Review and Giveaway: Killer in Crinolines

Killer in Crinolines (Consignment  Shop Mystery - Book 2) by Duffy Brown

Publication Date: May 7, 2013
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley Prime Crime
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 320 pages
ISBN-10: 0425252159
ISBN-13: 978-0425252154

(Received for an honest review from Berkley Prime Crime)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, IndieBound

Duffy Brown on the WEB: Webpage, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads

Books in the Series: 

Iced Chiffon (2012), Killer in Crinolines (2013)

Coverart: Click on the image for a larger, clearer photo of the covers in this series.

Excerpt from Killer in Crinolines courtesy of Amazon

Synopsis:

It’s August in Savannah, Georgia—hardly the season for a traditional Southern wedding with hoopskirts and crinolines. One could die from the heat—or from a cake knife in the back...

Reagan Summerside should be devoting all her energy to her consignment shop the Prissy Fox. But when her dear friend Chantilly Parker is arrested for murder, Reagan vows to clear her name. The victim is Simon Ambrose, who’s found lying in his own wedding cake with a knife in his back.

Chantilly has motive (Simon broke her heart to marry wealthy Waynetta Waverly) and opportunity (crashing the wedding in her UPS delivery truck). And she has cake on her face, and the stolen bridesmaid dress the killer wore is in her truck. But Chantilly would never wear crinoline to kill a man!

With the help of her flamboyant auntie, KiKi, and vexing but attractive attorney Walker Boone, Reagan is determined to save her friend—before she’s forced to turn in her brown uniform for an orange jumpsuit…

Thoughts:

Duffy Brown's second book in her consignment shop mystery series, will have readers ready to go out and find some bargains. Killer in Crinolines is a fast-paced cozy with lots of twists and turns. Brown has a knack for writing dialogue and readers will find themselves so engrossed in the story, it's hard to concentrate on anything else. Brown's fun loving characters are up in arms when the groom is found face-down in the wedding cake. It's up to Reagan and the gang to prove that her best friend, isn't the killer. And it's up to readers to figure out the clues as they read along.

Duffy Brown's first book in the series, Iced Chiffon was a nice change of pace from the typical cozy fare. Brown was able to establish the series and introduce the characters while still staying true to the mystery. Her follow-up novel, Killer in Crinolines, further develops the characters and their relationships. Readers who loved Reagan's spunk and determination in the first one, will find her just as spontaneous and feisty in the latest installment. Aunt Kiki once again helps Reagan put it all together and her relationship with Walker Boone flourishes a little more. Readers are waiting with baited breath to see when Brown allows these two characters to go beyond friendship, maybe in book three?...

This one is set in Savannah, Georgia. The heart of the South. It is filled with all the typical hospitality and southern charm you would expect from a cozy set in this area, but it also packs a kooky punch. A lot of the characters are a little off beat. They aren't your typical southern ladies, drinking sweet tea and gossiping  These ladies are tough nuts. They are peering over hedges and searching the linen closets, LOL. My kind of chicks! Reagan and Aunt Kiki will really hit the spot for readers who are looking for eccentric characters who don't fit the regular cozy mold. 

The mystery aspect of the story was interesting and a lot of fun to try to figure out. The wayward groom had a lot of enemies and that provided readers with a plethora of suspects and motives to choose from. Brown excels at putting in a red herring now and then that will make the reader sure they have it figured out until she pulls the rug out from under them. I loved the way Brown incorporated her clues into the story. In some cozies the clues lead the story, but in this one it was more like, the clues were just stumbled upon, more realistic and better thought out.

A great second book to this eclectic series. Brown has another riveting mystery on her hands.

Killer in Crinolines is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

About the Author:

Duffy Brown loves anything with a mystery. While other girls dreamed of dating Brad Pitt, Duffy longed to take Sherlock Holmes to the prom. She has two cats, Spooky and Dr. Watson, and works at a consignment shop when she’s not busy conjuring up whodunit stories.

Giveaway Details:

The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of Killer in Crinolines by Duffy Brown.

~You must be a GFC follower or Email subscriber to participate.

~US addresses only (publisher request)

~The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST May 31st.

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