Death by Inferior Design (Domestic Bliss Mysteries) [Mass Market Paperback]

Leslie Caine (Author)

Book Description

Series: Domestic Bliss Mysteries | Publication Date: October 26, 2004

It was a great opportunity, a beautiful day, and a perfect setting: home designer Erin Gilbert was headed to a lovely Crestview, Colorado, neighborhood to engage in a friendly little design contest with her nearest and less-than-dearest competitor, the unspeakably handsome Steve Sullivan. Erin would do a room in one home. Across the street, Steve would do another. Between Gilbert and Sullivan, may the best eye win.

Neither designer could suspect that rearranging two spaces on a winter weekend would set off an uproar in the neighborhood—of quirky homeowners, passionate secrets, and marriages in need of extreme makeovers. Looking for a friend in this perilously unhinged environment, Erin wants to think that Steve might turn from competitor to ally…But somewhere between her faux wall finish and her custom window treatments, Erin is in for a shock: It seems that a killer has created this designing job just for her!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

First-time author Caine's decorating-theme contemporary cozy blends mystery fiction with design information to decidedly mixed results. Designer Erin Gilbert arrives at a bedroom redecoration job to find a bizarre decorating competition underway, a handsome rival (amusingly named Sullivan) pitted against her and a baby picture of herself hidden in the paneling she's slated to replace. Adopted by a mother who forbade her to search for her origins, Erin decides the photo is proof that one of the three unappealing couples sponsoring the competition must be her birth parents. Her search to determine which couple turns sinister, however, when two parental possibilities are poisoned and she herself barely escapes attack. The plotting of both the parentage and murder mysteries is patently absurd; Erin just happens to carry around cyanide given to her as a gift by her ex-boyfriend, for example. In addition, the story's momentum is frequently interrupted by strained decorating analogies ("my birth parents had shuffled me around like an odd-looking table lamp that didn't quite blend with their home decor") and lengthy design disquisitions on everything from curtain rods to kitchen islands. Sadly, this unnecessary thematic clutter overwhelms Caine's appealing heroine and warm, genuinely winning voice.
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Review

“Sparkles with charm, design lore, and a sleuth with a great mantra. Cozy fans will embrace the Domestic Bliss series.” —Carolyn Hart, Edgar Award-winning author of Letters from Home


"Home decorating tips to die for!” —Sarah Graves, bestselling author of the Home Repair is Homicide series


“Leslie Caine deftly merges hate-fueled homicide with household hints in her “how-to/whodunit” mystery.” —Mary Daheim, nationally bestselling author of The Alpine Pursuit


“Talk about extreme makeovers!” —Parnell Hall, author of With This Puzzle, I Thee Kill


“Leslie Caine paints a winsome heroine with family woes, furnishes a well-upholstered murder, and accessorizes with well-patterned wit and a finishing touch of romance.”—Deborah Donnelly, author of May the Best Man Die

"A mystery within a mystery, a winning heroine, a yummy love interest, some laugh-out-loud lines…and as if that weren’t enough, some terrifically useful decorating tips."—Cynthia Baxter, author of Dead Canaries Don't Sing

“Her latest decorating job will make you feel like you’ve stumbled across the deadly side of HGTV.” —Jerrilyn Farmer, bestselling author of the Madeline Bean mysteries

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Dell (October 26, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440241758
• ISBN-13: 978-0440241751
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.1 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #270,157 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Impressive Debut!, July 27, 2005

By 

Mackie "mackie3745" (Lancaster, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Death by Inferior Design (Domestic Bliss Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Although still well within my definition of formulaic, this debut novel in the Domestic Bliss series is also refreshing and entertaining. There were some unfortunate typos and the occasional bit of grammatical license that left my head spinning, but otherwise the book is competently written. The two main characters are somewhat stereotypical, but their personalities may take on more original aspects as the series continues. I like mysteries that may be classified as American cozies, and this is another fine addition to the genre. I look forward to reading the rest of the series, but hope the author takes time to describe the locale and expand her characters to make them more original.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging Mystery, January 4, 2005

By 

Maria "Nancy Drew" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death by Inferior Design (Domestic Bliss Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

As an advid reader w/a passionate love for good mysteries, I'm often leary of reading mysteries by unfamiliar authors for fear of being dissapointed, but won an advance copy from the publisher to be a "reader reviewer" & am so glad I signed up for the drawing. As a fan of programmes such as Changing Rooms & House Invaders, I knew that the interior design bits would definitely appeal to me. I've been reading mysteries since I was 6 years old & yet this book kept me guessing until almost the very end as to the identity of the culprit(s) & motive(s). Ms Caine really makes you care about her characters. I can hardly wait to add more books by Ms Caine to my ever growing book collection.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Debut, November 29, 2005

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A Reader - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Death by Inferior Design (Domestic Bliss Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

I enjoyed this author's "Fax" series, and I enjoyed the debut of this new series as well.

I did find the story a tad bit predictable, since I figured out fairly early who the murderer was. I also thought having these three couples so interconnected through affairs and other relationships made for a bit of confusion. And the thing that got me most was that the author didn't let us know until well into the story why Erin had chosen to move to this town, so until that point, I had a hard time getting past the coincidence of her ending up there.

The only other problem I had was with the "Gilbert and Sullivan" naming convention -- only because it's already being used in Selma Eichler's wonderful Desiree Shapiro series.

Looking forward to the next installment.