We have one hard-and-fast house rule: first person up makes coffee for all. Normally, that duty falls to my uncle Tuck since he rolls out of bed long before Kala or I stir. He often—at first light—hikes behind the carriage barn that houses our antique shop and picks whatever berries are in season to add to his famous muffin batter. Waking to the aroma of those wild berry muffins brings back so many memories that it’s easy to forget I ever left home. In truth, I only returned to Vermont to run the family business after my mom went to prison for art forgery. While she’s not around, I’m hoping to rebuild the business and restore my family’s reputation as well.

Okay, so me being arrested for selling stolen property a while back hadn’t exactly helped the current situation either. It was a foolish lapse in judgement on my part, though it did lead to me meeting Shane Payton, a Vermont State Police detective, and a close friend with a major ‘B’ for benefits.

At any rate, this morning I straggled downstairs, poured a cup of coffee from the waiting pot, and snagged a still warm blackberry muffin. Then I plopped into a chair at our cluttered kitchen table. Kala—our one and only employee—wandered into the room soon after me. Her afro was poufy on one side and bedhead flat on the other.

She beelined for the coffee. “The pot better not be empty or someone’s in big trouble.”

“French vanilla, your favorite,” Tuck said. He finished putting the remaining muffins into a basket, set it on the table, then settled into a chair across from me. “So, what’s your plan for today?”

I sighed. “Jewelry sorting.”

He chuckled. “You’re not dragging me into that adventure.”

“I don’t blame you.” There were at least ten boxes of snarled vintage and junk jewelry in the shop storeroom, pieces that once untangled could be sold for quick cash.

Kala joined us. “Sounds like a fun project to me.”

I gave her a side-eye glance. “I can think of about a million things I’d rather do.” Like scouting around the Jumping Café’s flea market for antique bottles or scrounging in someone’s attic for folk art or early furniture. But first things had to come first. We desperately needed an influx of money and Kala was fabulously skilled when it came to selling vintage stuff online.

“We could work on the front porch,” she suggested. “Of course, we’d need snacks. Salty and sweet. Plus, something to drink, and music.”

“Sounds good,” I said.

I bit down on a smile. The day was starting off innocent enough with fresh muffins, plenty of hot coffee, and talk about how to raise money. But if the past few weeks were anything to go by, we’d soon be headed off in a very different and more exciting direction, untangling a dangerous antique or art related mystery instead of just snarled jewelry.

A Wealth of Deception, A Scandal Mountain Antiques Mystery Book #2
Genre: Traditional
Release: April 2023
Format: Print, Digital, Audio
Purchase Link

Danger, art, and a touch of romance collide in Trish Esden’s second exquisitely crafted Scandal Mountain Antiques mystery, perfect for fans of Jane K. Cleland and Connie Berry.

Some people are willing to die for their art. Others are willing to kill for it.

When Vermont antique and art dealer Edie Brown discovers an unsettlingly dark collage by the famed reclusive “outsider” artist known only as Vespa, she opens a Pandora’s Box of deception and danger.

Edie teams up with Uncle Tuck and Kala to investigate the background of the collage but only uncover secrets that are more disturbing than the artwork itself. As Edie tracks down the validity of the piece, she stumbles into an art underground where some people are willing to kill to keep their schemes a secret.

Esden expertly crafts a complex cast of characters, a breathtakingly gorgeous setting, and a twisty plot that often poses more questions than answers.

About the author
Trish Esden loves museums, gardens, wilderness, dogs and birds, in various orders depending on the day. She lives in northern Vermont where she deals antiques with her husband, a profession she’s been involved with since her teens. Don’t ask what her favorite type of antique is. She loves hunting for old bottles and rusty barn junk as much as she enjoys fine art and furnishings. Trish is the author of the Scandal Mountain Antiques Mystery series which explores the secretive and adrenaline-charged underbelly of the antique and art world. You can find her at trishesden.com.

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