Decorated To Death - Peg Marberg
Decorated To Death
An Interior Design Mystery
Peg Marberg
Berkley Prime Crime
Mystery/Cozy
Last seen in FAUX FINISHED, and clearly undeterred by the circumstances of that case, Jean Hastings, and her daughter, JR, still run their own interior design business called Designer Jeans. Since this business is located in the small town of Seville, Indiana, business is necessarily slow sometimes. That’s why Jean’s thrilled when her sister-in-law and lifelong friend, Mary, tells Jean that there’s a lucrative job on the horizon.
When she lived in her hometown of Seville, Dona Deville was your basic cheerleader-cum-prom queen. But her ambitions were large, and now, decades later, she runs a very successful upscale spa business in Indianapolis. She’s making a brief return to Seville to check out an inheritance left to her by an aunt who died under rather mysterious circumstances. Her aunt left her property with three buildings: a cottage, a barn, and a shed. Dona and Jean are only interested in the cottage. Dona wants it transformed into a weekend getaway house.
Jean immediately starts working up preliminary ideas for the as-yet-unseen cottage. She’ll be meeting Dona later to tour the cottage, partly to familiarize herself with the space, and partly to make sure that the place is up to code and ready for decorating. When Dona cancels the visit, Jean and Mary decide to ride out and check on the basic condition and surroundings of the cottage. As it turns out, the lady of the house is home. Unfortunately for all concerned, she’s very dead.
Jean is someone you’d like to be friends with; she’s both creative and grounded in reality. She does what’s practical, but when the practical isn’t enough, she’s not afraid to go that extra mile. The mystery is involved enough to hold the readers’ attention. Dona had enemies that range from Seville to Indianapolis and, to hear her tell it, far beyond. The supporting cast of characters, many of them returning from the first book, are always entertaining. The whole book is sprinkled with interior design tips. The author includes extra information about ‘Country Style,’ and a ‘Tips For Painting’ section at the end, including ideas that could be put to use no matter where you live.
Rating: 7
February 2008
An Interior Design Mystery
Peg Marberg
Berkley Prime Crime
Mystery/Cozy
Last seen in FAUX FINISHED, and clearly undeterred by the circumstances of that case, Jean Hastings, and her daughter, JR, still run their own interior design business called Designer Jeans. Since this business is located in the small town of Seville, Indiana, business is necessarily slow sometimes. That’s why Jean’s thrilled when her sister-in-law and lifelong friend, Mary, tells Jean that there’s a lucrative job on the horizon.
When she lived in her hometown of Seville, Dona Deville was your basic cheerleader-cum-prom queen. But her ambitions were large, and now, decades later, she runs a very successful upscale spa business in Indianapolis. She’s making a brief return to Seville to check out an inheritance left to her by an aunt who died under rather mysterious circumstances. Her aunt left her property with three buildings: a cottage, a barn, and a shed. Dona and Jean are only interested in the cottage. Dona wants it transformed into a weekend getaway house.
Jean immediately starts working up preliminary ideas for the as-yet-unseen cottage. She’ll be meeting Dona later to tour the cottage, partly to familiarize herself with the space, and partly to make sure that the place is up to code and ready for decorating. When Dona cancels the visit, Jean and Mary decide to ride out and check on the basic condition and surroundings of the cottage. As it turns out, the lady of the house is home. Unfortunately for all concerned, she’s very dead.
Jean is someone you’d like to be friends with; she’s both creative and grounded in reality. She does what’s practical, but when the practical isn’t enough, she’s not afraid to go that extra mile. The mystery is involved enough to hold the readers’ attention. Dona had enemies that range from Seville to Indianapolis and, to hear her tell it, far beyond. The supporting cast of characters, many of them returning from the first book, are always entertaining. The whole book is sprinkled with interior design tips. The author includes extra information about ‘Country Style,’ and a ‘Tips For Painting’ section at the end, including ideas that could be put to use no matter where you live.
Rating: 7
February 2008
ISBN# 978-0-425-21982-9 (paperback)
posted by Deborah Hern @ 9:53 PM
0 comments
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home