Frill Kill (A Scrapbooking Mystery #5)

Author:    Laura Childs

Genre:     Mystery

Hardcover; Mass Market Paperback

ISBN #:    9780425217306; 9780425224250

Berkley Prime Crime 

304 Pages

$18.33; $7.99 Amazon

October 7, 2008

⭐⭐⭐⭐

With Halloween barely a week away, things are getting even spookier than usual in New Orleans.  A party at Juju Voodoo draws a fabulous throng, and Carmela's friend Ava has hired a sexy tarot reader named Giovanni to work the crowd.  What he doesn't foretell is that on her way home Carmela will find the body of a beautiful model behind a Dumpster -- and be attacked herself.

It's Giovanni the gypsy who appears to save her -- or was he already there?  He's the police's number one suspect, but Ava is determined to stand by her employee...even if he does have a tricky way of dodging certain questions.  Ava and Carmela have plenty of other strange leads to follow up, like the horrifying tooth marks around the victim's neck, and the nonhuman hairs found at the scene.  As the witching hour draws closer, Carmela must discover what's lurking in the shadows of the French Quarter -- or she'll get the fright of her life...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Carmela Bertrand owns a scrapbooking store in the heart of New Orleans, just down the street from her best friend Ava's voodoo shop.  Ava has a new draw -- Giovanni, a gypsy who reads the Tarot, palms, and looks into his crystal ball for his customers.  His good looks aren't hurting, and it's sending people her way.  When Carmela sees him call out to a woman, she can't help but wonder why he wants to talk to her so badly.  But not much later, Carmela hears noises behind a dumpster in the alley, and sees the same woman.  When she turns to help, someone hits her from behind and knocks her out.  Then she finds that Giovanni is trying to awaken her and wonders if he isn't the killer.

But Ava is convinced of his innocence, even if Carmela isn't, so they set out to find the person who wanted the young woman dead.  Unfortunately, Carmela and Ava have full schedules that need to be taken care of, too.  Along with running her shop, Carmela has promised her friend to help decorate a designer's grand opening at Halloween, complete with a scary background.  The designer once employed the dead woman, Amber, as his model, so Carmela figures it's also going to be a good place to ask a few questions.

There's also the news anchor who's been hounding Carmela, and the rumors of a werewolf within the midst of the city.  While she doesn't believe it, she knows that something sinister is going on.  And with Halloween coming up fast in the Garden District, there's hundreds of places a killer could hide in plain sight.  And they just might be doing so, if only to watch Carmela's next move...

This is the fifth book in the series, and while it's an older one, I'm thoroughly enjoying it.  As Shamus says, Ava is a hoot.  I honestly like Shamus in this book; he's not as sleazy as he's been in the others, and he definitely still cares for Carmela.  Glory's her usual annoying self, and Detective Babcock is around as well to try and keep Carmela reined in (as if that's going to work).

The mystery is done well, and when the killer is revealed it comes as a surprise, which is how it's supposed to be.  The climax was quite interesting and while I wouldn't call it a nail-biter, it had its moments.  When the book was finished, it left a satisfying and pleasant feeling, which is how books should leave you.  I am enjoying this series more and more and look forward to reading the next one.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Frill-Scrapbooking-Mystery-Laura-Childs/dp/0425224252/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3938442419

More on Laura Childs's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/laura-childs/

Motif for Murder (A Scrapbooking Mystery #4)

Author:  Laura Childs
Genre:   Mystery

Hardcover; Mass Market Paperback
ISBN #:  9780425212042; 9780425217986
Berkley Prime Crime
263 Pages
[Various Prices]; $7.59 Amazon
October 2, 2007

⭐⭐

In the terrible wake of Hurricane Katrina, Carmela wants to get Memory Mine back in business -- and her relationship with her ex-husband, Shamus, back on its feet.  But when Shamus is kidnapped from their home, Carmela hurries to tell his uncle Henry and finds the man murdered in his library.  As a memorial to the late Uncle Henry, Carmela puts together a sentimental scrapbook of memories and keepsakes.  What she doesn't realize is that her altered book holds a clue to finding the killer and the kidnapper.  And the murderer will try to close the book on Carmela once and for all...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Carmela Bertrand recently reconciled with her estranged husband, Shamus Meecham, and is living once again in their large home in the Garden District of New Orleans.  She's lucky in that her scrapbooking shop, Memory Mine, survived Hurricane Katrina when so many other businesses did not.  One morning Shamus announces he's going to make breakfast for her (with Carmela's misgivings, as Shamus is messy), and when she hears a crash downstairs she assumes it's him.  But when she arrives in their kitchen, the mess is much larger, and includes broken glass -- because Shamus has been kidnapped.  After calling the police, she runs for help from Shamus's Uncle Henry, who lives a few doors down, she finds him in his study, shot through the head.  When Carmela's dogs jump on the man, he falls over, revealing a book stuffed beneath the cushions of the chair, which Carmela puts on an end table.

Then she calls for police for Henry, but they've arrived at her home, and before she can get a word in edgewise regarding Henry, Shamus's sister runs over screaming about him and passes out.  Now there's both a kidnapping and a murder.  And Glory -- who hates Carmela -- has just kicked her out of her home and given her five minutes to get out.

So Carmela needs to find Shamus since it seems the police aren't making any headway, and she also wants to know who killed Henry.  Even though she's warned to leave it alone, Carmela isn't willing to do that.  Especially when she figures out there's more at stake than just the kidnapping.  It could mean her own life as well...

First I have to say that while I enjoyed this book, I'm pretty sure that Glory couldn't have just kicked Carmela out of the home she'd been living in without serving eviction papers, even if it did belong to Glory.  Carmela was living there with her husband, who's missing, not dead, and if she could just walk up and tell her to leave, there'd be a whole lot of nervous people in this country whose relatives don't like them.  Just sayin'.  So that kind of threw me.  (I'm pretty sure in Louisiana you have to give at least five days' notice, so the police following her around didn't make any sense at all.

Other than that, since this is the fourth in the series, I've decided to go back and read them in order and this was the next on my list.  I thought it was decent in the fact that Carmela is no dummy, and can hold her own in a war of wits, but she's not very smart when it comes to Shamus.  I've always felt that he's been keeping her around as eye candy, and using her when it's convenient for him.  Carmela, citing that "she loves him," puts up with his rude behavior toward her. 

Of the first four books, this is my least favorite so far.  It didn't take her long to find Shamus, and when she did, she allowed him to call people outside by himself.  What if the kidnappers had seen him and found him?  Then they'd all be kidnapped.

Also, it appears when it comes to business, neither Glory nor Shamus have any real knowledge of determining character.  They seem to lend to people they like, regardless of whether it makes sense to have that person investigated further before parting with huge amounts of money.  This also bothered me.

The ending I didn't care for at all.  While everything was resolved the way it normally would be, I didn't find it really believable, and it was less than satisfying.  While I may read the next in the series, if it isn't up to the standards of the first, I probably won't continue.  This book was heavily disappointing.

https://www.amazon.com/Motif-Murder-Scrapbooking-Mystery-Childs/dp/0425217981/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3434523973

More on Laura Childs's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/laura-childs/

Bound for Murder (A Scrapbooking Mystery #3)

Author:  Laura Childs
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9780425199237
Berkley Publishing
230 Pages
$7.48; $7.99 Amazon
November 2, 2004

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Carmela is creating custom place settings for a friend's pre-wedding party at a French Quarter restaurant when she makes a shocking discovery -- the intended groom, with a butcher knife protruding from his body.  When the heartbroken bride asks her to look into the case, she can't say no.  But Carmela soon finds that the victim had a much more shadowy past than he let on, and a menu of malicious meddlers is making things tougher than day-old gumbo for everyone involved.  Now, Carmela must help her friend pick up the pieces while wrapping up a murder that has more than one lethal loose end...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Carmela Bertrand owns a scrapbooking shop in the heart of New Orleans.  When she's attending a pre-wedding party for a friend, she finally meets the groom and decides she likes him.  But when they're getting ready to do the toast, she seeks out a centerpiece that is supposed to be for the bride's table and a surprise.  It's in the office of the owner of the restaurant, Quigg, and she goes to retrieve it.  Unfortunately, she not only finds the centerpiece, but the body of the groom - Jamie Redmond.  Now Wren, the intended bride, wants Carmela to investigate and find out who killed Jamie and why.  The only clue Carmela has is the initials INE - which Jamie wrote with his own blood before he died.  But is it a clue?  Or was he trying to identify his killer?  With mysterious happenings and Carmela's inquisitive nature, she wants to help Wren, but hopefully she won't put herself in the sights of a murderer first...

This is the third book in the series and I have to say that it's definitely improving.  We have Carmela's regular customers back, although they play a smaller role in this book, and her estranged rogue of a husband, Shamus, who definitely plays a bigger one.  He's itching to get his photographs in a showing with Carmela, and finds a scruffy stray dog that he names Poobah and foists on Carmela because his sister doesn't like dogs and he's staying with her.

But then there's the fact that poor Wren is living in an old convent that Jamie bought and is converting into a home, and she doesn't know if she even owns it; and has been working in Jamie's bookstore without pay and now she's being hounded by a giant of a man named Dunbar DesLauriers who's hot to get his hands on it and is pushing her to sell.  Carmela wants to know why, and is determined to find out the truth of the matter.

Then there's Shamus - who left her to pursue his own interests but doesn't want her involved with anyone else - especially Quigg, even though she's not dating anyone - yet seems to appear at the most inopportune moments.  Carmela, for her part, is still in love with him and is on the fence about whether to divorce the scoundrel or not.

But the mystery is an interesting one.  Who's behind everything and what are they looking for?  We really don't find out until toward the end of the book, and while I usually find it a cheat (and I'm not saying why in case there are others who haven't read the book as yet) this didn't bother me this time out, but I wouldn't like to see the author make a habit of it.  As it is, the mystery was done very well, and I did like the climax with Carmela and the killer (because we knew all along that she would be confronting the person anyway.)

When we discover the identity of the murderer and why it was committed, it's rather sad but yet believable all the same.  Evil lies in the hearts of men, and we can never determine who nor why they do the things they do.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Bound-Murder-Scrapbooking-Mystery-Childs/dp/0425199231/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3295262139

More on Laura Childs's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/laura-childs/

Photo Finished (A Scrapbooking Mystery #2)

Author:  Laura Childs

Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:  9780425194348

Berkley Publishing

272 Pages

$7.52; $7.99 Amazon

January 6, 2004

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Carmela Bertrand is hosting a late-night "Crop Till You Drop" session at her quaint French Quarter scrapbooking shop, Memory Mine.  All the usual suspects have turned up to trim, decorate, color, and gossip.

But their all-night crop comes to a screeching halt when a neighboring antiques-shop owner winds up murdered in the alley behind the cozy store.  And when Carmela and her customers become the focus of the police investigation, the scrapbooking expert realizes it's her responsibility to rearrange the jumble of clues and pick out the real killer -- before he strikes again.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Carmela Bertrand owns a scrapbooking store, Memory Mine, in the heart of New Orleans.  She's frequented by visitors and regulars alike.  When she decides to have a late-night "Crop Till You Drop" session, she expects it will be with her usual customers.  But when her neighbor, cranky Bartholomew Hayward, the owner of the antiques store next to her, knocks on her back door to tell her to move her car, she finds out she's not going to get what she expects after all.  Especially when her employee Gabby offers to move Carmela's car, and the next thing she hears is Gabby's scream...

Carmela, along with the croppers, rush out and find Bartholomew's body in the alley - and he's been stabbed in the neck with a pair of crafting scissors.  When the police suspect Barty's employee, Billy Cobb, of the murder, Carmela's friend Tandy Bliss is beside herself, because she's Billy aunt and refuses to believe him capable of murder.

On top of this, Carmela is still in love with her estranged husband Shamus, and she's surprised when he shows up and wants her to come to a party his sister Glory is giving.  Glory has made it quite well known to Carmela that she doesn't like her at all, so this stuns her, but she still agrees to go, hoping that maybe they can be reconciled at some point.

When Tandy asks Carmela to help find the murderer since the police seem to be focused entirely on Billy, how can she refuse?  So now Carmela is looking for a killer and trying to please everyone around her while she runs her business.  But if her work load isn't going to kill her, someone else might just be looking to do it...

This is the second book in the series, and I did mention before that I've started with the later ones and enjoyed them so much that I decided to go back to the beginning.  I'm very glad to say that I haven't been disappointed.  Ms. Childs writes with a flair that brings you to the heart of New Orleans and everything around it.  I've never been, but her books make me want to indeed visit this place.  Her characters are lively and full of life, and I relish spending time with them. 

The mystery itself is quite a lot of fun to read, with plenty of characters who wanted Barty dead, and the red herrings make it all that much more intriguing, with several going in different directions.  I was surprised when I discovered the murderer, and that made it even more pleasing since it's always nice when you really can't figure it out. 

In the end, everything was put together quickly and easily, and it left us wondering what will happen in the next book.  Even though I know the eventual outcome, it's the journey that is the most interesting, and I will continue with this series.  Recommended. 

https://www.amazon.com/Photo-Finished-Scrapbooking-Mystery-Childs/dp/0425194345/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3250857747

More on Laura Childs's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/laura-childs/

Keepsake Crimes (A Scrapbooking Mystery #1)

Author:  Laura Childs
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback' Digital Book
ISBN #:  9780425190746
Berkley Prime Crime Publishing
236 Pages
$7.99; $7.99 Amazon
May 6, 2003

⭐⭐⭐⭐

On the fringe of New Orlean's French Quarter sits Carmela Bertrand's little scrapbooking shop, Memory Mine.  Business is booming and life is cozy.  But when one of the city's elites dies during Mardi Gras, the police tag Carmela's estranged husband as their number one murder suspect.  Even though the memory of how he scrapped their marriage hasn't faded, Carmela doesn't think that Shamus is cut out to be a killer.  She's an expert at framing things herself -- and doesn't like the pattern being laid out by a disreputable detective and a shady newspaper columnist.  Then, as Shamus begs for help, Carmela uncovers an important clue in a most unlikely place -- one of her customer's scrapbooks.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Carmela Bertrand lives in New Orleans and is still reeling from the fact that her husband up and left her, telling her he wanted to be a photographer instead of a banker, and that he “needed to find himself.”  But at least she has her scrapbooking shop, Memory Mine, her friends, and her dog, Boo.  Her life might not be perfect, but she’s learning to be happy again.

It’s Mardi Gras, and while attending with her best friend Ava, she’s watching the parade and when a float that’s been touted as the best comes near, she sees that something is wrong - and sirens coming ever closer.  When the man is handed off the float to the police, she sees that it’s Jimmy Earl Clayton, and she’s stunned.  But more than that, she soon learns that her estranged husband Shamus is suspected of murdering him.  Now she can’t find Shamus, people she knows are avoiding her, she’s being questioned by the police, who think she knows where he is, and people are starting to come after her because of it.  Carmela’s sure Shamus had nothing to do with the murder, but if she doesn’t find who did, both their lives might just be scrapped forever...

This is the first in the Scrapbooking Mysteries, and I have to say that I’ve read the later ones and decided to go back and start at the beginning.  I’m glad that I did, because now I’ve gotten to see Carmela’s backstory, and what happened between her and Shamus.  I really enjoyed this mystery, and liked the fact that the scrapbookers gathered around Carmela and refused to believe that she had anything to do with Shamus’s disappearance or the murder itself.  

I thought the mystery was done nicely, and really liked the fact that while clues were thrown throughout, we still had to wait until almost the end for it all to come together.  The murderer was a surprise, because the red herrings threw us in a different direction.  While I was figuring out the reason for the murder toward the middle of the book, I also liked that we were sent in different directions.  It gave meat to the story, and made the ending all that much more delightful.  All in all, because of this, I will continue to read the books in order until I get back to where I left off and pick it up again.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Keepsake-Crimes-Scrapbooking-Mystery-Childs/dp/0425190749/ref=

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3235972730

More on Laura Childs's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/laura-childs/

A Sheetcake Named Desire (A Piece of Cake Mystery #1)

Author:  Jacklyn Brady
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9780425242742
Berkley Publishing
288 Pages
$7.99; $7.99 Amazon
August 2, 2011

⭐⭐⭐

There aren't many things pastry chef Rita Lucero hates more than losing.  But two years after her marriage to fellow baker Phillipe Renier fell apart, she's still trying to get him to sign the divorce papers.  Exasperated, Rita visits Phillipe's high-end New Orleans shop, Zydeco Cakes, to get his signature - and discovers that her marriage is already over when she finds Phillipe dead with a chef's knife in his chest.

Rita is shocked to discover the body, and overwhelmed to learn that since the divorce wasn't final, she now inherits part ownership in Zydeco Cakes.  But it's a mixed blessing: the gorgeous shop is actually in financial trouble, and Rita's windfall sets her up as a prime suspect in Phillipe's murder.  Her former mother-in-law demands that Rita find out who killed her son, and his former employees don't know whether to trust her.  The feeling is mutual -- especially since the real culprit is still out there, and Rita may be the next victim served...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Rita Lucero is a baker who has been trying for two years to get her husband Phillipe to sign their divorce papers.  Now living in New Mexico, and with him in New Orleans, it hasn’t been easy.  But when she receives an email from him stating he made a mistake about her, she wonders what he means, and decides to fly to New Orleans to get him to finally sign the papers.  But when she arrives at his bakery, Zydeco, she’s told he’s not there.  Looking around, she sees that the bakery is what she’s always dreamed of instead of him.  She also finds out that many of their friends from baking school are now working for Phillipe.  While it bothers her, she’s not going to allow it to ruin her mission.

Then she hears a commotion outside and sees a beautiful cake that’s been destroyed, but no sign of Phillipe.  Along with Edie, they search, and find Ox, another friend now employed by Phillipe, injured on the ground.  All he can tell them is that he was hit from behind.  After they call 911, Rita keeps searching, and finds her missing husband under bushes — stabbed in the chest with a kitchen knife, and very dead.

Rita convinces Detective Sullivan to allow her to go see Phillipe’s mother Miss Frankie to break the news that her only child has been killed; and while she’s there, another woman - a buxom blonde - runs in and grabs Miss Frankie, telling her she just heard about Phillipe.  When she finds out that Rita is Phillipe’s wife, she becomes histrionic, and is eventually convinced to leave - after Miss Frankie tells her that Rita will be staying with her for a few days.

But when the will is read, Rita discovers that as his wife, she inherits everything — his home, his car, and half of Zydeco, with the other half being Miss Frankie’s.  While Rita is stunned, she also has no intention of staying in New Orleans.  But for Miss Frankie’s sake, she’ll stay and try to save the bakery, which has been plagued by sabotage which could cost everything Phillipe has worked for.  Now Rita’s trying to find out if it was an employee who murdered Phillipe, or someone, somehow, was able to get in to kill him and get out quickly.  The question is who hated him enough to want to kill him and destroy Zydeco...

This is the first book in the series, and while it wasn’t absolutely wonderful, it also wasn’t a bad beginning at all.  I did like the fact that Rita, still believing that maybe she loved her husband a little, found herself grieving along with everyone else.  It’s a change from the usual theme of hating the e and not caring what happens to him.  We watched her change her emotions regarding him, and go through the process of letting go, which sometimes does take time.  I really didn’t like the character of Quinn at all — why she would think that as the girlfriend she should inherit everything was beyond me.  She wasn’t his wife, nor even engaged.  I really hope she doesn’t show up in future books.  I also liked Miss Frankie — she seemed very shrewd in getting what she wanted while maintaining her decorum and seeming not to care.

I did know the identity of the murderer early on — but then again, I read a lot of mysteries, so I’ve gotten pretty good at ferreting them out.  But I really didn’t think that the killer’s reasoning for sabotage seemed all that logical; nor even worth what they were going to get out of it.  You can’t trust someone like that, and they should have figured out the next person wouldn’t trust them, either.  But anyway, it wasn’t a bad mystery, and I will probably read the next in the series just to see where it goes.  An easy mystery to read that can be read in one evening.

https://www.amazon.com/Sheetcake-Named-Desire-Piece-Mystery-ebook/dp/B004XFYRKC/ref=

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3213637251

More on Jacklyn Brady's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/jacklyn-brady/

Cat Got Your Crown (A Kitty Couture Mystery #4)

Author:  Julie Chase
Genre:  Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781683319566
Crooked Lane Books
320 Pages
$26.99; $12.99 Amazon
March 13, 2019

✮✮✮✮

Lacy Marie Crocker can hardly believe it's been a year since her return home to New Orleans.  There hasn't been a dull moment since opening her pet boutique last summer, and thanks to the popularity of Lacy's organic pet treats, and the arrival of the National Pet Pageant, Lacy desperately needs some help before she is overrun by the demand for pupcakes and crinolines.

The entire Garden District seems to be counting the minutes until opening night of the pet pageant and everything is going spectacularly until Viktor Petrov, the pageant emcee takes a spill from the balcony during dress rehearsal.  All signs point to murder and homicide detective Jack Oliver sets his eyes on Eva Little, one of Lacy's committee sisters and the only other person on the balcony at the time of the fall, as the killer.  But when it comes out that Viktor was notoriously rude, the doors blow wide open with potential suspects who could've wanted him dead.

Lacy's determined to find the killer and exonerate Eva, but when Lacy receives a mysterious warning - a plush kitty from Lacy's shop with its mouth crudely stitched over - it's clear that she's been found first.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Lacy Marie Crocker owns a pet boutique and bakery in New Orleans.  While she'd be more than happy to just run her business, fate (and her socialite mother) have other plans.  She's been railroaded into working at the National Pet Pageant, and has been busy running around repairing costumes for the contestants.  She's also been spending time with Homicide Detective Jack Oliver, even if it's only been for a lunch every now and then.  But unfortunately, while they're thinking of sneaking out for a private lunch instead of the buffet offered, pageant emcee Viktor Petrov plunges to death in front of her.

Still recovering from a close call with a murderer, Lacy is having a difficult time dealing with this added stress.  While she'd like nothing more than to distance herself from the murder and let Jack do his job, she soon receives a warning - one of the stuffed cats from her shop is returned to her home by courier - with its eyes sewn with little x's and a threatening note.  Now it's become a personal attack, so Lacy decides she needs to get involved before it escalates.  But when it most certainly does, will Jack be able to find a killer before a killer finds her?...

This is the fourth book in the series and I have to say that I'm surprised each book has gone on to be better than the last.  It seems as if while watching Lacy's life evolve, so has the writing.  This is a true plus in any series, and one that will bring readers back for more.

Lacy's personal life is not only in danger, she's still got Chase hot on her heels, right where she needs him every time; and Jack not far behind.  I do enjoy the fact that this isn't the tired, old love triangle.  There's a definite preference, which makes the book readable instead of 'rolling your eyes-able'.

Lacy is also finding her ground with her mother, and that relationship has progressed nicely; I've come to be fond of Violet Conti-Crocker.  We also have a new addition in the form of Willow, a sort of hippie young woman whom Lacy immediately takes to, and someone else is fond of her as well.

I loved the descriptions of New Orleans, and having never been, seeing the city through Lacy's eyes makes me want to hop on a plane and visit.  I only wish I could have her as my tour guide.  Ms. Chase's depictions are delightful and enticing; bringing the pages to life.  Her characters are believable and animated, their personalities also evolving through the series as we learn more about them and their lives.

There's a lot going on in the story, yet it never detracts from the mystery itself, which is well-written and taut.  We watch as Lacy struggles to figure out who might want her dead, but with over a hundred suspects - all attendees at the pageant - how many of them not only had Viktor marked for murder, but now her?  She's promised her mother to see that Eva Little, who was standing near Viktor, isn't railroaded into jail, but in order to do that she needs to deduce who had the right motive.

It seems Viktor had a lot of people angry at him for various reasons, (none of which I will name here in order not to give too much away for people who have yet to read the book) and any one of them could have pushed him from behind.  Sifting through the suspects isn't going to be an easy task, and when the ante on Lacy's life is upped, it also becomes a priority to close the case.

When the murderer is revealed it came somewhat as a surprise; the climactic scene between Lacy and the killer (as we know there will be one) was all that anyone could have asked for.  It was suspenseful and well worth reading.  The reasons for the murder made perfect sense - in the mind of the murderer, of course - and also in the context of the plot; a worthy effort.  In the end, the book was indeed entertaining, an enjoyable mystery; and I look forward to the next in the series.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Cat-Got-Your-Crown-Couture/dp/1683319567/ref=

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2657563523

More on Julie Chase's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/julie-chase/

Cat Got Your Secrets (A Kitty Couture Mystery #3)

Author:  Julie Chase
Genre:  Mystery

Hardcover; Trade Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781683312833; 9781683316763
Crooked Lane Books
320 Pages
$17.70; $11.34; $7.80 Amazon
September 12, 2017

✮✮✮✮

Lacy Marie Crocker has settled into a comfortable groove back home in New Orleans, and with Valentine's Day right around the corner, she's busier than ever running a thriving pet boutique, helping her mother organize the upcoming National Pet Pageant, and untangling her complicated love life.  But when delivering a king-sized order of dreidel-shaped doggy biscuits for a Saint Berdoodle's bark-mitzvah, Lacy stumbles into yet another murder scene - and the last person to see the victim alive was her own father.

It's up to Lacy to clear her dad's name from the suspect list before Detective Jack Oliver has to cage him for good.  But just when she starts pawing at the truth, she receives a threatening letter from a mysterious blackmailer bent on silencing her with her own secrets.  And Lacy's not the only one with bones in her closet.

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Lacy Marie Crocker owns a pet boutique in the heart of New Orleans, where she also bakes tasty treats for the animals.  She's trying to make a go of her business and prepare for Valentine's Day - when people even dress up their pets, all the while trying to keep her mother from interfering in her life.  Things seem to be going just fine when problems start to arrive.  She's making a big delivery for a bark-mitzvah, but when she arrives at the event hall to deliver boxes of treats, she's surprised to see city vehicles surrounding the building next door, home of the Wallace Becker's business.  It turns out that the man has been found dead in a walk-in freezer.  She soon learns that her father was the last person to see Walter alive, and is a suspect in the man's murder, due to a video camera feed that shows him arguing with Wallace shortly before his death. 

When Detective Jack Oliver takes him in for questioning, it puts a strain on their relationship, such as it is (which isn't much at this point).  With no one else in view, Lacy - against both her father's and Jack's wishes - decides to find the killer herself.  But what she discovers isn't going to make anyone happy.

Not only does the man's widow throw her off her property and try to get a restraining order against her, someone sends her old photos of herself and her ex-fiancé in an attempt at blackmail.  Lacy refuses to be cowed, and it's not until a second set of photos arrive, putting others in the crosshairs, that Lacy begins to wonder in earnest who wants to frame her dad for murder.

Now Lacy has a personal vendetta against an unknown person who's threatening her and trying to send her dad to prison, and the one person who can help her is also the one person she doesn't trust right now...

First off, I want to say that I am a firm believer in not dressing up pets, just to be clear.  Having said that, I will also tell you how much I enjoyed this book, which says a lot for the writing.  If one can take a subject one is against and still enjoy the book, it means something.

This is the third book in the series and I also have to say that it's improved with time, and that's a good thing, too.  The plot was a very good one (while following the formula of MC or MC's family/friends being in danger); it was put together well and I think much of that was because of the characters.

Lacy has grown into quite an interesting person and her relationship with her mother is going through some very good changes.  She's got her head on right and knows - to an extent - of what she wants out of life; she's not afraid to defend people or pets that she feels needs her help.  Now, we also have the 'battle' between Chase and Jack.  While Chase is pretty much happy-go-lucky, one gets the idea that he might actually be serious about Lacy in his own way, preferring to allow her freedom until he's ready to settle down; and Jack has his own demons to deal with before he's ready to move ahead and admit that he actually has feelings for Lacy.

I do like the fact that this isn't a traditional love triangle (and, as I am sure I sound like a broken record on this subject); I absolutely abhor love triangles; no one should be waffling between 'who wants me more, go ahead, fight it out'.  But indeed this will be worth watching as the men decide what's important to them.  I think we already know what - or who - is important to Lacy.

In the midst of this, her mother has volunteered her for a committee, and she goes willingly (surprisingly) and soon is railroaded into making costumes (not so surprisingly).  Now Lacy has more than enough to keep things interesting in her life.

On the negative side, I really disliked Kinley.  She's not just angry, she's downright nasty.  She barely meets Lacy and treats her like she just stepped in dog poo.  She doesn't even have the manners to try and make a new friend, knowing that Lacy is important to Scarlet and Chase (otherwise, why would they introduce her to Lacy?).  Then, she literally throws herself at Chase - which begs another question: why would he bring her to an event he was supposed to bring Lacy as his date?  I honestly hope she won't be in any other books.  She's distasteful.  Minor spoiler, but I don't think it affects the book at all, since it was one scene. 

All in all, when the killer was revealed it came as a surprise, and I felt that the reasons - connecting one case to another - seemed believable and therefore was gratifying.  I found the climax one of the best points in the book.  I look forward to the next in the series.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Cat-Got-Your-Secrets-Couture/dp/168331283X/ref=

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2073900807

More on Julie Chase's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/julie-chase/

Cat Got Your Cash (A Kitty Couture Mystery #2)

Author:  Julie Chase
Genre: Mystery

Hardcover; Trade Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781683311089; 9781683312673
Crooked Lane Books
336 Pages
$14.68; $14.70; $8.69 Amazon
August 8, 2017

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Lacy Marie Crocker's whimsical pet couture has gained a following in New Orlean's cozy Garden District, and word of mouth has traveled all the way to her favorite fashion designer, Annie Lane.  Lacy's thrilled when Annie schedules a private session at her home to discuss a companion line for her evening wear, but when Lacy arrives for the appointment, she enters the kitchen to two mewling Siamese cats - and one very dead Annie.

Lacy takes the kittens home to care for them until they can be properly claimed by Annie's family or friends, but after a busy day of work, she returns home to find them missing.  And when Lacy learns the cats are set to inherit Annie's fortune, she begins to wonder if the killer was after the kittens all along.  Now Lacy will stop at nothing to save the Siamese and find justice for Annie - if the killer doesn't sink his claws into her first.

Luckily, Lacy has the help of handsome NOLA PD homicide detective Jack Oliver to help her cat the cat-napper before it's too late.

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Lacy Marie Crocker has an appointment with a fashion designer, Annie Lane, to discuss adding her pet couture line to Annie's fashion line.  But when she arrives at Annie's home, she finds the woman's two pet Siamese cats, Cotton and Cashmere, and a very dead Annie.

Now, less than a year later, she's involved in another murder investigation that Detective Jack Oliver wish she wasn't.  Rather than see the cats taken by animal control, she volunteers to temporarily care for them - until they're stolen from her home.  After retrieving the kitties, she sends them somewhere safe until their rightful owner can claim them.  But that might not be easy since the murder suspect list is growing, and Lacy wonders who wanted the cats enough to kill for them...

This is the second book in the series and unfortunately started out so slow that I almost stopped reading it as nothing terribly interesting had gone on by page 70, aside from the death.  I also thought that there were a couple of confusing passages: such as after Lacy finds the dead woman, another woman shows up who turns out to be Annie's assistant.  All the assistant seems to know is that Annie had an appointment at 11:00 am but didn't know with whom.  It was confusing because Lacy asked Josie if she knew who the appointment was with (no), yet I thought it was with Lacy, which, we find out later, it was; yet this is never clarified until much later.  Then there was the 'kidnapping' of the cats, which seemed rather ridiculous and much like just filler for the book.  It was pointless.  The third thing was the fact that the kidnapper was able to get the cats because Lacy didn't set her alarm.  She tells Jack that she only uses her alarm when she's home - but not when she's out.  How dumb is that?  Wouldn't you need it most when you're not home?  No wonder she designs clothing for pets.  She's too stupid to do anything else.  Well, enough said about that.

As far as the plot goes, it got a little more interesting as the book progressed.  Once things 'started happening' as it were, the rest of it was an easy read.  Lacy's doing her best to live in two worlds - that of her new one as a business owner and the one she grew up in, New Orleans society.  Fortunately there were a few scenes that allowed these two worlds to mesh nicely.

Her relationship with Detective Jack Oliver is on the verge of a change, but nothing significant.  They're still tip-toeing around each other, both of them trying to figure it out.  She wants to trust again, which is difficult after dealing with a cheating boyfriend, and he doesn't want to let his guard down.  Her mother, on the other hand, wants to see her with Chase Hawthorne, scion of an old New Orleans family who has recently returned home and taken up law again, joining the family firm.  It's one day at a time in this area for Lacy.

All in all, an average cozy that was a fairly easy read, and the plot was decent enough.  When the killer was discovered and the reason given, it was perfectly believable and done decently.  I actually kind of liked how it played out.  I will read the next in the series, but I sure hope that things progress a little bit faster in future books.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Cat-Got-Your-Cash-Couture/dp/1683312678/ref=

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1882000998

More on Julie Chase's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/julie-chase/

Glitter Bomb (A Scrapbooking Mystery #15)

Author:  Laura Childs
Genre:  Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book; Audiobook
ISBN #:  9780451189548
Berkley Publishing
320 Pages
$26.00; $12.99 Amazon
October 2, 2018

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It's Mardi Gras in New Orleans and scrapbook shop owner Carmela Bertrand is excited to be attending the Pluvius parade along with her best friend Ava.  Carmela's ex-husband Shamus rides by the duo on his float at the head of the parade, when suddenly the revelry turns to disaster.  Shamus' float crashes and explodes, and although Shamus escapes unhurt, a member of his krewe is killed.

Carmela and Ava plunge into an investigation of the krewe-member's death, but as they dig deeper it starts to look less like an accident and more like murder...and Shamus seems less like a victim, and more like a suspect.

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Carmela Bertrand lives in New Orleans and owns a successful scrapbooking shop.  She's enjoying the Mardi Gras festivities when a float practically explodes right in front of her.  Since her ex-husband was one of the krewe, she rushes over to make sure he's okay, then sees that someone else is hurt badly.  When the man dies, everyone thinks it was a horrible accident.  But when Shamus, her ex,  shows up at her shop the next day begging for help, her first instinct is to refuse.

Shamus insists that he's on the suspect list - and her fiancé Edgar Babcock, homicide detective for the NOPD, is targeting him as the killer.  While she knows Shamus is sleazy, she also knows he's too weak to be a killer and decides to help him.  But when she starts investigating, she doesn't count on the many suspects to be closed-mouthed about their hatred of the dead man.  Still, she keeps on digging - on the down low, since Babcock has warned her away - but it's not low enough as someone discovers what she's doing and decides that Carmela needs to go away...permanently...

I really enjoyed reading this book.  While I thought it started with a bang as it were, it stalled for a couple of chapters but then picked up again almost immediately.  Carmela is an interesting character; she's smart, strong, a savvy businesswoman, devoted to her friends fiercely, in love with Babcock deeply, annoyed by her ex-husband, and detests Shamus' sister Glory.  She's definitely a colorful personality, and I like that.

She's also smack-dab in a murder investigation, and doesn't want to be, but she has an innate curiosity that won't let her back out.  Unfortunately, it's also that curiosity and her bluntness that, merged together, rub some people the wrong way.  Some of the wrong people.  And one of them is out to do her in.  But with a host of suspects - the victim's wife and various krewe members - it seems every one of them had a reason to want the man dead.  He had a hedge fund that somehow went wrong and people lost money...a lot of it.  Now she's trying to figure out who decided that a final revenge was the way to get even.

Ava is a hoot as a best friend, always on the lookout for a new man in her life, and pretty much dresses as risqué as she can get away with.  Carmela realizes she's not going to change her, but does her best to be the voice of reason.  Ava just eggs Carmela on to investigate.  They're quite a pair together.  The situation with Ava house sitting would have made my blood boil and I can tell you that there would have been a few choice words with every single member of Harrison's family when they returned.  It wouldn't have been pretty to watch.

I did have a couple of moments that made me cringe a little when Carmela was blatantly asking people questions about Wilder (the dead man).  For some reason, it seemed terribly invasive and not like she was merely curious.  No wonder they clammed up.  While I realize this is just her personality (and while I also consider myself to be brutally honest, I try to step back when need be) it still made me skim those pages a little bit.

But when the last chapter finally arrived and I got close to the end, everything fell into place just as it was supposed to.  Carmela finally got the pay off (just as expected) the killer was discovered, and it came as a complete surprise.  There was a hairy moment or two (not a situation I'd like to find myself in at any stretch of the imagination) but everything tied together nicely.

There were plenty of twists in the story and it seemed around every corner there was another question that needed to be answered; and lots of red herrings to sift through.  While I thought a few of the characters were nasty pieces to deal with, Carmela managed to hold her own with them.  She's an admirable woman and I'm happy to see that she's successful, not with a struggling business like so many of the cozy characters.  Carmela's got it going on.

I'm sorry to say that this is only the second book in this series that I've read by this author; but in my defense I have to add that I have read her other series, and with so many other authors I try to give everyone an even chance, and it really was on my list to begin again.  I also will add with this book, I plan on going back and reading every single one from the beginning.  This is a series worth following, and worth reading every single book.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Glitter-Scrapbooking-Mystery-Laura-Childs/dp/0451489543/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2529110061

More on Laura Childs' Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/laura-childs/

Cat Got Your Diamonds (A Kitty Couture Mystery)

Author:  Julie Chase
Genre:  Mystery

Hardcover; Trade Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781629538426; 9781683311973
Crooked Lane Books
336 Pages
$17.67; $10.87; $1.99 Amazon
November 8, 2016

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Grandeur and opulence are everything in the famed New Orleans Garden District where pets are family and no bling is too big.  Opening Furry Godmother, pet boutique and organic treat bakery, is Lacy Marie Crocker's dream come true -- until the glitter gun used to make her Shih Tzu tutus becomes a murder weapon.  And Lacy becomes public enemy #1.

Now Detective Jack Oliver is hounding Lacy, and her Furry Godmother investor wants out before his name is tarnished by association.  To make matters worse, a string of jewel heists with suspicious ties to the murder case has New Orleans residents on edge.  To save her dream, Lacy must take a stand, put her keen eyes to work, and unravel what really happened at her shop that night.  But can Lacy sniff out the killer cat burglar in time to get her tail-raising designs on the catwalk?

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Lacy Crocker was born to wealth but wants to make it on her own in New Orleans by opening a pet fashion store.  Yes, that's right - a pet fashion store.  She makes clothing for animals; but also sells homemade treats on the side.  I say 'on the side' because her main business is selling clothing.

She is conducting business one afternoon when a shady-looking character enters her store and she can't wait to get rid of him.  What happens, though, is she returns to the store after hours and realizes someone else is there.  She is surprised by the same man, runs through the back door, and before he can catch her she sprays him with her glitter gun, effectively blinding him, and leaves.

When she calls the police and is asked to return to the store she is surprised to find the man dead, and the police detective thinks she did it.  Her investor, Mr. Tater, tells her he will have to pull funding from her store because he can't be associated with it right now, and she's desperate to find a way to keep the store open, even if it means taking on extra work.

With her store on the line, and Detective Oliver seemingly not looking for any other suspects, Lacy decides to do a little investigating on her own, trying to find out the identity of the dead man and who might want him dead.  But she soon realizes that there's more at stake then losing her shop; if she's not careful, she could also lose her life...

 I felt that the story started out S-L-O-W.  So slow I had to stop a couple of times and start again.  Probably because the first part dealt with dressing up dogs.  I have to say this is something I don't agree with.  Dressing up dogs like people is, in my opinion, odd to say the least.  They're not toys or even children.  Putting them on display for your pleasure isn't right.  They want to run and play and get dirty, not perform like a seal.  Secondly, I thought - because it's listed as a Kitty Couture Mystery - that it would be about cats, or at least one cat.  Not so.  I also didn't like the idea that Jack Oliver called her 'kitten,' it wasn't professional; it was condescending.

But once I got a little deeper into the story the plot seemed to pick up, and that was a good thing.  We began to learn a little more about Lacy's life and the people in it, and more about the dead man - Miguel - and who wanted it that way.  There were plenty of red herrings and just enough of a mystery to keep me reading through the night.

When all is said and done, the ending was satisfactory and it all came together nicely.  Since this is the first in the series, I feel that the author is still learning her way around all the characters, and I will read the next in the series.  All in all, and enjoyable read for a quiet evening.

https://www.amazon.com/Cat-Got-Your-Diamonds-Couture/dp/1629538426/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2167716045

More on Julie Chase's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/julie-chase/