REVIEW: Stranger in the Looking Glass

Stranger in the Looking Glass
Author: Jan Fields

Stranger in the Looking Glass is the first book in the Antique Shop Mysteries series published by Annie's Fiction (Annie's Attic). The series is written by various authors and sold as a subscription service like the other cozy mystery titles from Annie's Fiction. Luckily, a generous reader donated several of the books from this series to my local public library! :)

In this first book, Maggie Watson is suffering from empty nest emotions after her daughter leaves for college. Then she receives a call from an attorney informing her that she has inherited her aunt's house and antique shop in Maine. Soon after arriving in Somerset Harbor she discovers a photograph in her aunt's house that just might reveal a family secret. Maggie begins investigating to discover the truth, only to find out that secrets can be dangerous.

This book is a light, enjoyable cozy mystery. It's a true cozy -- no cursing, no spurting blood, no sex. Just a light entertaining read that is appropriate for all ages. The book is short with a page count of just over 200. That's a bit padded, however, because there is a blank page following the end of each chapter. So, the story is actually about 180 pages or so. Nice short length for traveling reading or light reading while waiting for an appointment, etc.

The story is well-written and nicely paced. The plot is relatively simple, and the background theme is entertaining. The antique shop theme didn't overpower the mystery portion of the plot, but added to it. The story is light but has some suspense and plenty of investigation. All in all, a nice start to a cozy series. This series is available as a monthly subscription service. I had a bit of a hard time finding a complete listing of all the books available or reading order, probably because the series is available only as a subscription from Annie's Fiction. I'm glad that someone donated most of the books to my local public library. I just won't shell out $14.99 plus shipping/handling/tax for a hardcover cozy I'm only going to read one time. That being said.....the books are attractive. The cover art is colorful and enticing. Each book has an attached cloth ribbon bookmark, and the paper and binding are high quality. The set of books would look very attractive displayed on a bookshelf. The price is a bit steep for me though...so I'm going to stick with borrowing them from my local library.

There are at least 24 books in this series. I couldn't find an up to date listing, so there might be more than that.