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jenn

Murder by Death

I read cozy and historical mysteries, a bit of Paranormal/UF, and to mix it up, I read science and gardening books on occasion.

A Disguise to Die For (Costume Shop Mystery, #1)

A Disguise to Die For  - Diane Vallere

Wealthy nuisance Blitz Manners needs forty costumes for a detective-themed birthday bash. As for Blitz himself, his Sherlock Holmes is to die for—literally—when, in the middle of the festivities, Margo’s friend and party planner Ebony Welles is caught brandishing a carving knife over a very dead Blitz. 
 
For Margo, clearing Ebony’s name is anything but elementary, especially after Ebony flees town. Now Margo is left to play real-life detective in a town full of masked motives, cloaked secrets, and veiled vendettas.

 

Meh.  I bought this book on the strength of Vallere's two other series, but I won't be going any further than book 1.  It's not bad but it's not a strong mystery either.  The characters were appealing; I couldn't have seen Ebony any clearer if she were standing in front of me - and she's fabulous!  But the author never really hooked me into caring about the murder and I never felt the anxiety or pressure I should have to see the murderer caught.

 

As for the murderer - I'm not actually sure how Margo got from A to B; I didn't see any logic to her deductions, although by the time I got to the end I might have been guilty of a bit o' skimming.  Either way, it was a deus ex machina that allowed the solution to work, imo.

 

Not by any means a bad read, but she's written better and thus, my expectations are higher.