Death by Inferior Design (A Domestic Bliss Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Leslie Caine (Author)
Key Phrases: Steve Sullivan, Randy Axelrod, Carl Henderson (more...)

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


From the Paperback edition. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Dell (October 26, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440241758
• ISBN-13: 978-0440241751
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 3.9 x 1.2 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.com Sales Rank: #290,026 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 1 in The Domestic Bliss Mystery Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 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

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

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

By	A Reader - See all my reviews

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.