22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
4.5 stars! Book 2 in the Vintage Magic Mystery series., August 4, 2009
This review is from: Larceny and Lace (A Vintage Magic Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)
Set in Mystick Falls (fictional town), Connecticut. Madeira "Maddie or Mad" Cutler is a former New York fashion designer. She now owns a huge building, compliments of her friend and centenarian Dolly Sweet. The building used to be the Underhill Funeral Chapel carriage house. In less than two weeks it will be reopening its doors as Mad's new business, Vintage Magic. It will be her dress shop for timeless classics and designer originals. Almost everything, including the decor, will be vintage. Events begin immediately. Less than an hour after the construction crew leaves, Maddie walks into her shop and hears an intruder upstairs. The thief gets away. The building's ghost, Dante, has no idea who it was except that it was male. Maddie is one of the few people who are able to see and speak with the handsome specter. Dante is a big help whenever Maddie finds herself in the middle of a mystery, such as this one.
After the second arson attempt claims the old playhouse (theater) across the street, Maddie returns to Vintage Magic and learns that her intruder had returned during her absence. The only things taken, though, were some old bones that had previously been wrapped in an old quilt and hidden in a body drawer. Detective Sergeant Lytton Werner is not pleased to find Maddie in the thick of things again. He has no idea that much of what Maddie learns comes from a ghost and from the visions she sometimes receives from touching vintage items. Her psychometric ability is one of the gifts Maddie inherited from her deceased mother. The bones make her shop a crime scene and Maddie begins to worry about the upcoming grand opening. Enter Aunt Fiona, the chairman of the White Star Circle of Spirit, Southeast Connecticut Chapter. Aunt Fiona is, as Maddie's mother was, a witch. Soon the grand opening is due for Halloween day, with a costume ball that evening sponsored by the Circle.
Maddie's days and nights become hectic as she deals with the grand opening, a publicity hound councilman, the councilman's trophy wife/town gossip columnist, the thirty-year-old murder of a woman named Isobel (the bones), the recent death of the playhouse owner, unwanted visions, a detective that hates and likes her (both at once), and a whole bunch of suspects (at least one of which wants her dead). It would be easier if Maddie's boyfriend, and FBI agent, was in town more often lately. But at least he can be reached (sometimes) via phone for research help.
It is up to a ghost, her best friend (Eve), and an irritatingly handsome detective to keep Maddie alive this time around.
***** FOUR AND A HALF STARS! This is the second Vintage Magic mystery. Though there is not as much danger this time, the mystery will still test your wits. The backgrounds of Maddie's friends and family members become more fleshed out as well. It is great to learn a bit more about Mad's father, aunt, and Eve. Looks like Maddie's FBI boyfriend may have some competition soon and romance just may be in her dad's future too. For those wanting to know more about Dante and Dolly, you will be pleased to see the pair interact. (Yes, Dolly can see Dante in the shop too.) And you simply HAVE to admit that a vintage shop owner with psychometric ability just oozes over with possibilities! I am SO ready for the next mystery! Brava! *****
Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining on Every Level!, August 17, 2009
This review is from: Larceny and Lace (A Vintage Magic Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)
In this second release of Annette Blair's Vintage Magic Mysteries, murder and mayhem disrupt the opening of Maddie Cutler's vintage dress shop. I have been looking forward to this book and found it to be as entertaining and charming as A Veiled Deception, if not more so! Maddie begins to unravel the mystery with the help of her best friend, and we get to learn more of the colorful and entertaining residents of Mystic Falls, Connecticut (both dead and alive). Along the way there is plenty of humor and clever dialogue, a touch of the supernatural, and enough suspense and danger to keep you guessing till the end. A touching, cozy book you can curl up with and enjoy!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best of several worlds, August 17, 2009
This review is from: Larceny and Lace (A Vintage Magic Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)
With only two books to the series so far, I feel as if I know the Mystick Falls residents. And, I like them. This time Madeira Cutler finds a surprise in the unexplored storage room on the second floor of her morgue, turned funeral chapel carriage house, turned vintage dress shop. The Wiener is one of my favorite characters and we learn a lot more about him in this book. Meanwhile, Maddie and Eve are up to no good, at least it seems that way. A bit of contemporary mystery, a hunky ghost, the legacy of a witch, and a dash of romance. What more could you ask for in a witty, well told cozy mystery? Kudos Ms. Blair. You've done it again.
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