Review by Booklist Review
Harrow, Massachusetts, is a small town, especially for thirtysomething Emma Lewis, who still lives in her childhood home. Her ex-teacher parents, owners of an estate-sales business, have just retired and relocated to a condo on the cape. They leave her the company, the house, and Frank, her dad's best friend and recent widower, as an expense-defraying boarder. Emma is glad for Frank's company and assistance in managing the lookie-loos at open houses. For his part, Frank is grateful for Emma's confidence-building prowess, especially when newly widowed Connie expresses romantic interest. As befits the village vibe, Frank happily returns the favor when sparks fly between Emma and Connie's son Luke, the town cop. All four join forces in commerce and crime when Emma lands the contract to dismantle the estate of the town's largest and most notorious mansion, a former B & B that surprisingly added a third B, for brothel. In the delightfully reassuring rom-com tradition of Nora Ephron, the perennially mood-lifting Lipman is equally revered for her lovable characters, spitfire wit, and happily-ever-after romantic escapades.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In the droll latest from Lipman (Ms. Demeanor), a woman takes over her family's estate sale business. The company was called Finders, Keepers when it was run by Emma Lewis's father and stepmother, and Emma ruffles feathers in their bucolic Massachusetts town by renaming it Estate of Mind. When a respected bed-and-breakfast is put on the market, Emma swoops in to handle its contents, but controversy ensues from revelations that the B&B doubled as a brothel. Dismissing any possible legal risks stemming from the property's illicit use, she takes on the "sale of the century," as a friend calls it. Emma, a self-styled matchmaker, also sets up her recently widowed employee Frank with the mother of police chief Luke Winooski, and starts dating Luke, despite worrying he might find a reason to bust her on the brothel's estate sale. The reappearance of Frank's stepdaughter, the unveiling of the brothel's client list, and an accusation of theft further stir the pot. The plot chugs along through its many twists and turns and the dialogue is snappy and witty. Lipman's fans and newcomers alike will be tickled. Agent: Suzanne Gluck, WME. (Feb.)
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