Friday, January 25, 2019

Murder Wears a Little Black Dress - A Review

Review


MURDER WEARS A LITTLE BLACK DRESS by Debra Sennefelder
The First Resale Boutique Mystery

After a humiliating dismissal as a buyer for a New York department store, Kelly Quinn has returned home to Lucky Cove. Restyling her late grandmother's consignment shop into an upscale clothing boutique is a challenge, however. Pepper, her grandmother's best friend and Kelly's employee is not shy about voicing her displeasure about the changes Kelly wants to make. When a local psychic collapses after receiving a vision when trying on a dress in the shop, the resale boutique gets lots of publicity. People are coming to hear about the "murder dress" and visit the "haunted shop", but not buying any wares. Desperate to stop the negative publicity, matters get worse when Kelly becomes a suspect after she finds the murdered body of the psychic's cousin. Now she's determined to find the truth behind, not only the current murder, but the "murder dress" while she wonders if her decision to come home was the right one.

MURDER WEARS A LITTLE BLACK DRESS is about growing up, finding your place, and fighting for what's right. Kelly Quinn is a likeable, if somewhat juvenile protagonist. In fact, almost all of the characters are a blend of likable with notable character flaws...except for the obvious bad guys like Kelly's uncle and his new wife who are completely unpleasant. One of my favorite characters is Kelly's cousin, Frankie. A chef with an interest in the occult, Frankie is a good-natured goof and a peace-keeper in the family. I hope we get to see more of him in future books.

While the first Resale Boutique Mystery should not be classified as a paranormal mystery, I really enjoyed its paranormal aspect. The mystery here was interesting, with many angles, as was Kelly's involvement and increasing belief in Bernadette's psychic ability. MURDER WEARS A LITTLE BLACK DRESS is a good start to a new series. 

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Murder Wears a Little Black Dress (A Resale Boutique Mystery) by Debra Sennefelder

About the Book


Cozy Mystery 1st in Series  
Lyrical Underground (January 22, 2019)  
Paperback: 200 pages
Manhattan fashionista Kelly Quinn thought she’d left her upstate New York town far behind . . . until the Seventh Avenue expat returns home to revamp her grandmother’s consignment shop into an upscale boutique—and unwittingly sets a trend for murder . . .
After her rising career as a Manhattan buyer is derailed, Kelly has mixed feelings about relocating back to Lucky Cove, in spite of her big plans for the soon-to-be-renamed Curated by Kelly Resale Boutique. What’s left of her luck starts running out when a customer puts on a black lace dress that triggers visions of someone being murdered. As if the haunted “Murder Dress” isn’t enough to kill business, the psychic’s doppelganger cousin has just been found bludgeoned to death. Was Maxine LeMoyne the real target or was it a case of mistaken murder? With some creepy pre-Halloween bargain hunters walking the night and Kelly suddenly a person of interest, a second murder rocks the close-knit town. Now Kelly could be the one who ends up talking to dead people when she’s stalked by a killer determined to take her out in high style . . .

About the Author

 
Debra Sennefelder, the author of the Food Blogger Mystery series and the Resale Boutique Mystery series, is an avid reader who reads across a range of genres, but mystery fiction is her obsession. Her interest in people and relationships is channeled into her novels against a backdrop of crime and mystery. When she’s not reading, she enjoys cooking and baking and as a former food blogger, she is constantly taking photographs of her food. Yeah, she’s that person. Born and raised in New York City, she now lives and writes in Connecticut with her family. She’s worked in pre-hospital care, retail and publishing. Her writing companions are her adorable and slightly spoiled Shih-Tzus, Susie and Billy. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, Women's Fiction Writers Association and Romance Writers of America.  

Author Links: WebsiteFacebookGoodreads 
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