ISBN-10:
ISBN-13: 978-
Publisher: Penguin Group
Line: Obsidian
Release Date: Apr 1, 2014
Pages: 320
Retail Price: 7.99
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Genre: Mystery
Rating:
Harlow Jane Cassidy is swamped with homecoming couture requests. If only she didn’t have to help solve a murder, she might get the gowns off the dress forms....
Harlow is doing everything she can to expand her dressmaking business, Buttons & Bows—without letting clients know about her secret charm. When she has a chance to create homecoming dresses with a local charity and handmade mums for several high school girls—including Gracie, whose father, Will, has mended Harlow’s heart—she is ready to use her magical talents for a great cause.
But when Gracie’s date for the dance is accused of murder, Harlow knows things won’t be back on course until she helps Gracie clear the football player’s name. If Harlow can’t patch up this mess before the big game, her business and her love life might be permanently benched.
INCLUDES SEWING TIPS
Review
For fans of: Nancy Atherton, Wendy Lyn Watson
Harlow Jane Cassidy will do whatever it takes to keep her dressmaking business afloat, so when a charity offers to pay her to make homecoming dresses and matching mums for a group of local girls (among them her boyfriend Will’s daughter, Gracie), she eagerly accepts.
With Harlow’s help, the teens are poised to have the night of their young lives. But then Gracie’s date Shane’s father is murdered and the boy is arrested for the crime, making the dance the least of the couple’s concerns. Gracie’s positive Shane is innocent, and begs Harlow to help her prove it. Can the dressmaker catch a killer, or by investigating, will she only succeed in making herself a target?
I’ve been a fan of Melissa Bourbon’s Magical Dressmaking Mysteries since the series debut, and I’m happy to report that I think A Killing Notion may be her best book yet. The prose is graceful and engaging, the plot is expertly paced, and this fifth installment is chock full of the same warmth and whimsy that made me fall in love with Bourbon’s writing in the first place. Bourbon seamlessly incorporates the supernatural premise of her series (namely, that each of the Cassidy women possesses a unique magical ability) into every one of her books, and A Killing Notion is no exception; though the Cassidy family charms play less of a role here than they do in Magical Dressmaking Mysteries past, they still add a little something extra that helps elevate the tale.
Bourbon’s characters are amongst my favorite in the genre, and the relationships with which she links them are realistic, nuanced, and bring her stories to life. Especially noteworthy are the ties that bind Harlow, Will, and Gracie; Bourbon manages to suffuse Harlow and Will’s romance with plenty of heat without putting a strain on either adult’s relationship with teenaged Gracie, and that’s no mean feat.
What really sets this book apart from the pack, though, is the mystery. Riddled with twists, turns, and literary gut punches, the whodunit at the heart of A Killing Notion will suck you in, keep you rapt, and leave you stunned.
Buy this book. Buy it now. And prepare to fall in love.
Reviewed by Kat