Iced Chiffon (A Consignment Shop Mystery, #1)

by Duffy Brown

There’s always something to gossip about in Savannah, Georgia, and Reagan Summerside always seems to be in the middle of it. She’s busy enough running her consignment shop, The Prissy Fox, with her vivacious Auntie KiKi, but now the gossip—and the sales—are about to pick up after a gruesome discovery…

Reagan’s messy divorce has left her with nothing but a run-down Victorian and a bunch of designer clothes. Strapped for cash, Reagan makes use of the two things she has left, turning the first floor of her home into a consignment shop and filling it with the remnants of her rich-wife wardrobe.

Thanks to his cunning lawyer Walker Boone, her ex got everything else, including the Lexus—not to mention a young blond cupcake. When Reagan finds the cupcake dead in the Lexus, she’s determined to beat Boone to finding the murderer. As it turns out, the gossip fiends flooding Reagan’s shop will give her a lot more than just their unwanted clothes—they have information more precious than a vintage Louis Vuitton…

• ISBN10: 0425251608
• ISBN13: 9780425251607
• Publish Date: 2 October 2012 (first published 1 October 2012)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Penguin USA
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 304
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780425251607

Reviews

[MurderByDeath]

In spite of several things being fundamentally wrong with this story, and the fact that I nailed the murderer almost from the start, I enjoyed this book.

First what I didn't like:
The story is about a woman just coming out of her divorce who gets nothing except her house. He ex has yet to sign over his half of the house to her, so when he's arrested for murder he claims he's going to force her to sell the house to pay his legal fees. Now, I've been divorced in Georgia and the agreement for house would be in writing in the legal document outlining the divorce agreement, so he wouldn't have the right to sell something he'd previously given away.

Now, I understand not everything is truly accurate in cozies, but this is rather huge as it's meant to set up the whole motivation for her investigating this murder - to keep her ex from trial and to keep her house from being sold. So, the whole fallacy makes the plot much weaker and like an amateur effort.

Also, throughout the book Reagan makes constant mention of what the lawyer fees are costing her - but never in the book is it mentioned that she's taking on responsibility of paying for her ex's legal fees. Why would she do that? She doesn't like the man, has no residual feelings for the man. His legal fees are his responsibility, especially once the house is taken out of the equation. It feels like this, too, was contrived merely to give an excuse to the banter between her and Boone and it felt weak and amateurish.

What I did like:
I love stories taking place in Savannah - it almost guarantees a quirky setting and interesting characters. If a town was ever made for mystery, it is Savannah.

The supporting cast of characters are wonderful - each unique, quirky, and southern in the best way. Vividly written and likeable.

The tension between Reagan and Boone promises to be great fun and I love the friendship between Reagan and her Aunt Kiki. Boone has the requisite amount of mystery in his background that he could be interesting for a long time to come.

I'll read the next book in the series eagerly and hope for a more well developed, thought-out plot than this first effort offered. And I really truly look forward to seeing what the great cast of characters gets up to next.