Cartoon of the Day: Estate Sale

 Totally!!! Thanks, Judie, for sharing this cartoon!

THRIFT STORE MYSTERIES: National Thrift Store Day!

So last Saturday was National Garage Sale Day, and I posted a list of Garage Sale, Estate Sale, and Flea Market Mysteries. I did not include Thrift Stores, and it's a good thing I didn't because who knew that today would be Thrift Store Day! I used to frequent Thrift Stores much more -- Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul's, and smaller independent thrift stores, but I've found there just aren't as many any more, at least not in my area. I know that many thrift stores sell their items on-line, too. Still, it's always fun to find a 'treasure' in a thrift store. Thrift Shops are also great places to find rare books--or just a book to read. And, as we all know, one person's trash is another person's treasure. It could be yours!  

Many Thrift Shops are also known as Charity Shops, and I always like to donate as well as buy. Still, smaller towns tend to have more thrift shops. I do have a favorite in the town of Sonoma, CA: The Church Mouse. I always find something there. So here's a list of Thrift Store Mysteries. Please let me know if I've missed any. It's not a long list, but it certainly complements my Garage Sale Mystery List. Happy Thrifting!

Thrift Store Mysteries

The Charity Shop Detective Agency by Peter Boland

Dead Man Walker; Iced Chiffon; Killer in Crinolines; Pearls and Poison;, Demise in Denim; Lethal in Old Lace; Wedding Day and Foul Play by Duffy Brown

To Spite Her Face by Hildegarde Dolson

Mrs Pettigrew Sees a Ghost; Mr Wilmott Gets Old School; Miss Hawthorne Sits for a Spell by Katherine Hayton

Mrs. Malory and a Necessary End by Hazel Holt

The Ghost and I Mystery by Greg Kauffman-Starkey
A Donated Death; The Handmade Hoax; The Tagged Tragedy;The Vintage Vendetta; An Antique Alibi; The Kitsch Killer by Mel Morgan

Gertrude, Gumshoe: Murder at the Thrift Store by R. E. Merrill

The Whole Cat and Caboodle by Sofie Ryan

Dark and Dastardly Deeds; Forging Ahead by Dr. Sydney J. Smart

The Charity Shop Murders by Wat Taylor

A Witch's Thrift Shop Mysteries (5 books) by Astoria Wright

GARAGE SALE, FLEA MARKET, & ESTATE SALE MYSTERIES: National Garage Sale Day

Today is National Garage Sale Day. I'm an avid Garage Sale, Flea Market, and Estate Sale goer. I don't need a special holiday for Garage Sales, but since today is National Garage Sale Day, I thought I'd post a list of Flea Market, Garage Sale, and Estates Sale mysteries.  

My all time favorite Flea Market is the Alameda Flea Market. It can't be beat for a spectacular view of San Francisco, either. The Flea Market is located on the old Alameda Navy Base and is surrounded by the Bay and estuary. It's a stunning place to spend the first Sunday of every month! The Flea Market is about 2 miles long and 1/2 mile wide. My health app tells me I usually walk 5+ miles when I'm there. Going to the Flea Market is like visiting a museum filled with treasures.

Other Flea Markets I like: When I'm in London, I always go to Portobello Road. Not sure I'd call Portobello Road a flea market, but I've been there early on a Saturday morning when the stalls are setting up. Some great finds. I adore the Paris Flea Markets, too, and I have many treasures from there, including a huge hand-knit rabbit, Pierre, whom I carried all over Europe one summer. I love

flea markets, estate sales, yard sales, boot sales, garage sales, jumble sales, and collectible shows. I also won't turn my nose up at a dumpster. Lots of treasures to be found.

So it should come as no surprise that I enjoy reading mysteries with flea market, boot sale, picker, and garage sale themes. I've posted a list before, but this is an update. Some of the books in the following list do not focus as much on the 'flea market' as an item found at a flea market, that becomes the springboard for the story. And an FYI: Flea markets and garage sales are great places to find mysteries and crime novels at great prices.

FLEA MARKET and GARAGE SALE MYSTERIES

The Flea Market by Randal Adam

Antiques Flee Market by Barbara Allan
Savannah Blues, Hissy Fit by Mary Kay Andrews
Flea Market Fatal by Brianna Bates
The Flea Market Folly by B.J. Belekis
Mobbed by Carol Higgins Clark

Murder at the Estate Sale by Lily Charles
Death is a Bargain by Nora Charles 
Mrs McGinty's Dead by Agatha Christie
The Unraveling of Violeta Bell by C.R. Corwin
Wig Betrayed by Charles Courtley
Death of a Garage Sale Newbie by Sharon Dunn
Never Tell a Lie; Careful What You Wish For by Hallie Ephron
The Flea Market Mystery by Virginia Besaw Evansen

Flea Market Magic by Bella Falls
Buried Stuff, Dead Guy's Stuff, The Wrong Stuff by Sharon Fiffer
The Toyotomi Blades by Dale Furutani
Daisy Summerfield's Art: The Complete Flea Market Mysteries by M. B. Goffstein

Tight as a Tick by Toni L.P. Kelner
Killer Stuff, Dead Guy's Stuff, The Wrong Stuff, Buried Stuff by Sharon Fiffer 
The Emma Chizzit Mysteries (several titles starting with Emma Chizzit and...) by Mary Bowen Hall
First Monday Murder by Lisa Love Harris
Tagged for Death, A Good Day to Buy, All Murders Final!, The Longest Yard Sale; I Know What You Bid Last Summer; The Gun Also Rises; Let's Fake a Deal; Sell Low, Sweet Harriet; Absence of Alice by Sherry Harris 

Something to Kill For by Susan Holtzer
Unidentifed Woman #15 by David Housewright
Another Man's Treasure; Treasure of Darkness; This Bitter Treasure; Treasure Borrowed and Blue, and more by S.W. Hubbard

Estate Sale Murders: Dead Man's Diary by Ken Hudnall
A Dress to Die For by Dolores Johnson
The Executor by Jesse Kellerman

Double Dealer by Barbara Taylor McCafferty & Beverly Taylor Herald
Resolution by Denise Mina
Leave a Message for Willie by Marcia Muller
Thursday Night Widows by Claudia Pineiro
Murder, by George by Jeanne Quigley
Next Week Will Be Better by Jean Ruryk

Flea Market Felony by Tricia L. Sanders
Murder of a Smart Cookie by Denise Swanson
Garage Sale Stalker; Garage Sale Diamonds; Garage Sale Riddle by Suzi Weinert

YA:  The Flea Market Mystery by Virginia Besaw Evansen

Jonathan Gash's Lovejoy is an antiques dealer, but he employs a wonderful picker, so I should probably include his books on this list. He and his sidekick do a lot of foraging at sales and stalls looking for valuable antiques.

There is definitely a difference between Flea Markets and Antique Shops, but often the same characters inhabit both worlds. If I put together a list of Antique Mysteries, I'll certainly include books by Jane Cleland, Anthony Oliver, Lea Wait, Tamar Myers,Trish Essen,  and many others.

Mystery Readers Journal has had several issues focusing on Art & Antiques Mysteries. Have a look at the Tables of Contents: HERE and HERE.

Read Trish Essen's essay Flea Market Cons and Other Slippery Shenanigans on CrimeReads.