After her parents' untimely death in a car accident, Avery Ayers returns home to Lilac Grove, New York, to help run her family's business, Antiquities & Artifacts Appraised. She lives with her younger sister Tilly, and her Aunt Midge, who had moved in after the deaths, leaving her Manhattan apartment for Avery to use while in the city.

Avery is working on verifying a very large Burmese ruby that was acquired from a mysterious collector. This ruby might be the twin to the bejeweled dragon medallion which is currently housed in the Museum of Antiquities, with the other ruby ensconced as its left eye. If this one is verified, it could make the medallion worth millions. But strange things are happening, and not only on the work front.

Avery hopes to find her parents' verification papers on the other ruby, but before she can do anything with them, there is a break in at her home and they are stolen. There are mysterious notes that appear to come from her deceased father. Then someone is murdered, and it changes everything. With one clue that links her to someone named Art, she asks him for help, and suddenly she discovers that her life is in danger and Art might be the only one she can turn to. Who is trying to kill her? And more importantly, are Tilly and Midge in danger, too?...

This is the first book in a new series, and I wish I had had the time to read it sooner. It is definitely the most intriguing book that I have read in a long time. It's full of details, of mysterious goings-on, and plenty of red herrings (hence the title). I absolutely loved this book and devoured each page eagerly, wondering where the story line was going to take me next.

Avery is probably one of the most intelligent protagonists I've ever come across; she's generous, smart, fiercely protective of her family, dedicated to her job; while at the same time being vulnerable, recognizing that therapy has helped her cope with her tragedies, and willing to take a chance on trusting someone other than her family. She's human. She has flaws. But she does what she needs to to find out the truth of what is going on.

And what is going on is more complicated and deadly than anything she might ever have imagined. It fills her with fear. Yet she knows that in order for it to end, she needs to do whatever is necessary, and with the help of the mysterious Art, she will find the truth to free herself and learn who's behind the fatal car crash.

In the end, when the killer is revealed, it comes not so much as a surprise, as the fact that the person who has caused such havoc does not care, and would continue to do so again. This is a wonderful book, full of everything you would expect in a mystery, and I am eagerly awaiting the next in the series. Highly recommended.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher but this in no way influenced my review. ( )

An intricately detailed cozy mystery that kept me guessing the whole time and I didn’t see the ending coming! In the audio book I thought the narrator sounded way too young and that put me off at first. When I switched to ebook I flew through the story without hesitation. Bravo! ( )

Ruby Red Herring by Tracy Gardner is the debut of An Avery Ayers Antique Mystery series. I enjoyed this stimulating new cozy mystery. Avery Ayers and her sister, Tilly lost their parents in an auto accident a year ago. Their eccentric Aunt Midge moved in with them along with her dog, Halston. Avery began working at her parent’s business, Antiquities & Artifacts Appraised. Their latest assignment has the company appraising a rare ruby that could link to a dragon medallion currently on display at the museum. Before Avery can delve into the job, she receives a threatening note. This is just the beginning of strange incidents and threats. Avery has no intention of backing off the case. She is going to get answers and resolve this matter once and for all. I thought Ruby Red Herring was well-written with developed characters. The author takes the time to introduce our main characters and set the stage for the series. I like Avery, Tilly, and Aunt Midge. They are a close-knit unit. We get to spend time in their home as they go about their lives. Aunt Midge and Tilly provide humor and lightness. There is also Micah, Sir Robert, Art Smith, and Halston, Aunt Midge’s Afghan hound. I am glad the author gave us the characters backstory. The mystery was fascinating and complex. It involves lies, intrigue, threats, a large ruby, and murder. There was plenty of action that kept propelling the story forward toward the conclusion. I had a good time solving this whodunit (I love a challenging mystery). I like how everything tied together along with the satisfying conclusion. It was interesting learning about the appraisal process. It is explained in an easy-to-understand manner. I like how the author addressed Avery’s mental health issues after the death of her parents. She was grief stricken and felt their death was her fault. Avery also has anger management issues. She visits a therapist who gives her coping techniques. I could certainly understand her pain over her parents’ death and the feelings of guilt. Ruby Red Herring is an intriguing cozy mystery with a stimulating stone, terrifying threats, cryptic clues, a cherished canine, an energetic teen, an affectionate aunt, and a murdered man. ( )

Twenty-five-year-old Avery Ayres has taken over the family's Antiquities & Artifacts Appraised after her parents' death in a car accident the previous year. She is dividing her time between the family home in Lilac Grove with her younger sister Tilly and her Aunt Midge who lives with them and the shop in Manhattan. Luckily, she still has her parents' partners Sir Robert and Micah.

They are hired by the Museum of Antiquities for analyze and authenticate a ruby turned up by a mysterious collector. It is hoped that the ruby is the missing eye of the Emperor's Twins, the most prized possession of the museum, and the last artifact vetted by her parents before their death. They are cautiously optimistic that the ruby is the missing piece of the Emperor's Twins which would be quite a coup for the museum.

But there are questions... The collector's story is a little hard to believe and his reclusiveness raises a lot of questions too. A note supposedly from her deceased father tells her to back off from the assignment which only brings the grief Avery, Tilly and Aunt Midge are still feeling back to the forefront of their minds. Tilly really wants to believe her father is still alive despite the surgeon telling them that he didn't survive his injuries.

Their house is broken into and some documentation about the Emperor's Twins is almost the only thing missing. When a similar break-in occurs at the museum wherein their copy of the documentation also goes missing, Avery is led to Security Guard/local cop Art Smith by another anonymous note who is supposed to be an ally. Then Micah is shot and his house is searched with the documentation on the Emperor's Twins stolen.

The story was well-written. The characters were interesting. I especially liked Avery who was still dealing with anger issues and seeing a therapist after her parents' deaths. It looks like Art Smith could be a love interest in later books that are forecast for this series though Avery isn't ready for any new relationship yet. There were a number of suspects and all were realistic and nicely shady. ( )

This was an absolutely sensational start to a new series!

I usually expect new series to be a bit slow at the beginning because of the need to introduce the characters and their relationships to each other, and there could have been a bit more background at the start, but by the time you are thoroughly involved in the multiple mysteries, the background has been peppered throughout and you have no problems connecting the dots if you are paying attention.

Avery Ayers parents were killed in an auto accident the previous year and now she is not only her sister's guardian but also in charge at the family business, Antiquities & Artifacts Appraised. Avery is starting a new appraisal project which is very high profile, and with it has comes threats, mysterious notes, break-ins, and murder. What does the Xiang Dynasty bejeweled dragon medallion have to do with this appraisal and possibly her parents death?

ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL! I couldn't put it down! ( )