Stealing with Style by Emyl Jenkins: 2 1/2 out of 5 stars
“Stealing with Style” is a story about Sterling Glass, antiques appraiser extraordinaire, and the strange adventures of her professional life. People get pretty rabid about antiques, apparently, and this book spins a story about fraud, burglary rings, and a whole world of exclusive, expensive antique pieces.
The factual background for the story is great; each chapter opens with a “column” in question-and-answer form by the antiques expert. And throughout the story, Jenkins adeptly provides relevant information about antiques: historical facts, how value is determined, style and period details. It’s an education in a novel, and for anyone interested in antiques these details would be intriguing.
Perhaps intriguing enough to make up for a shallow, rather predictable plot. The characters are appealing. Sterling Glass herself is more than a typical heroine; she’s a single, over-50 woman full of self-doubts and quotes from her dead mother, unaware of her own value and expertise. She takes on challenges, faces fears, and learns to confront even her dearest friend.
Still, there’s nothing very surprising about any of the characters and though they’re likable, they’re not very memorable. The writing style is middle-grade. You won’t find major grammatical errors, but you will find awkward dialogue and phrasing that confuses rather than enlightens.
An aspect that merits sincere applause is the generous sprinkling of quotations from poetry and great literature. They were often humorous, sometimes tongue-in-cheek, sometimes thoughtful and serious, but always placed appropriately in the story line.
Bottom line: an easy read with a simple plot. Nice if you want a comfortable mystery without any real spine-tingling and if you’re not too picky about technique.
More:
Review of Emyl Jenkins’s The Big Steal (also a Sterling Glass mystery) by Carrie at Reading to Know.
Review of Stealing with Style by Andrea Sisco at Armchair Interviews.
(Wow. Everybody likes Ms. Jenkins more than I do. Hm.)
An interview with Emyl Jenkins at Art and Literature.