Berkley, Jul 2010, $7.99, ISBN: 9780425233139
The upscale clothing store Vintage Magic is located in Mystic Falls, Connecticut. The shop is owned by a very special individual Madeira Cutler. Unique in many ways, what stands out is her psychic skills; especially psychometry in which she touches clothing and receives visions of the person who wore them. That talent allows her to solve mysteries; she hopes it will also enable her to identify who killed her close friend Broadway star Dominique DeLong.
Dominique had faith in Maddie when she delivered the dress Madeira designed for her that contains h faux jewelry on it. A note accompanied the dress stating if the dress was delivered to Maddie she was dead. The cause of death was peanuts, which makes Maddie more certain her friend was murdered because Dominique was highly allergic to them and would not even touch a peanut. Also missing when Don died is the diamonds br she was to wear for an off-Broadway show. Whoever stole the diamonds believes they were on the gown she gave to Maddie. She plans to find out who killed Dom and the man she loved before the killer murders her.
Annette Blair has the magical touch when it comes to entertaining joie de vivre paranormal amateur sleuth paranormal who-done- its. The mystery is cleverly constructed making it very difficult to figure out who the culprit as there are so many suspect including Parasite hanger-ons enviously trying to improve personal status through connections. Maddy is unsure where to begin beyond using her psychic skills starting with touching and wearing the gown to induce visions, Readers will relish the latest Vintage Magic whodunit (see A Veiled Deception and Larceny and Lace). Harriet Klausner
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Title: Death by Diamonds
Author: Annette Blair
Release Date: 2010
ISBN: 978-0-425-23313-9
Publisher: Penguin
I must admit to a certain…hesitation when I started to read this novel. High fashion does not come naturally to me, and in my day-to-day routine, glamour is closer to wearing socks with my athletic shoes than donning vintage gowns. Coco Chanel, Balenciaga, and Badgley Mischka are simply not in my vocabulary.
That said, this is a delightful romp with a few paranormal aspects thrown in. If you are fashion conscious, you’ll find it even more charming. Maddie, our heroine, is the owner of a vintage clothing shop (hence the awareness of every designer dress, shoe, and purse in a 50-mile radius. When her best friend dies on stage, it’s up to Maddie to find the culprits.
Before long, everyone is a potential culprit, each with his or her own motive, opportunity, and threat. And it doesn’t help that two hunky guys are determined to protect Maddie, even if the most protection she needs is from herself.
Blair has done a great job providing ample clues. Her characters are witty, sexy, and best of all, honest. Her dialogue sparkles like the diamonds Maddie is hunting for, and the characters are as three-dimensional as the Mark Jacobs handbag she carries.
If I had one complaint, it was that there seemed to be too many references to “but that’s another story,” because now I’ll have to go find those books…and feel somewhat sheepish as I search for them in t-shirt and blue jeans. Ann, Scribes World
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"A fast-paced, fascinating addition to this dynamic mystery series."
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Death by Diamonds, Mystery, by Annette Blair
Berkley paperback, 267 pages. 2010.
Contemporary. Connecticut.
Madeira Cutler, owner of a vintage clothing store, is mourning the death of her old friend, actress Dominique DeLong. But clues have been left behind by "Dom" as if she anticipated her murder and Madeira makes good use of her secret talent of second sight to help solve the mystery. There are plenty of suspects, plus a new guy in her life, as well as long-time beau Nick, as the search for answers, as well as some missing diamonds, continues.
I regret that I missed the first two in this series, but I soon caught on. Fascinating blend of humor mixed with murder and other serious business. This is kind of whacky and I adored it. You'd do well to write down the characters as they enter into the plot, for there are plenty. Fun to guess who did it and how. Not fair to make us wait until the next book to learn how her love life turns out - if then, Donna (sight TBA)
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Chere Gruver, ParaNormalRomance
Death by Diamonds, A Vintage Magic Mystery
ISBN: 0425233138 & 9780425233139
Annette Blair
Berkley Prime Crime Mystery
July 2010,Paperback
Once again, we’re back with Madeira “Mad” Cutler in her hometown of Mystic Falls. When she arrives at her vintage clothing store, she finds her best friend Eve talking with a delivery man. Turns out he’s got a package for Mad from one of her friends, actress Dominique DuLong. After opening the package, Mad finds a note from Dom, a very confusing one at that. Unfortunately, the note states that if Mad has received the package, Dom is dead and wants Mad to have the dress she designed while back in New York. The note also asks Mad to find Dom’s killer using her “special talent”. See, Mad gets visions from clothing—this is her “special talent”. As Mad hands the note to Eve, Werner—the local detective—comes in the store and asks about a package since a delivery van was stolen. Luckily, Eve hides the note in the paper before Werner can see it. Then two very unusual customers come into the shop and Mad receives a call from Kyle—Dom’s son—asking her to come to New York. And this is just the start of Mad’s day.
Now Mad has to figure out who killed Dominique, help Kyle deal with his mother’s death, keep her gift hidden from Werner, and try to figure out her on again/off again relationship with Italian stallion Nick.
Will Mad be able to find out who killed Dominique using her gift? Will she be in danger if she does? What happened to the diamonds Dominique was wearing when she died?
DEATH BY DIAMONDS A VINTAGE MAGIC MYSTERY is an exciting, humorous roller coaster ride. Annette Blair once again takes us into the world of Madeira Cutler and the town of Mystic Falls. I absolutely adore Annette Blair’s books. She has a way of weaving humor throughout a tale in such a way as to add to the overall enjoyment I gain from each one. In this one, we have the paranormal with Mad’s ability to read clothing, plus we have the major mystery of Dominique’s death and the missing diamonds, then add in the chemistry between Mad and Nick and maybe another man, and watch mayhem explode! I cannot recommend Annette Blair’s books enough, and this one is no exception to that. It already has a place on my keeper shelf.
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Murder! She Read
Cozy Mystery Book Reviews
One morning she is sent a dress she designed for a broadway star and friend, Dom, with a note saying that she is dead and that Mad should use her talents to solve her murder. Next thing that she knows, she is on her way to New York with her FBI boyfriend Nick and her best friend Eve to help Dom’s son who begged her to help and see if she could pick up on the events leading to her death by reading her clothes.
Annette Blair is brilliant at capturing emotion in her books and soon you are sensing the loss of Dom and the grief that Mad is feeling, but it isn’t all doom and gloom as there are some brilliant comedic moments, usually involving Mad and Werner who is a Detective in Mystic Falls who follows her to New York after Nick has to follow a potential suspect. In this book Werner is becoming more human, showing flashes of affection for Mad – he even attended a fashion show which Nick declined to go to and ended up being a hero. I also loved the way that Eve shows such delight in antagonising Nick and her joy when Mad shows interest elsewhere.
The book swings back and forth from Mystic to New York, so there was only the briefest mention of Dante the ghost in her shop, and I really, really missed him. However we did have some classic Eve vs Nick moments and her Dad and Aunt Fee turned up in New York just when she needed them too. There are also appearances of characters in her other books (these are romance novels, which I didn’t realize and spent most of the book wondering when someone would hurry up and get murdered!).
I really enjoyed this book, the characters were vibrant and even though the book was set in anther location, the plot didn’t suffer or lose momentum at all. Also, the murder solving element of the book is double-sided as the characters need to find physical evidence to back up Mad’s visions, which adds extra excitement to the book.
This is the best book yet and I really am looking forward to the next one in the series!
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Annette Blair - Death by Diamonds
The third book in the Vintage Magic Mystery series I love so much.
Madeira Cutler loves her Vintage Magic boutique, but the 'visions' she gets from the garments can be hard to handle, especially when she knows the owner. At first she's thrilled to receive a package containing the beautifully bejeweled dress she designed for actress and old friend Dominique Delong while in fashion school. But the dress comes with a disturbing message from Dominique, who it seems took her last bow under very mysterious circumstances.
Another great mystery by Annette Blair. I read this book cover to cover while I should have gone to bed on time. Dominique is killed, and she knows this. She has asked Madeira to use her talents, meaning her psychometric powers to find the killer or killers. Dom’s son Kyle is asking her to come to New York to help him. And as Maddie is also made the executor of Dom’s will, and she is to hold a Vintage Fashion Show of Dom’s collection for charity, she has a lot on her plate.
There are a lot of parasites around, hoping to gain from Dominique’s death, so possible murderers galore. And Maddy has to find the right one, with the help of the visions she gets from the clothes worn by Dom before her death, and by the murderers themselves. But of course her visions won’t stick in court, she has to find evidence.
It helps a lot that her most times boyfriend is a FBI agent, and her hometown Cop is also backing her up. Trying to protect her, has its price though. Werner gets tasered by Maddie this time, and they end up asleep (or unconscious) in the same bed. And Nick is getting jealous. Which is not something Maddie likes. She is not his possession, even if nothing happened but a very hot kiss before Eve woke them.
Surprises are around every corner in this very good and fast-paced mystery. It reads very easily and I love the writing style and the humor. If you like fashion, this really is a series for you. If you just love a good cozy mystery and don’t give a damn about fashion (like myself), this is a series for you. You just have to love the characters and the great plot.
Bring on the next book please! Aurian
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