Series: A Consignment Shop Mystery, #2
Publisher: Berkley
Released: May 7, 2013
Source: Review copy from the publisher

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…

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KILLER IN CRINOLINES was such a fun read! It had all the elements of a great cozy mystery: a gusty heroine, a cast of quirky supporting characters, a puzzling murder mystery, and plenty of viable suspects. And, I can’t forget the perfect setting – sultry Savannah, Georgia, in August.

Recently divorced Reagan Summerside owns a consignment shop called The Prissy Fox. (Love that name!) She kind of crashes a wedding, only to find the groom stabbed and face down in the cake. Evidence points to her very good friend Chantilly, who got dumped by the dead groom. Let me tell you, Chantilly was a mess! Some of her antics had me shaking my head.

Luckily, Chantilly had Reagan to help prove her innocence, but it wasn’t easy. The deceased was a low-down snake, and there was a list of people who had motive and opportunity to kill him. With some help from her feisty Aunt Kiki and a handsome yet aggravating lawyer name Walker Boone, Reagan is able to solve the mystery. Yep, there’s a little spark between Boone and Reagan, but can she get over the fact that he was her ex-husband’s divorce lawyer? Awkward! Though, I have to grin at their budding relationship.

I enjoyed how this mystery played out, and it was not an easy one to solve. From angry alligators, to cemetery voodoo, to gangs in the hood, Reagan had her hands full. Cozy mystery fans looking for a witty and clever read will love KILLER IN CRINOLINES.

Rating: 4 Stars

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.