Antique and Deadly

In this undistinguished and altogether bland mystery, Susan Beckett runs an antique shop in an unspecified state. Her father, Hank, was considered one of the foremost authorities on American antiques before his death a decade ago, but old rumors about one of Hank's appraisals resurface when another antique dealer dies. Hank had advised Joe Foster to buy a Chippendale highboy, but when Foster showed off his acquisition at a dinner party, the guests (antique experts one and all) felt that Hank had overvalued the piece, either by mistake or design. Hence, Hank was under something of a cloud when he died soon after. Too young and too upset at the time to truly understand, Susan is now disturbed by the rejuvenated rumors and wants desperately to clear her father's name. She investigates and soon has reason to believe he was murderedand that Foster had been blackmailed for years. Flynn's heroine, a sort of career-specific Nancy Drew, does not ask the questions that any canny reader would. As a result, information is withheld that would enable us to spot the culprit sooner. There's little sparkle in the dialogue, and Susan's wholesomeness defies credibility. (July)