Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
Helpful Score: 2
I've enjoyed Duffy Brown's Consignment Shop cozy series set in Savannah, Georgia, and Demise in Denim is the best of the bunch. Brown's humor and characterizations absolutely sparkle and remind me of what I used to enjoy so much about Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books (without that never-ending romantic triangle).
Reagan Summerside is a good-hearted, funny, yet rather bumbling amateur sleuth, and when she starts snooping with her Auntie KiKi (a former roadie for Cher), or one of her friends Mercedes (house cleaner and makeup artist for a local funeral home) or Chantilly (former UPS driver, now cook for a catering company), you just know there's going to be trouble-- usually the kind that makes you laugh.
I have friends who love to read yet-- for some unknown reason-- have an aversion to Southern accents, and I can report that Brown is skilled in giving readers the flavor of Southern speech without a y'all in sight. I'm not quite sure how she manages to do that, but it is very well done.
Even though I did recognize the guilty party almost immediately, that didn't matter because I was enjoying the characters so much. By book's end, all the loose ends were neatly tied up, and I closed Demise in Denim with a smile on my face. This is a very enjoyable series that I recommend to all cozy lovers.
Reagan Summerside is a good-hearted, funny, yet rather bumbling amateur sleuth, and when she starts snooping with her Auntie KiKi (a former roadie for Cher), or one of her friends Mercedes (house cleaner and makeup artist for a local funeral home) or Chantilly (former UPS driver, now cook for a catering company), you just know there's going to be trouble-- usually the kind that makes you laugh.
I have friends who love to read yet-- for some unknown reason-- have an aversion to Southern accents, and I can report that Brown is skilled in giving readers the flavor of Southern speech without a y'all in sight. I'm not quite sure how she manages to do that, but it is very well done.
Even though I did recognize the guilty party almost immediately, that didn't matter because I was enjoying the characters so much. By book's end, all the loose ends were neatly tied up, and I closed Demise in Denim with a smile on my face. This is a very enjoyable series that I recommend to all cozy lovers.
