Shot Through Velvet is the seventh book in the Ellen Byerrum’s Crime of Fashion mystery series. I’m a newcomer to this series, but was interested to learn that two of the prior books in this series have been the basis for “Lifetime TV” movies.

The series features Lacey Smithsonian, a fashion reporter for a Washington, DC newspaper. Lacey gets a tip for a story and visits a velvet factory about to close. During the tour, which she attends with her security consultant boyfriend Vic Donovan, the body of company official Rod Gibbs is discovered in a vat of blue dye tied to a huge spool of blue velvet. Lacey is curious about these unusual circumstances, as well as the fact that as workers in the factory hear the news, they are more concerned over the ruined velvet than Rod’s death!

The factory workers would like to think Rod was killed by “The Velvet Avenger” getting even with Rod for their lost jobs. However, Lacey learns that there are no shortages of more ordinary suspects including her own newspaper’s publisher. During the investigation, Lacey finds a common bond with the factory workers when she learns that due to budget cuts at the newspaper, she may soon be joining them in the unemployment line.

The title of this book comes from the term “shot through velvet” which is velvet whose color changes depending on the angle of the light. My feelings about the book are also different depending on what aspect of the book is being evaluated. The book begins a little awkwardly with a description of Rod’s dead body, but then it backtracks a little to explain more about the circumstances. There are numerous jokes about Rod’s death and comments about what a bad person he was before we actually see examples of some of the terrible things he did. It was a little jarring to read all the irreverent comments about Rod’s body being blue when all we know at the beginning of the story is the man was a victim of a horrible crime.

There are many things I like about the book. It gets much more interesting when Lacey begins interviewing the factory employees. The vivid, humorous stories Lacey hears during her interviews are wonderful. There are also many interesting characters both in the factory and in Lacey’s large circle of friends and co-workers. Established readers of the series will enjoy catching up with these characters. Stella, an outgoing hair stylist, and Mac, Lacey’s supportive editor Mac are especially likeable, and I wish there would have been more background information given about these characters for readers like me who are new to the series.

My favorite thing about this book is the way the fashion angle is handled. It’s more than just random name-dropping of designer labels; Lacey writes about how current events influence fashion and how fashion influences our lives. For example, we learn the colors of state troopers’ uniforms in Virginia are blue and gray to reflect both sides in the Civil War. Lacey shares her fashion knowledge in her conversations with other characters and through her column “Fashion Bites”. We get to read some of her columns and in addition to being very amusing, they are also related to the plot of the story. For example, the recession and downsizing of employees are reoccurring themes in the book and one of Lacey’s columns deals with “Recession Depression” and gives advice such as “In this iffy economy, your own attitude is the only thing you have any control over…Dress like a winner. ...Resolve to dress up in the downturn!” I appreciate how the author is able to make her point about the state of the economy while still entertaining the reader.

Ellen Byerrum is a very skilled writer, and I enjoyed this book. However for a mystery, the actual investigation often takes a back seat to various sub-plots. There’s not enough romance for the book to be “romantic suspense”, although friends of Lacey are planning a wedding and Vic hopes to convince Lacey that in spite of her experiences with prior boyfriends, Valentine’s Day is NOT forever cursed for her! If you don’t mind a mystery that’s a little light on detecting, but full of interesting characters and amusing antidotes, then you will enjoy Shot Through Velvet.

Reviewed by: Christine K.