A Vase of Mistaken Identity

by Cathy Elliott

Book Overview

Thea James, proprietress of James & Company Antique Emporium, never thought murder would come to her small town of Larkindale. But when the Larkindale Lamplight reports the discovery of a body during a renovation project, Thea is caught up in the mystery. The drama becomes intensely personal when Thea discovers a puzzling list inside a vintage vase . . . and her name is on it Follow this small-town antiques dealer as she becomes a relentless detective...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0825425379
• ISBN13: 9780825425370
• Release Date: April 2006
• Publisher: Kregel Publications
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.6" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Terrific in every way

This is a great story with memorable characters, a great sense of place, and a likeable main character, Thea James. The mystery finds Thea as she is recovering from a great personal loss and struggling along her faith journey. Unlike many mysteries, how Thea comes to be involved, how the events unfold, and the ultimate resolution are really plausible and don't seem contrived. I loved Thea's strength, chuckled at her clumsiness, and groaned at her puns. This is a book that you won't be able to put down. You'll want to see how it ends and you'll hate that it's ending all at the same time. I hope Cathy Elliott writes another book soon!

Warm and Cozy!

Elliott's book definitely makes you want to grab a cup of tea, a warm afghan and settle by the fire. Elliott weaves together a cuddly mystery that will leave you wanting more! Great characters and premise.

A contemporary cozy mystery

Jump into a delightful visit to the antiquated gold mining town of Larkingdale, California where, Thea James presides over the family business, James and Company Antique Emporium. If you love eccentric characters, this first novel by Cathy Elliott will satisfy your quirky tooth. Homeless Picker Pete, rides a bicycle for transportation, collects trash dumped beside the country roads and sells it to Thea. Today, however, she receives a pleasant surprise. Wrapped within the smelly old rags he usually brings rests an original, Roseville vase. She rewards Pete with several chits to Curly's Diner, doing her part to keep Pete off the sauce. On Friday Thea meets her uncle, ex-cop Nick Marianello, at the diner for brunch. He has taken it upon himself to continue the custom started by Thea's dead fiancée'. She and Uncle Nick read about the discovery of a skeleton in the Larkingdale Lamplight. It had been unearthed at the Larkin Lake Resort during remodeling. It can't be murder, not in this quiet town. Thea finds another surprise inside the Roseville vase. A yellowed slip of paper that contains four names of girls she had attended Bible Camp with at Larkin Lake Resort. She has not seen two of these girls since then. But when the top name, Hattie May Bloom, arrives at the hospital after being pushed from a cliff at Larkingdale Falls, Thea thinks about the list. She then searches for Molly Shannon McNealy, another childhood friend whose name is inside the vase. Molly's family tells Thea she has been missing for several days. Now Thea becomes alarmed. The other two names on the list are hers and Rosie's, her sister. James, a contemporary cross between Miss Marple and Miss Raisin, will become your next favorite cozy mystery sleuth after reading A Vase of Mistaken Identity. Readers will observe the town of Larkingdale, its hidden surly fiends and established devoted families, in full color with the magic words of Cathy Elliott. Maxie

Author! Author!

My favorite aspect of this book was the lead character, Thea James. She was an ordinary girl to whom extraordinary things happened. She sometimes left clean laundry on the couch and she worried that other people thought she ate too much. I can relate to such a character... so much better than a perfect protagonist. Plus, the author writes with an easy humor that made me smile. I hope to see another book on the shelves soon from Cathy Elliot.

Good cozy mystery

Thea James is the proprietress of the James and Company Antique Emporium in the small town of Larkindale, California. Larkindale is a quiet, peaceful place, until a skeleton is discovered burried at the base of a chimney at the Larkindale Lake Resort Picker Pete, the town's homless man and scavenger, brings Thea a lovely Roseville vase. Thea buys the vase and then discovers a yellowed roll of paper inside, with the names of two of her friends, her sister,Rosie, and of Thea, herself. From the condition of the paper, it was obviously written a long time ago, but why was it in the vase? Hattie, one of the names on the list is seriously injured in a fall. Molly, another name, disappears, and that leaves Thea and Rosie. As if matters weren't complicated enough, Cole Mason, the gorgeous man from Thea's past is back in town, and she is a lot more aware of him than she likes. Can Cole and Thea discover the mystery killer before he strikes again? Cathy Elliot uses humor and a quirky bunch of characters to make this cozy a very entertaining read.