Masking for Trouble (A Costume Shop Mystery, #2)

by Diane Vallere

Halloween brings more tricks than treats for costume shop owner Margo Tamblyn in the second in a new cozy series from the national bestselling author of the Material Witness Mysteries.
 
Halloween conjures up big business for Margo Tamblyn’s costume shop, Disguise DeLimit, but this year, the holiday comes knocking with serious trouble. Venture capitalist Paul Haverford plans to rezone historic downtown into a glitzy commercial area which would push out local business. Margo is set on saving her family’s store, especially after a nasty run-in with the chain-store tycoon, but after Haverford’s body is discovered during a spooky party at the derelict Alexandria Hotel, Margo finds herself dressed as the police’s prime suspect.
 
Anxious to clear her name, Margo begins hunting down anyone who might have wanted Haverford dead. Between all of his malicious maneuverings, the murdered mogul had buckets of people anxious to see him gone. Now, Margo will have to use every trick in the book to find a cloaked killer—before someone else winds up wearing a death shroud...

• ISBN10: 0425278298
• ISBN13: 9780425278291
• Publish Date: 4 October 2016
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Berkley
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 304
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780425278291

Reviews

[Silvara]

Check out my other reviews, discussions and link ups at Fantasy of the Silver Dragon.

I received this book for free from Berkley Prime Crime in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I really liked Tak in the first book. But for a lot of this one I wanted to smack him. His and Margo's relationship was a fairly big plot point in the book, and all of it seemed like it was heading towards bad news. I guess it was fairly realistic in some ways, that neither one really talked to the other about the issues until towards the end of the book. But it didn't add anything to the main mystery for me, it just annoyed me.

I had no idea who the killer was, until a chapter or so before the reveal. It made sense, but I never would have figured it out on my own. There were a few other people I was suspecting, but they didn't end up linked in the plot.

I liked getting to know the secondary characters from the first book better, and a few of the new characters were interesting as well. I especially liked Margo's interactions with her father. It was both believable, as well as funny at times. All the characters are developed enough that they feel real, and each one has their own distinct quirks.

I think I liked the first book better, but not by much. If you're looking for a fun and unique setting for a cozy mystery series, you need to give this a try!


Recipes Included: Margo's Gangster Blueberry Smoothie, Mummy Dogs, Halloween-Themed Tortilla Chips, Halloween Pico De Gallo.

Costume Ideas & Instructions Included: Eggs Sunny Side Up Costume, Easy (and Inexpensive) Mummy Costume, Group Costume Idea: M&M's.

This review was originally posted on Fantasy of the Silver Dragon

[layawaydragon]

The Good
+Liked Margo, her pathology
+Positive therapy rep
+Didn’t see the culprit or ending coming
+Liked the details & intricacies of the relationships, town,
+Unique protag and setting There is a loose end...
+Plan to continue the series

The Bad & The Other
=Lots of em dashes mid-sentence to clarify who Margo was talking about, e.g., “I waited until she left—the waitress, not Bobbie—before resuming the conversation.”
-Info dumps sprinkled throughout for details on the relationships, businesses, and city
- “Didn’t realize we were going for a couple’s costume” MY FAT ASS! Makes 0 sense.
-Ebony and Tak feel like stereotypes


As you can see, I agree with the all the praise listed above and don’t have much to add besides the less than stellar aspects.

It’s exactly what I look for in a cozy mystery. It’s all about the people, the relationships surrounding the crime and Margo’s an amateur snooping around. It doesn’t take over her life since she has to run her shop and there’s reasons why law enforcement isn’t getting it done.

My favorite thing about Margo is her pathology. She has issues and reasons for those issues. It’s a life-long problem that she’s aware of and dealing with. I adore the fact she takes about coping mechanisms and therapy is a positive experience.

Her and her dad are so cute. Hell, cute is a great way to describe most of her relationships. Though her romantic life is messy. And I cannot forget her adorbs kitty, Soot.

I can’t say much about the mystery besides the fact I didn’t see that coming. The villainous exposition was a requirement because of the oh what factor. Unfortunately, there is a loose end that I’d love the answer to. I’m not quite sure how they would’ve pulled it off, TBH.