Author: Louise R. Innes
Genre: Mystery
Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781496729804
Kensington Publishing
240 Pages
$6.79; $.99 (Sale) Amazon
December 1, 2020
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No one would ever accuse famous opera star Dame Serena Levante of lacking a flair for the dramatic. Unfortunately, it's curtains down on the dysfunctional diva when she's found dead at the bottom of a staircase in her elegant home. Solving an opera singer's murder may not be the typical hairdresser's aria of expertise, but Dame Serena was the mother of Daisy's best friend Floria, so Daisy must do-or-dye her best to get to the roots of the case.
When a priceless Modigliani painting in the house is reported missing, the mystery gets even more tangled. Even though the gruff and handsome Detective Inspector Paul McGuinness tells the stylist to stay out of his hair, Daisy is determined to make sure the killer faces a stern makeover -- behind bars.
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Dame Serena Levante is an aging opera star, overcome with drinking, and her latest husband, Collin Harrison, is determined to leave her. Shortly after he leaves the house, Dame Serena is murdered. When her daughter Floria tells Daisy Thorne, her best friend, the news, Daisy rushes to Floria to comfort her. Also rushing to her side is her father, Sir Ranulf. But things are not what they seem. Dame Serena did not fall, she was murdered. And before the will is read, Floria discovers secrets that Serena has kept hidden all her life.
Floria knows her mother wasn't the best, pawning her off on nannies and au pairs -- but who hated her enough to kill her? And why keep secrets from her daughter? Now, Daisy, who is studying to become a forensic psychologist when she's not working at her salon -- at first becomes irritating to Detective Inspector Paul McGuinness, until he realizes he needs her help in figuring out which person had the most to gain. But when another tragedy occurs just after the memorial service, the stakes are raised and the killer needs to be pinned down -- and fast...
This is the first book in a new series, and while I am tardy in reading it (recovering from an operation gone wrong) I have to say that I am glad I was finally able to get to it. (My TBR file is large and constantly growing!).
Daisy is an admirable character: she's full of inquiry, more than curiosity, I think; she's intelligent, attractive, and knows what she's doing. Floria is very sweet, giving and generous; the DI is just as what you would expect - gruff and blunt, but fair and willing to listen. This is a perfect combination for a new series that I hope will go far.
The mystery itself is done extremely well; with writing that is both very good and very descriptive, giving us an insight into the characters and their lives without going overboard; and the death of Dame Serena at the beginning lures us into the story, as we learn more about her throughout. Saying that, we now have a plethora of suspects who many might have had a motive for her killing, but leaving room for us to decipher the clues on our own.
When we finally do come to the end and it gets to the point that the killer is revealed, we are both surprised and saddened by the reasons for the death. I do like the fact that I had to search for the clues, and discovered the murderer much as the same time as Daisy. It left me with a feeling of satisfaction and a want to read the next in the series to see where it takes her. I truly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next. Highly recommended.
More on Louise R. Innes's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/i/louise-r-innes/
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