Undiscovered Treasures, an Appleton WV mystery
Carole Brown
About the Book
Caroline Gibson is co-owner of Undiscovered Treasures, a
shop of antiques, collectibles, and junk in rural West Virginia. Inside the
shop is a music box that Caroline particularly relates to, believing that her
own life is similar: forever spinning and never going anywhere. She dreams and
prays for the right man to turn up. But when family and friends hint that the
local artist could be the guy, Caroline forgets about trusting God and takes
matters into her own hands. Besides, she could never love a man who paints such
depressing pictures. Andrew Carrington, painter of said depressing pictures,
insists there’s always one redeeming trait to each of his works. He’s loved
Caroline since they were kids and thinks he’s not handsome enough, strong
enough, or rich enough to impress this woman. But when God—or is it?—suddenly
sends contracts begging for his signature, Andy thinks this just might be the
way to win the only woman he can ever love. But there’s a hitch in their plans.
Someone is stealing Andy’s pictures, and why would they do that when he’s an
unknown—so far? Do they know something Caroline and Andy don’t know? Is it
mischief? Or something deeper that neither understand? Andy gets the chance to
work with Caroline, and she must put aside her on-going battle to avoid Andy
and his art so they can discover the art thief in Appleton before Andy loses
the chance of a lifetime to ‘make it big.’
Appleton, WV Cozy mystery series, inspirational
October 2016
Story and Logic Media Group
Ebook $2.99
Print $11.99
Lisa Lickel's review
Brown’s third addition to her Appleton, West Virginia
mysteries, focuses on another young resident business owner, Caro Gibson.
Establishing a familiar milieu ala Jan Karon, Brown is building a repertoire of
characters that figure in each other’s lives.
In this story, Caro, her brother Toby, and their lifelong
friend Andy, wrestle with the direction of their adult lives. Caro and Toby run
an odds and ends shop, besides what Caro does in her spare time—writing and
selling plays for church groups to perform. She has begun to establish a
respectable reputation in the area, and when a handsome director shows up in
Appleton to hire Caro to write a play for his large church, Caro is smitten.
Meanwhile, Andy has been developing a highly regarded following as an oil
painter. He’s been sure Caro is his soul mate all of their lives, only somehow
Caro not only missed that point, she blows off Andy and his work. For her,
familiarity really does breed contempt. But when Andy needs her to help figure
out who’s sabotaging his career, she hops over on one foot while keeping the
other tangoing with the handsome stranger. Caro and Andy’s friends add to the
fun trying to help their favorite couple realize they’re perfect for each
other.
I found Carolyn Gibson needing to grow into herself and
often wanted to smack her upside the head. Thank goodness for good friends who
refuse to give up on her. Somewhat reminiscent of Nancy Drew, Brown’s circle of
friends and mysteries are a fun clean read for those who enjoy jumping into
small town life with big dreamers and achievers. Told in multiple viewpoints
but mostly from Carolyn, Undiscovered
Treasures is a sweet addition to the series. A sneak preview of the next
book is included.
About the Author
Carole Brown's debut novel, The Redemption of Caralynne Hayman, is a 2015 Book of the Year in
General Fiction from Christian Small Publishers, a RWA Oklahoma International
Digital Award 2nd place winner, a Clash of the Titles top three finalist, a
Selah Award finalist in debut novels, and a semi-finalist in the Genesis
contest.
Besides being a member and active participant of many writing groups, she
enjoys mentoring beginning writers. She loves to weave suspense and tough
topics into her books, along with a touch of romance and whimsy, and is always
on the lookout for outstanding titles and catchy ideas.
