Kelly Quinn inherited her grandmother's consignment shop in her hometown of Lucky Cove, NY. She always dreamed of owning her own upscale boutique in Manhattan, but this is the next best thing. While having a sale to get rid of older merchandise at the shop, a local psychic tries on a little black dress and has a vision of a man being murdered. Suddenly everyone in town is talking about the haunted dress and business has dwindled down to nothing. Kelly decides to use her sleuthing skills to see if the psychic's gift is real and there was a murder attached to the dress.
This cozy mystery started off well, but lost steam. I found the heroine annoying, especially when she decided that harboring a fugitive from the police was a good idea. She made a few too many dumb moves for me. As far as the mystery, I thought I had it figured out but it turned out I was wrong. The identity of the villain was a surprise. My rating: 3.5 Stars.
This cozy mystery started off well, but lost steam. I found the heroine annoying, especially when she decided that harboring a fugitive from the police was a good idea. She made a few too many dumb moves for me. As far as the mystery, I thought I had it figured out but it turned out I was wrong. The identity of the villain was a surprise. My rating: 3.5 Stars.
murder wears a little black dressMurders Wears a Little Black Dress by Debra Sennefelder takes readers on a journey to Lucky Cove, New York. Kelly Quinn has inherited her grandmother's consignment shop, Lucky Cove consignment Shop much to her Uncle Ralph's disappointment. Kelly has big plans to make the shop profitable and change it into an upscale boutique. She is having a three day sale to help clear out the unwanted items. Bernadette Rydell, the local psychic, comes in and tries on a little black dress. While wearing the dress, Bernadette has a vision of a man being murdered. The shop quickly clears of customers while rumors of the âhaunted dressâ swirl about town keeping shoppers at bay. Kelly needs to get her sale back on track and starts by visiting the dresses consignee. She then gets a call from Bernadette asking her to stop by right away. Kelly arrives at Bernadette's cottage and finds her dead on the floor. She is shocked when Bernadette walks through the door. The victim is Maxine Lemoyne, Bernadette's cousin, who could pass for her twin sister. Which cousin was the intended target? Detective Nora Wolman is on the case, and she has Kelly at the top of her suspect list. The situation at her shop deteriorates when Valerie Leigh holds an impromptu séance and claims a chair is haunted which results in a customer filing a lawsuit. Kelly is determined to clear her name and the shop's. However, someone is not happy with her sleuthing and tries to discourage her. When a second person connected to the case is murdered, Kelly knows she must be getting close to the truth. Kelly needs to work quickly, or she could end up the subject of the séance.
Murder Wears a Little Black Dress is the debut novel in A Resale Boutique Mystery series. Kelly Quinn has inherited her grandmother's consignment boutique and she is determined to make it work. Kelly lost her job as an assistant buyer in New York and her old boss has had her blackballed in the fashion industry. She wants to make changes to the shop to feature clothing and accessories only (getting rid of furniture and tchotchkes). Pepper Donovan, her grandmother's friend and employee does not like the changes Kelly plans to make to the shop (I want to know how a shop making no profit can afford an employee). I thought Murder Wears a Little Black Dress was a quick, easy to read cozy mystery. It is fashion oriented with detailed clothing descriptions. The mystery was straightforward and avid mystery readers will find it a piece of cake pinpointing the killer. I wish the author had provided more details on Kelly's past. Some information is imparted throughout the book and details on how she lost her job is slowly revealed. Kelly has tension with Ariel Barnes over an incident that occurred back in high school. Again, the information is slowly provided as the story progresses (very drawn out). To me it should have been an emotional part of the story, but the feelings were not there. There is a smidgeon of paranormal in the story and a hint of romance. Murder Wears a Little Black Dress is a lively cozy mystery with fashionable clothes, personable characters, murder, mystical forces, and mayhem.
Murder Wears a Little Black Dress is the debut novel in A Resale Boutique Mystery series. Kelly Quinn has inherited her grandmother's consignment boutique and she is determined to make it work. Kelly lost her job as an assistant buyer in New York and her old boss has had her blackballed in the fashion industry. She wants to make changes to the shop to feature clothing and accessories only (getting rid of furniture and tchotchkes). Pepper Donovan, her grandmother's friend and employee does not like the changes Kelly plans to make to the shop (I want to know how a shop making no profit can afford an employee). I thought Murder Wears a Little Black Dress was a quick, easy to read cozy mystery. It is fashion oriented with detailed clothing descriptions. The mystery was straightforward and avid mystery readers will find it a piece of cake pinpointing the killer. I wish the author had provided more details on Kelly's past. Some information is imparted throughout the book and details on how she lost her job is slowly revealed. Kelly has tension with Ariel Barnes over an incident that occurred back in high school. Again, the information is slowly provided as the story progresses (very drawn out). To me it should have been an emotional part of the story, but the feelings were not there. There is a smidgeon of paranormal in the story and a hint of romance. Murder Wears a Little Black Dress is a lively cozy mystery with fashionable clothes, personable characters, murder, mystical forces, and mayhem.
