Dev Sinclair is the happy new owner of the old-fashioned shop in her small Missouri town. But if she doesn't focus on finding the killer of her ex's fiancée, this five-and-dime owner may find herself serving twenty-five to life...

Review

For fans of:  Diane Kelly

When Devereaux Sinclair sells a sexy Valentine’s Day gift basket to Joelle Ayers, she never expects the transaction to turn her life upside down.  Yes, the woman is her ex-boyfriend Noah’s new fiancée, but it’s not like Devereaux wants Noah back, and what business is it of hers how he and his new squeeze spend their evening?  But then Joelle is found chained to a hotel bed, a champagne bottle down her throat and a stiletto heel through her heart, and, thanks to the gift basket, Devereaux’s fingerprints are all over the crime scene.  There are plenty of people who had cause to want Joelle dead, but the police seem determined to put Devereaux behind bars and aren’t even pretending to look for other suspects.  Can Devereaux catch the real killer before she’s carted away in handcuffs, or will she wind up in prison for a crime she didn’t commit?

Little Shop of Homicide is the first of Denise Swanson’s Devereaux’s Dime Store Mysteries.  It’s a sharply written tale of murder, lies, and small-town gossip, and it’s a book well-suited for those who tend to avoid the cozy end of the literary spectrum.  The Missouri town Devereaux calls home is neither charming nor idyllic, and with few exceptions, the people who populate it are mean, petty, and small-minded, giving Swanson’s tale a more menacing air than is typical for the sub-genre.  Throw in a generous dose of sex and romance, and you have a book that’s definitely not your mama’s traditional mystery.

The pacing’s quick and the plot is solid (even if the wrap-up’s a little far-fetched for my taste).  Swanson has a very engaging and conversational writing style, and because of it, the story has great flow; she also knows when less is more, though, and manages to convey a ton of information in the first few pages without ever making you feel like you’re suffering through an info dump. 

Devereaux’s a fantastic heroine.  Strong and smart, she cares deeply for her friends and family, and Swanson gives her enough baggage that she feels like a real person. Devereaux’s sweet-yet-sassy grandmother is a hoot and steals practically every scene in which she appears.  And best friends Poppy the bartender and Boone the lawyer are very likable and entertaining and help add heart to Swanson’s tale (though I wish they both played slightly larger roles in this book).  

Swanson’s only real failure, character-wise, is Detective Woods, the Kansas City policeman determined to see Devereaux hang for Joelle’s murder.  Swanson gives Woods good motive for going after Devereaux, but he’s so over-the-top in his villainy that he feels more like a cartoon bad guy than an actual threat to Devereaux’s freedom.

As for the aforementioned generous dose of sex and romance, Deputy U.S. Marshal Jake Del Vecchio shares no shortage of chemistry with our heroine.  He’s a bit weak as a character, suffering from both a lack of depth and an excess of machismo, but he does have potential, and hopefully his character will develop some nuance in books to come.

I’ve said it before about Denise Swanson, and I’ll say it again:  if you’re looking for a feel-good read, she ain’t the author for you; but if you’re looking for a mystery with a slightly sexier, grittier edge, then check out Little Shop of Homicide.

Reviewed by Kat N.

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