There's nothing Maddie loves more than fabulous vintage clothes, but the visions she gets while touching them are starting to wear her down. Even so, when a beautifully dressed girl comes to Vintage Magic in search of her past, Maddie isn't about to turn her away, especially since she bears a striking resemblance to her good friend Dolly Sweet.

When Maddie touches Paisley Skye's exquisitely crafted child's cloak, the vision she receives is of the ugliest sort: a decades-old case of kidnapping and murder. To give herself more time to investigate, Maddie enlists the help of her FBI Agent boyfriend Nick and takes Paisley into her home. But when Dolly suddenly skips town, Maddie realizes that uncovering the folds of Paisley's past will reveal more than one vintage crime...

Series: A Vintage Magic Mystery (Book 5)

Review

For fans of:  Juliet Blackwell’s Witchcraft Mysteries
 
When Paisley Skye first sets foot in Madeira “Maddie” Cutler’s vintage clothing store, Maddie’s not quite sure what to think.  Paisley’s carrying an armful of vintage couture, and she’s got the strangest story to tell…  It seems Paisley’s a woman without a past – not one that she can remember, at any rate – and she wants Maddie to help her figure out where and when the clothing came from in the hopes that their origin will provide clues to her own. 
 
Little does Paisley know, Maddie’s uniquely equipped to handle her request, for Maddie possesses the ability to psychically “read” used garments.  But when Paisley’s clothing overwhelms Maddie with visions of murder, kidnapping, and betrayal, Maddie realizes the young woman will need more help in uncovering her past than this particular fashionista can provide.
 
Cloaked in Malice is the fifth in Annette Blair’s Vintage Magic Mystery series.  The concept behind this series is unique, and Maddie’s talent is used to good effect in this particular book; the visions she receives upon reading Paisley’s clothing are dark and intriguing and leave you wanting to know more about this mysterious young woman and her missing memories. Unfortunately, however, while the idea behind the tale is a clever one with tons of potential, Blair never successfully capitalizes on it. As it turns out, Maddie’s magical abilities are the most believable part of the entire book; the non-magic parts of the story are eye-rollingly far-fetched, and despite a neatly executed setup, the plot never actually goes anywhere – it just kind of runs in circles until it gets dizzy and tips over. 

The characters – Maddie, included – all feel flat and hastily sketched, making it impossible to become invested in their respective fates, and as a result, not a single one of Blair’s attempts at poignancy or emotion hits home.  What little drama there is feels forced and manufactured. The dialogue is awkward and doesn’t ring true, and Maddie’s habit of substituting fashion terms for swear words (Hermès for hell, scrap for crap, major tucking yuck for…well, your guess is as good as mine on that one) is too precious by half.  The prose is lacking in grace and flow.  Maddie’s narration is scattered and unfocused, with lots of pointless digressions. And the word “kewl” appears so many times over the course of the book that you may be tempted to claw your own eyes out.

I started this book with fairly high hopes, and I actually maintained those hopes until I was about halfway through, but unfortunately, Cloaked in Malice left me wanting.  If you’re already a fan of Blair’s Vintage Magic Mysteries, then by all means read this book, but if you’re looking for something that’ll get you hooked on a new series, Cloaked in Malice likely isn’t for you.

Reviewed by Kat N.

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