Fatal Feng Shui (Domestic Bliss Mysteries) [Mass Market Paperback]

Leslie Caine (Author)

Book Description

Series: Domestic Bliss Mysteries | Publication Date: October 30, 2007

Wallpaper, love, and other deadly ideas…

Once they were competitors. Then they became partners. Now interior designers Erin Gilbert and Steve Sullivan wish they’d never gotten involved in a feng shui—inspired makeover—of a home owned by a celebrity chef and his wife, a famous artist with an infamous artistic temperament. Gilbert and Sullivan are all for feng shui, the Chinese art of harmonious design. But this time Gilbert and Sullivan know they are facing more than bad vibes. An attic erupts in flames. The death of a carpenter strikes Erin too close to home, while a dangerous beauty wants to get much too close to Sullivan. Erin finds herself left on her own with her best-made plans, her worst fears, and someone whose design is to kill her.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Despite the homeowner's attempt to harmonize her household through the Chinese art of feng shui, death and a series of near-fatal accidents stalk a job site manned by Erin Gilbert, returning interior designer and incidental sleuth, and her new partner, Steve Sullivan. In the latest installment of Caine's Domestic Bliss mystery series (Death by Inferior Design), artist Shannon Young seeks to remodel her home with the help of Gilbert, Sullivan and a dubious feng shui consultant by the name of Ang Chung. As it turns out, Shannon has a more serious problem than inharmonious design: a predatory neighbor, Pate Hamlin, is after her house and using a series of dirty tricks to get her to sell. When the construction foreman, Erin's half-brother, dies in what might or might not be an accident, an unsatisfactory investigation by local police causes Erin to start following her own leads. It isn't long before a rival designer shows up, trying to steal Steve away from Erin in more ways than professional. Caine, a certified interior decorator, adds helpful decorating tips to her well-constructed mystery, making this a stylish, satisfying cozy. (Nov.)
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Review

“A stylish, satisfying cozy.... Caine, a certified interior decorator, adds helpful decorating tips to her well-constructed mystery.”—Publishers Weekly

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Dell (October 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 044033599X
• ISBN-13: 978-0440335993
• Product Dimensions: 4.1 x 0.9 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #700,129 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars entertaining cleverly designed amateur sleuth, October 30, 2007

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fatal Feng Shui (Domestic Bliss Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Celebrity chef Shannon Young hires the interior design partners Erin Gilbert and Steve Sullivan to renovate her home. She also employs feng shui expert Ang Chung to insure her abode contains harmonious flowing vibrations. Conflict arises between Ang and Shannon on one side and Erin, Steve, and contractor David Lewis on the other, as state and county laws prohibit some of the feng shui design.

Besides the discordant flow disrupting her serenity, Shannon's neighbor Pate Hamlin will do anything to get her to sell her house to him as cheaply as possible. He arranges all sorts of dangerous mishaps to upset Shannon's mental state and put the project behind schedule. When the site foreman, Erin's half-brother Taylor Duncan dies in what the local police claims is an unfortunate accident, Erin investigates even as a rival attempts to lure Steve to join her professionally and personally.

The latest Domestic Bliss mystery (see KILLED BY CLUTTER and DEATH BY INFERIOR DESIGN) is an enjoyable cozy as Erin believes her half-brother was a murder victim, but has doubts that Pate killed him. Thus her inquiry after the police quickly sweep the case under the rug considers that Taylor has been a guest of the county. With decorator tips on the side, Leslie Caine provides her fans with an entertaining cleverly designed amateur sleuth.

Harriet Klausner

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Series, January 12, 2008

By 

A Reader - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fatal Feng Shui (Domestic Bliss Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is an enjoyable cozy series with characters you care about. Erin can be a bit annoying and pretty much of a buttinsky, but that doesn't detract much from an enjoyable read.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Delightful Read, February 5, 2009

By 

Debra Purdy Kong "Author of Casey Holland Tra... (British Columbia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fatal Feng Shui (Domestic Bliss Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Interior designers, Gilbert and Sullivan, have their hands full when their neurotic client, Shannon Dupree Young, insists they incorporate Feng Shui principles suggested by a so-called expert. To make matters worse, the contractors hired to renovate the house are behind schedule and the neighbor across the street seems bent on driving Shannon crazy. Things go from bad to worse when Shannon's attic is set ablaze, a bulldozer crashes into the house, and Erin's ex-con brother--the contractor's foreman--is killed on site. Erin doubts her brother's death was accidental and, as she investigates, hidden agendas and betrayals begin to emerge.

FATAL FENG SHUI is a delightful read that beautifully mixes the main plot with subplots surrounding Erin's personal life, including the growing romantic attraction to her partner, Steve. Author Leslie Caine does a terrific job of weaving lighter moments with far more serious family issues. She also manages to insert interior design tips in an entertaining way. This novel is everything I love in a mystery: intelligent, fast-paced, interesting, well-plotted and with just the right mix of humor. I look forward to reading more of this wonderful series.