Sharon Dunn, author of the Ruby Taylor mystery series, is back and frankly better than ever. The Ruby Taylor series had a sassy, first person voice that was enjoyable, but I LOVED Death of a Garage Sale Newbie. I honestly wasn’t sure when I started the book, because what could someone find at a garage sale that would be worth killing over. Little did I know… Ginger Salinski has a cadre of three women around her that she has taught how to find a bargain. Every Saturday they go garage saleing and then met at Mary Margaret’s home to discuss and compare their finds. Ginger gets very worried when Mary Margaret, the real estate agent, fails to show up one Saturday. With the help of Kindra, the college student, and Suzanne, the pregnant mother of three, Ginger is determined to find out who killed Mary Margaret.
What I enjoyed about this book is that while it’s a intricate mystery, it also is filled with subplots that add depth to the book. Ginger is concerned that her marriage to Earl may be on the rocks, and she’s paralyzed to know how to save it. When he asks her to go crazy and buy something for herself at full price, she’s convinced there’s nothing she can do. She just can’t waste the money. It practically sends her in a swoon.
As the gals retrace Mary Margaret’s last steps, they meet a woman who lost her husband 15 years earlier. There is also a police officer who is willing to help them – maybe – even though she’s under strict orders to leave the case alone. They peel back the clues and uncover a conspiracy that has been in place for twenty years. Could it be tied to Mary Margaret’s death? And if so, can they expose it before one of them dies, too?
The characters were real and fresh. By the end of the book I truly cared about them, and I cannot wait to read the sequel and spend more time with them. The plot kept me engaged. And I was challenged by the spiritual lesson that Ginger had to learn – frugality can become a prison when it prevents us from accepting the good gifts that God has for us.
Pick up this book for a clean mystery, and I think you’ll enjoy it.
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