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Classic Cars and Crazy Crimes

Author: Amy Myers

Jack Colby runs a forever-in-the-red car restoring business, a leftover from his father’s heyday. To make ends meet and keep his shady competitors from buying him out, Jack also does some work on cold-car cases, mostly by helping the police track car theft rings. One day, as he is going about business, he runs into a 1938 Lagonda V12, hidden in a country barn. Overwhelmed with car love, he jumps a fence, does a little trespassing, and is just inspecting the forlorn beauty with her sad headlights when the enraged owner shows up on scene. That’s when Jack falls for a second lady, only this one isn’t automotive.

Polly Davis, the angry owner, captures his heart, and even though he is forced from the scene, the mystery and the pretty dame that guards it keeps him invested . . . right up until he jumps the fence (again) on a second ill-fated day and finds a body. Now he’s gone from thwarted would-be paramour and classic car buyer to number one suspect. And somehow, that abandoned Lagonda ties it all together.

This is my first time reading Amy Myers; it is also the first book in her Jack Colby, car detective series. I ADORE cozy mysteries, and I love old cars. Seeing two of my favorites added together was too much to resist. But Classic in the Barn is a mixed bag. It’s a start to a series with some potential, but there is a lot of overblown machismos in our main character.

Jack is an irritating and irrational gumshoe, even by cozy mystery standards. He is constantly worried and in debt, yet he wastes a surprising amount of time trying to buy a car he doesn’t need and cannot afford. He chases after the angry owner, all because she is a pretty widower and something about the car seems “off.” With Jack honed onto the little lady playing hard to get (no – she just wants him to go away, but he deliberately ignores those “stop, your creeper” requests), the story goes from unbelievable to absurd. Soon, Jack is ditching out on work and his real cases, hot on the trail of the Lagonda and what it reveals about its now deceased mistress, a woman he determines was his lifelong love. But don’t worry, he’ll also become interested in her way-too-young-for-him daughter, because we need to keep it creepy.

By Johannes Maximilian – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=82232957

The storyline has merit, as does the actual mystery behind Polly and the Lagonda, but the way Jack gets involved is more plot device than anything. Plus, his intrusiveness and fixation on every pretty young thing in a skirt makes him downright unlikable. He is too much of a “Jack the Lad” type, and his flirtations soon become irritating and overblown. Enough about your thwarted love life – back to the car!

There are also a lot of characters and interactions here to keep track of, and, in true cozy mystery fashion, it becomes so tangled that the answer must be more given than found. Even then, it’s hard to truly track what happened and how Jack “discovered” the answer to the mystery.

Still, Classic in the Barn has some good points. It’s not a bad mystery, intertwining crime themes were nicely done. We got a lot of fun cars spinning around, plus the cheesy car metaphors were just what the doctor ordered. It’s not perfect, but it is entertaining. I probably won’t pick up any more in the series, since time is limited, but I can see the series getting better as it finds its footing and perhaps smoothing out some of Jack’s irritating banter. Good, but not great.

Beyond the mystery itself, one thing that stood out to me while reading was how much the story leaned into the details of classic cars, almost like a gentle reminder of how much care these machines require in real life. Whether it’s keeping the chrome polished, making sure the engines run smoothly, or simply appreciating the quirks that come with older models, there’s something satisfying about tending to vehicles that have a bit of history behind them.

The novel may have used cars as metaphors and set pieces, but for anyone who’s ever spent time under the hood, it’s easy to see the overlap between storytelling and the steady rhythm of maintenance. A good mystery and a well-kept car share the same principle: every piece has its place, and ignoring one detail can throw everything off balance. That balance is something enthusiasts and everyday drivers alike are constantly working toward, whether it’s tackling the small jobs themselves or finding reliable help for the bigger issues.

Just as the book’s protagonist tried to sort through a maze of clues, drivers often face a similar tangle when it comes to diagnosing rattles, leaks, or sudden warning lights. It’s here that services from Blue Wrench becomes invaluable, offering the guidance and expertise to keep a vehicle from turning into its own unsolvable puzzle. A trusted approach to maintenance doesn’t just extend the life of a car, it adds peace of mind, making sure the ride remains smooth, dependable, and maybe even a little fun—much like a mystery that delivers just enough twists to keep you engaged without breaking down along the way.

– Frances Carden

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Frances Carden
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