"The Majolica Murders" by Deborah Morgan

THE MAJOLICA MURDERS by Deborah Morgan, a fifth story in the antique lover’s 
mystery series featuring her former FBI agent/antiques-picker Jeff Talbot, 
opens with Talbot being in the wrong place at the wrong time – his own home 
when his wife Sheila was trying to prepare for his birthday party later than 
night.
 
Such an intrusion was unavoidable.  Lanny, Jeff Talbot’s informant from his 
FBI days, who helped him find antiques, had located some majolica that a 
local dealer, Fiona Brock, was holding for him until the end of the day.  It 
was just the type of stuff Jeff sought as a present for Sheila.  Good 
majolica is hard to find.
 
Apparently, though, his was not the only interested pair of eyes.  Another 
buyer visits Fiona Brock’s store before Lanny can return with the check, 
offers her a bundle of more money, which she accepts, for what she promised 
Lanny.
 
As this disreputable event is transpiring, Jeff is sitting to a birthday 
party with friends Sheila arranged.  Blanche Appleby, owner of Seattle’s 
largest antiques mall, a dealer through whom Jeff operates, receives a phone 
call midway through the festivities.  Lanny tells her the police have 
arrested him for the murder of Fiona Brock.
 
What does Jeff do in response to this turn of events?  He continues on with 
his dinner.  Why?  That is one I could not figure out.  Though Lanny and he 
are clearly from different sides of the tracks, there is an affinity between 
them that would almost make them what you might call friends.  Yet, Jeff 
exhibits no viable signs of concern as to the arrest of this man.
 
Much of what I found within THE MAJOLICA MURDERS made little no sense.  Jeff 
speaks to the judge in Lanny’s case, vouching that Lanny is no flight risk, 
getting Lanny released - which struck me as odd.  Though I claim no 
knowledge of legal matters, especially what type of laws the state of 
Washington might enforce, releasing a man arrested for murder seemed quite 
strange.  If judges actually permit this, someone in the state should raise 
an outcry.
 
As for characters and plot, I found both ill-defined.  Jeff does have his 
moments where he comes across as someone who actually knows what he’s doing. 
 The episode with Mustang Sally makes him look like he could have been a 
former G-Man.  Portions of his time with Lanny do give him place to shine.  
In total, though, he seemed to simply be walking around waiting for 
something to happen.
 
The one sterling moment comes from the prologue, which Morgan repeats near 
the end.  Here she describes Halloween night at the Talbot house, 
trick-or-treaters arriving at Jeff’s door.  He not only sees the external 
trappings of the costumed youngsters, he also discerns the internal ordeals 
taking place between them and their parents alongside.
 
That is, except for one very deadly relationship he misses.
 
I thought this prologue was brilliant.  It promised to me a dynamic mystery 
within which I could indulge..  Whatever happened to it, I still do not 
understand.  How Deborah Morgan could write so brilliantly in those few 
pages, and then allow her character to meander along afterwards, I haven’t a 
clue.  Perhaps, such is a mystery for prior readers of Jeff Talbot and his 
searching for antiques.