ARC Review: Peril at Pennington Manor by Tracy Gardner

Peril at Pennington Manor
Author: Tracy Gardner
Series: An Avery Ayers Antique Mystery (Book 2)
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (June 7, 2022)

Description: Perfect for fans of Jane K. Cleland and Ellery Adams, the second volume in Tracy Gardner’s antiques-themed mystery series finds appraiser Avery Ayers sleuthing a murder in a castle.

Thanks to Aunt Midge’s unlikely friendship with Nicholas Pennington, the Duke of Valle Charme, Avery Ayers and her associates at Antiques and Artifacts Appraised head off to their most glamorous assignment yet—cataloguing and appraising the contents of a castle-like mansion on the Hudson River. But regal splendor becomes a backdrop to mayhem when the precious Viktor Petrova timepiece disappears—and housekeeper Suzanne Vick plummets from a parapet to her death.

Avery, her dad William, and colleagues Micah Abbott and Sir Robert Lane soon learn that Suzanne’s predecessor also met with an untimely end. Further, the housekeeper’s suspicious demise coincides with Avery’s discovery that many of the Duke’s most priceless heirlooms have been replaced by fakes.

Detective Art Smith lends his expertise, but the suspect list encompasses the Duke’s entire retinue—including his family. Could the killer be someone intimately familiar with the Pennington estate, such as caretaker couple Ira and Lynn Hoffman, the Penningtons’ chauffeur Roderick, or even one of the heirs to the Pennington fortune?

Then the duke himself is injured in an inexplicable riding accident, and the clock swiftly ticks toward a reckoning with a cold-blooded killer. A criminal mastermind is making a desperate bid for ill-gotten riches…can Avery bring the culprit to justice before her time is up?

My Thoughts: The second Avery Ayres mystery has her and her family appraising items in the castle-like mansion of Duke Nicholas Pennington. Problems arise almost immediately when it is discovered than a very precious pocket watch has disappeared. They also discover that quite a few of the most valuable antiques have been substituted for with fakes. 

Tensions among the family and staff make for a number of suspects. However, the number is reduced by one when the housekeeper is found dead after falling from, or being thrown from, the roof. Investigations become even more difficult with a likely murderer among the suspects. 

Avery is assisted by her new boyfriend Detective Art Smith who works undercover as one of the appraisal team which adds some relationship problems to the story. Also adding relationship problems is that Avery's younger sister Tilly has abruptly returned from school in England and isn't eager to explain why. And Avery's father who has recently rejoined the family after time in witness protection is just now adjusting to the death of his wife. 

There was a lot going on in this story. I enjoyed the main character and the supporting cast. The mystery was well-done too. The writing was a little unsophisticated and sometimes pulled me out of the story. 

Favorite Quote:

"They don't tell you, when you're a parent, that there's no cutoff age for when you get to stop worrying about your kids. I thought when you and Tilly grew up, it'd be a breeze, no worries. You'd be adults, doing things on your own out in the world, and that built-in parenting radar, the need to know your kids are safe and healthy, would just sort of go away." He shook his head, smiling. "I don't think it'll matter if you're sixty and I'm eighty-five. I'm still going to worry."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.