To while away a dark, bitter, evening in the sleepy village of Trickledown Falls, Trixie is attending an auction of local curios. Far from being interested in them, she spends her time watching the crowd hoping not to find herself bidding on anything. As the auction draws to a close, one final item is found that draws the attention of everyone there. As the bidding on it finishes, the lights suddenly go out. When they are restored and people can see again, the item has gone. As someone who enjoys sleuthing, Trixie sees an opportunity to put her skills to good use and with the help of her friend Evelyn who is acting as the auctioneer’s assistant. Examining the situation, she narrows down the list of suspects, looking to question them and solve the theft before the culprit can escape.

A quick, coffee break, cozy mystery that is perfect for 15 minutes of fun. The plot is amusing, set in a small town where the stakes are low and leaving it to poke fun at the situation without anything truly threatening on the line. Even as a short story, it still manages a full mystery for the reader to solve albeit fairly quickly. The slightly whimsical tone of the writing also helps to make this enjoyable to read, as it quickly sets up what has happened and then provides clues for the readers to ponder before the reveal. The characters may be sketched out briefly but there is more than enough in Trixie’s observations and thoughts to get a feeling for them, neatly aided by the fact the Trixie is trying to study them as well. The book is formatted well, and I didn’t see any spelling or grammar errors as I was reading through it.

Overall, I enjoyed reading it. The mystery is not hard to solve but is easy enough to guess at. It’s worth getting if you are looking for a fun quick read and are looking for a cozy mystery fix. Alas, it appears to be one of the few cozy mysteries without a cat, but such things can be forgiven.