Four matching Sandwich pressed dolphin double-step cobalt blue candlesticks. Courtesy Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates.

If you’ve ever watched an episode of American Pickers, you’ll have an idea of what I do for a living, though unlike Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz, who travel across the U.S., I spend most of my time in Cedar County, Ontario, Canada, and the surrounding area. Estate sales, auctions, charity thrift shops and yard sales, you name it, I’ve picked it. I’ve also taught Arabella Carpenter, my ex-wife, and the protagonist in the Glass Dolphin cozy mystery series, much of what she knows. In fact, I was there when she discovered her first antiques find: a pair of cobalt blue Boston & Sandwich glass dolphin candlestick holders. You might say there wouldn’t be a Glass Dolphin antiques shop without me…and without the shop, maybe there wouldn’t even be a series.

Now, I mentioned that Arabella is my ex-wife, and believe me, that was not my choice. In the first book in the series, The Hanged Man’s Noose, readers learn that Arabella believes I cheated on her with Camilla Mortimer-Gilroy, owner of the Gilroy Mansion, a Bed & Breakfast in Lount’s Landing. Nothing is further from the truth. Yes, I moved into Mansion when Arabella and I were having some marital issues, but it was only supposed to be temporary. Of course, it didn’t help that Camilla fueled the flames and if you’ve ever lived in a small town, you know how rumors can spread.

In A Hole in One, book two in the series, Arabella and her business partner, Emily Garland, sponsor a hole in one contest at a charity golf tournament. It was supposed to be good publicity but finding a dead body in the woods has a way of dampening the most festive of occasions. To make matters worse, the police suspected me of murdering the dead man. I’ll admit they had good reason for thinking so, but trust me, I didn’t do it. Thankfully, Arabella and Emily believed I was innocent. I don’t really approve of them acting like amateur sleuths, but I’ll admit to being grateful when they stepped up to clear my name.

Fast forward to Where There’s A Will, the third and final book in the series. This time, Arabella and I have been hired to appraise the contents of the old Hadley house. It sounded like an easy assignment, but nothing is ever easy when it comes to Arabella. Before long, we were digging into old secrets, long buried and, some might say, better left in the past.

I’m going to miss the Glass Dolphin series, but Judy tells me that she has plans for me. In fact, I’ve already made a guest appearance in A Fool’s Journey, the third book in her Marketville Mystery series. As for my on-again, off-again relationship with Arabella, you’ll have to read Where There’s A Will to find out what happens next.

FIND THE GLASS DOLPHIN MYSTERIES IN PRINT, LARGE PRINT, AUDIO & DIGITAL AT ALL THE USUAL SUSPECTS.