Customer Reviews

Raiders of the Lost Corset: A Crime of Fashion Mystery

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

What started as an article on corsets and a possible treasure hunt for a missing corset and jewels, turns into a murder mystery when Magda Rousseau, master corset maker, dies in front of Lacey from a stab wound.

Lacey determined to fulfill Magda's dying wish to "find the corset"-a fabled royal corset stuffed with jewels, takes off to Paris and outlying areas with her conspiracy, theory friend Brooke for company. Along the way she encounters Griffin, a British jewel thief, and Kepelov, a former KBG agent, also in pursuit of the treasure. Brooke and Lacey are joined by Damon and Vic in Paris. Brooke and Damon continue working on their various conspiracy theories in the City of Light. Lacey and Vic finally consumate their relationship.

A note leads Lacey to New Orleans, this time with her stylist, Stella, in tow to continue her pursuit of the fabled corset. The Big Easy yields further clues that lead her around the French Quarter, while trying to avoid Griffin and Kepelov, who are back on her trail. Vic joins her New Orleans and with the help of Turtle Dove and his cousins, puts a stop to Griffin and Kepelov's antics. Fellow reporter Tony Trujillo is sent down to "keep an eye" on Lacey, and tries to scoop parts of the story. The mystery concludes in New Orleans with the confession of Magda's killer, and Lacey following a "fashion hunch" finds the corset.

The further development of Lacey and Vic's relationship is a relief after 3 books of them playing cat and mouse. The cast of supporting characters is expanding with the addition of Detective Broadway Lamont, and the continuing saga of Felicity and Harold at work. The author does a great job of weaving friends like Stella, Damon, and Brooke into the story allowing them in on the adventures. Though neighborhood Psychic Marie is still MIA. A reapperance from her would be nice. She was in the first 2 books, had a brief mention in the 3, but seems to have been dropped from the series.

The descriptions of France and New Orleans (pre Hurricane Katrina-as there is no mention of the Hurricane or it's destruction in the book)are fun. In addition, the history of the corsets origins is based on historic fact and completely plausible.

Crimes of Fashion is a series I truly enjoy reading and looking forward to each new book.

Ellen Byerrum's RAIDERS OF THE LOST CORSET sends la belle Lacey Smithsonian to Paris and New Orleans on a wild and wacky hidden-gem chase with best friend Brooke and on-again/off-again beau Vic Donovan. Not only is RAIDERS a satisfyingly solved mystery, Byerrum's fourth in her "Crimes of Fashion" series provides a serious Time of Passion for Lacey and Vic. I'm not going to give away any more of the happily-ever-after (or not) than that--just be on the lookout for pecan pie cake.

The penultimate scene is so utterly funny and so truly cinematic, I can't wait to see RAIDERS OF THE LOST CORSET in the movies (I'm seeing Reese Witherspoon as Lacey, and Hugh Jackman as Vic). Whoever stars in the movie, there'll need to be a special "Best inadvertent use of local color in an S&M scene in a mystery-slash-comedy" award that year (and one this year in the Edgars).

RAIDERS is in general the most visually appealing of the Lacey novels, taking place as it does in one of the more artistic pockets of usually helmet-haired DC, the City of Lights, and the pre-Katrina Big Easy. And then there's Lacey and Vic's cake-making scene.

Hard to go wrong with this ajout fabuleux to the Byerrum-Smithsonian catalog.

The Eye Street Observer "Crime of Fashion" columnist Lacey Smithsonian visits master corsetier Magda Rousseau as she lies dying in her workshop. With her last dying breath she begs Lacey "to find the corset". The two women were heading to France to find the expensive jeweled corset that was stolen by a Latvian soldier when the Bolsheviks killed the royal family.

She journeys to a farmhouse in Monk Saint Michel where Magda's relatives live. Magda believed it was hidden somewhere in the house but Jean-Claude Rousseau tells her that it is nowhere in the in the house and the only room locked up for decades is the coal room. When they remove the nails that keep the door permanently closed, Lacey finds a note with an address on it. There is no such number on the street in but her lover tells her there is a street by the same name in New Orleans. When she gets back to the states, she finds the address and the druggist who works there has an urn for her left there decades ago. A note inside the urn leads her to a crypt that has nothing inside but another address. When she goes there, the proprietor knows nothing about what they are looking for. After nearly being killed, Lacey continues the hunt while avoiding Magda's fate.

This is a hilarious crime caper where one has the clues to find the bejeweled corset. The support cast, including the villains act in such a clichéd manner that reader will find themselves laughing out loud. The heroine is stubborn, intractable and totally adorable as she marches a path through France and New Orleans to find something that might not even exist. Ellen Byerrum has a hit series on her hands with her latest tale.

Harriet Klausner

My favorite line was "The meal was lovely until the shooting started, but that wasn't until dessert." In a perfect world, the heroine would have adventure, romance, nice clothes, good hair, and dessert, but four out of five is not bad.
I loved the idea of using perfume as a red herring. So much more esthetically appealing.
An intelligent and well-researched book.

This series has been very enjoyable. I like the main character although sometimes Lacey acts too arrogant and silly for a mature career woman. Independence is nice, but when you need help, it's best to admit it and get over the "I have to do this all by myself syndrome." The supporting characters, especially Stella and Brooke are a nice mix. Sometimes the mystery takes a back seat to fashion, and the author has a problem with her narrative voice now and then, but these are minor quibbles. I love the trunk idea, and Lacy going into it when she's down and depressed is a fun way to get the history of her lovely clothes and find out more about her family. I'm not too fond of her boyfriend, Vic, he doesn't ring true to me, so let's dump the guy and start over with someone more "real". All in all this has been an enjoyable and pleasant series and I hope the author will continue to develop the character of Lacey.

I Really Loved this book. This book was interesting, funny and had a great plot. I read a lot of books in this genre and this was one of my favorites. I loved the characters and the clothes. Not only did I enjoy the book itself I also enjoyed the newspaper articles written by Laci within the book. Sort of like a two for one deal.

The reviews below provide great plot summaries. This review will focus on Byerrum's writing. "Raiders of the Lost Corset," which has the requisite cast of engaging heroine and hero surrounded by a gang of wacky supporting players, suffers from an exceptionally annoying narrative device: just as the implausible plot is galloping along a pace that lets readers overlook its impossibilities, a highly intrusive narrative voice intrudes with explanatory exposition. There too too much of it, in a tone that is inappropiately didactic for this kind of fluff. It seems to me that rule #1 for potboilers is to let the characters and the plot tell the story. Not here. My other quibble here has to do with the tortured machinations of character to advance the plot. A concierge that divulges the destination/location of hotel guests to any and all? Please...if this happened once it would strain credulity; here (well, Paris. I guess it's a quaint French custom) it happens repeatedly, and neither Lacey nor her lawyer friend Brooke ever think to suggest to M. Blabbermouth that he keep his trap shut. The villians in pursuit of Lacey as she chases the corset? They keep popping up like cardboard cutouts in a fun house, behavior that at least has the lame explanation of the chatty hotel clerk in Paris, but by the time the action shifts to New Orleans, not even the know-it-all narrative voice bothers to explain how characters who lack the information that only Lacey possesses manage to find their way to her. Byerrum's earlier mysteries were better--Lacey's an interesting and engaging character, but this outing falls short.

Lacey Smithsonian manages to get herself tied up in another murder and a treasure hunt, she was supposed to help a corsettier (Magda) find a long lost corset worn by a Russian princess during her execution that was lined with jewels. The first half was pretty intersting as we see her following along all the clues that were left from the past, but as the trail leads to France and other places it seems like the plot dies down and the author focuses more on giving us tours of these new and faraway places instead of keeping the reader interested in the story. And sometime between the last book and this one, Lacey seems to have a falling out with her boyfriend Vic, it would have been better to read it happening instead of swimming around aimlessly until the author finally puts it in the book.
Not a bad book, I would still suggest it, just don't expect it to be a good as her others.
For a light read this author's your girl!

Nice Book, Great Price
I bought the whole series for my married daughter (because she asked for them for her birthday).
They were a great price and she really likes them to read again and again.
In expensive paper-back.

This is another winning story by Ellen Byerrum. It has elements of suspense, plenty of humor, romance, plus advancing the character of Vic. Highly recommended.