up again.
December 28, 2015
Abby and C.J. go to the docks to pick up a shipment for the Den of Antiquity and a birthday present for Abby's mom and get arrested for ivory smuggling! To make matters worse, she has to turn to her slimy ex-husband for legal help since he is a well-known attorney, but he's more interested in beating the prosecutor than proving she is innocent. How is Abby going to get out of this one?
October 6, 2009
The story was good but the total lack of respect between the two main female characters is irritating. They are supposed to be mother and daughter but act more like sisters - ones who don't much like each other.
I still wonder what Abby signed...
I still wonder what Abby signed...
September 6, 2010
This was one stupid book.
What a total waste of my time.
The conversation was inane and so were the attempts at being humorous.
In the first few pages, it was mentioned dozens of times how small and diminutive the main character, Abby, was. I got it the first time!
What a total waste of my time.
The conversation was inane and so were the attempts at being humorous.
In the first few pages, it was mentioned dozens of times how small and diminutive the main character, Abby, was. I got it the first time!
May 2, 2011
This was the first book I've read in the series and I enjoyed it. The characters were crazy and the whole thing was thouroughly southern. Glad I have another one from the series on my shelf to read.
January 11, 2010
This book was ok but I am not as thrilled of this author as I used to be. She seems to be trying to hard and the humor is too grasping.
August 21, 2009
not worth your time ... lousy book
September 9, 2009
I didn't get to finish this one and was not impressed. But I think my mom would love it.
July 18, 2010
I like the Den of Antiquity mysteries because Myers uses a lot of description of the South Carolina countryside, which I like. The mystery is pretty standard, but she does have cute characters.
September 13, 2010
Mystery - sort of odd - probably won't read this author again.
December 5, 2015
15th in the series--the repeated anecdotes and comments wear thin and aren't as fresh. Abby was funnier before she was so political.
Read
July 8, 2015Donated to DPL
February 7, 2016
Okay
I did enjoy;but thought there were too many misspellings. Words not caught because they were not misspelled but rather the wrong word, the where it should be they.
I did enjoy;but thought there were too many misspellings. Words not caught because they were not misspelled but rather the wrong word, the where it should be they.
May 31, 2023
A library find.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews