Book Review: The Longest Yard Sale by Sherry Harris (Sarah Winston Garage Sale Mysteries #2)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Well-crafted plot filled with fun characters

Cons: None

The Bottom Line:

Yard sale as cover

Creative set up for book

Executed well

Arson, Stolen Painting, and Murder

While garage sales and shopping in general aren’t normally a theme I pick when it comes to cozies, I did give Sherry Harris’s debut a try last year, and I loved it.  In fact, I was anxious to read The Longest Yard Sale, the second in the series.  Now that I’ve read it, I can say it is just as good as the first.

For the last few months, Sarah Winston has been working hard organizing the Longest Yard Sale in New England to take place in and around Ellington, Massachusetts.  The main focus is on the town green, where various dealers and charity organizations have set up booths, but other people in town are hosting sales at their home that day.

Things are progressing wonderfully until a series of fires spring up outside of town, distracting the police.  That night, Sarah’s friend Carol discovers that the copy of a famous local painting she’d been commissioned to paint is missing.  That’s nothing compared to the next day when Carol returns to her shop on the town green to find the dead body of a stranger in her storeroom.  With the police focusing on Carol, Sarah begins to dig to figure out what happened and figure out who used her event as cover for crime.  What will she uncover?

Before I go any further, I do want to issue a warning – this book spoils a minor plot point from the previous book.  Since it involves Sarah’s personal life, there is no way around it, and there is still plenty of mystery to that first book.  However, if you want to go into that book knowing nothing about what will happen, by all means read it first.

That’s really not a hardship however, since both books in the series are great.  The characters are such fun you want to spend time with them.  Sarah is in her late 30’s, so she’s not a typical cozy heroine, but I appreciate that.  Still, she’s trying to deal with some interesting dilemmas in her personal life that make her very relatable.  We get to know Carol a little better in this book since she figures so much into the plot.  But my favorite characters by far are the owners of Sarah’s favorite Italian restaurant.  The suspects introduced in this book are just as real as the returning characters, and that helps you get caught up in the plot.

The plot is strong, with plenty of things happening to keep you turning pages.  There are also several sub-plots to keep your attention, and they tie into the story or theme for the book wonderfully. It really does all come together beautifully in the end.

Sarah’s trying to decide between two men in this book, and I also liked how that progressed.  In fact, I was actually cheering for something that happened at one point late in the book.  But with how that sub-plot ended, I’m now anxious for the next book to see what happens next.

Ellington is located next to the fictional Fitch Air Force Base, and once again that factors into the mystery.  It’s one aspect that really sets the series apart from many cozies I read.  Since Sherry Harris is an air force wife herself, I appreciate this picture of military life.

I found Sherry's books because of the group blog she is part of, Wicked Cozy Authors.  As a result, I really enjoyed a scene early on where she worked in references to the books the rest of the authors on the blog write.

This is a strong second mystery that will leave you wanting more.  Don’t let The Longest Yard Sale sit for too long before you pick it up.

Don't miss any deals!  Here are the rest of the Sarah Winston Garage Sale Mysteries in order.

NOTE: I was sent an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

GIVEAWAY!

I'm also hosting a giveaway of this great new book.  The winner will get one copy, their choice electronic or paperback, of the book.  Paperback copies to a winner from the US only, please.

Just leave your name and e-mail address in the comments for your chance to win.

The contest will close at midnight on July 7th, and I will draw a winner later that day.

Good luck!