5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
entertaining amateur sleuth, July 2, 2008
This review is from: Poisoned by Gilt (Domestic Bliss Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)
First they were rivals in the interior design profession, but Erin Gilbert and Steve Sullivan ended up becoming business partners. If not for a phone call the night before, both of them would have ended up in the same bed. Instead Steve's mentor Richard Thayers, who was supposed to judge an environmentally friendly home contest in Crestview, Colorado sponsored by Earth House, is livid that they designed the house of his archenemy Burke Stratton. He calms down enough to host a class where he demonstrates environmentally safe products by drinking gold paint.
Following the session Richard gets into his car while Steve and Erin go to their respective homes. The next day the partners learn Richard is dead, a victim of poisoning; someone tampered with the paint. Erin cannot stop herself from snooping and soon receives business cards warning her to back off or else. Still, an obstinate Erin keeps investigating with plenty of suspects from the contestants, the class, the architect, and even others. However, the killer is watching her every move waiting for the moment to end this inquiry.
Readers will thoroughly enjoy this entertaining amateur sleuth tale as Gilbert and Sullivan's romantic aria crashes although Erin does not know why. The support cast, especially Erin's landlady, adds humor to the plot. Erin is loyal to her friends and clients so feels strongly she must take action even when she knows that might place her in danger from a culprit who killed once. Amateur sleuth logic aside, POISONED BY GILT is filled with charming characters, a courageous heroine and a pitiful villain, who come together to make an engaging whodunit.
Harriet Klausner
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
What Happened To Erin?, October 26, 2008
This review is from: Poisoned by Gilt (Domestic Bliss Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)
I've enjoyed this series up until now. Erin has been a fun female lead and the whole storyline was enjoyable.
However, this book was 95% Erin simpering and whining about Steve and 5% her preaching to everyone she met about "building green." What happened to the strong female lead Erin used to be?
Half the fun of this series was the rivalry between Erin and Steve. The author made a huge mistake in making them partners and removing that rivalry. Now she's made it even worse by forcing a romance on us that feels contrived and has Erin acting like a 12-year-old ("Don't say her name!" when Steve is talking about another woman Erin thinks he's cheating with). And, this was compounded by the fact she didn't even let this whole thing develop, but rather shoved it down our throats so quickly without much buildup.
I don't like the direction this is going and based on the preview of the next book at the end, this series has lost a reader.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
1.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing, January 25, 2010
This review is from: Poisoned by Gilt (Domestic Bliss Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)
I was hoping for a kind of a fun romantic cozy mystery. This book disappointed on all levels. There was very little interaction between the main characters and really not an ounce of fun in the whole story. There was a lot of dreary eco-preaching that would have been more palatable had it been worked (pardon the pun) organically into the story instead of being shoved into the story just for the sake of being able to get those facts out there. The suspects were carictures instead of characters and I got no real sense of place from the setting. I was also annoyed that this book seems to say that carcinogens are much like allergins. That if you had cancer and somehow managed to remove all possible carcinogens from your house and air that you would somehow begin to get better from cancer. And the character that believe this is a doctor. And the book doesn't do anything to disabuse anyone of that notion. This book was just not much fun.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
