Duffy Brown

First Line: Magnolia Plantation wasn't really a Southern plantation, the guests milling about the wide verandahs and lush green lawn weren't really extras from Gone with the Wind, and that wasn't Scarlett O'Hara descending the curved staircase but my auntie KiKi in a green flouncy dress with enough crinolines to cover all of Savannah.

Reagan Summerside should be devoting her time to her consignment shop, The Prissy Fox. Instead, she's raced to Magnolia Plantation on an errand of mercy, show more delivering a black bow tie so the wedding can get started. Since Reagan's luck is no better than mine, she manages to trip over a dead body. The groom has had a fatal encounter with a cake knife and now lies draped over his own wedding cake.

Unfortunately Reagan's best friend, UPS driver Chantilly Parker, is the prime suspect, since the groom jilted her to wed rich Waynetta Waverly. Chantilly even had plans to crash the wedding in her UPS truck. But even though Chantilly has both motive, means and attitude, Reagan knows her friend didn't commit murder and sets out to prove it. Little does she know that she's going to have two shadows throughout her sleuthing: her eccentric Auntie KiKi and Walker Boone, the lawyer Reagan loves to hate.

I enjoyed the first book in this series, Iced Chiffon, and I'm happy to say that the seeds author Duffy Brown planted in that first book have flowered beautifully in this second installment. The plot is filled with red herrings and humor, and I have to admit that I was enjoying myself so much that I forgot to put the clues together until just before the reveal. But the plot isn't the best part of Killer in Crinolines.

No, the prize for that would definitely go to Duffy Brown's cast of characters. From Reagan Summerside, a woman who can get more miles out of a huge yellow Target purse than anyone else I know, to her auntie KiKi, former roadie for Cher, dance instructor, and head gossip tweeter on the local kudzu vine, to Reagan's emotional best friend Chantilly, and on down to a pair of professional mourners, this is one group of characters to fall in love with and to laugh with. I think I had a big smile on my face almost the entire time I was reading.

Duffy Brown also has a light touch. This book is Pure-D Southern with a capital S without drowning in the vernacular speech that can turn some readers away. If you're looking for a cozy series that's light and fun, one with sparks of romance, a cast of characters you want to sit and gossip on the front porch with, and enough humor to keep you smiling for days, I have a recommendation for you: Duffy Brown's Consignment Shop mysteries! show less

Duffy Brown just seems to get better with each book she writes. Braking for Bodies is filled with humor and the mystery is laced with first-rate misdirection.

A generous helping of the book's humor centers on the esprit de corps of the inhabitants of Mackinac Island. Tourism is their livelihood, and they go out of their way to hide any sort of bad news from money-wielding visitors. When some of those tourists think Peephole Perry's death is part of a grander scheme for their entertainment, show more the townfolk use that to their advantage, as they also do their knowledge of the island to help Fiona as much as they can.

Evie Bloomfield is a junk food-eating amateur sleuth who is an artistic genius with paint, brush, and bicycles. (How about renting the "Nancy Drew," the "Downton Abbey," or the "My Little Pony"?) Away from paint and bikes, it does take her a while to figure out to where all her clean clothes are disappearing. I enjoy the entire cast of characters, although I have to be honest and admit that Irish Donna's brogue sounds completely phony. Since she doesn't have a big share of the action, I can deal with it, but I do wish she'd be struck with some strange type of linguistic amnesia and start talking like normal folks.

If you're in the mood for a light-hearted mystery in the near-perfect setting of no-combustion-engines-allowed Mackinac Island in Michigan, I'd suggest you pick up Duffy Brown's Cycle Path mysteries. show less

To be honest, the major reason why I wanted to read Geared for the Grave was its setting, Mackinac Island, and author Duffy Brown paints a fine picture of just how magical this place can be. She also serves up some delightful humor with the euphemisms locals use to keep tourists in the dark about what's going on.

Evie is a delight as well, with her lack of grace, her passion for painting, and her knack for finding all the poison ivy patches on the island. She was in such a rush to make show more Brownie points with her boss that she didn't even read up on Mackinac Island, so its steep streets and lack of motorized transportation throws her for a loop-- and that loop catches many of the locals, too, who find Evie to be a bit of a handful.

I enjoyed the entire cast of characters even though Irish Donna's "brogue" didn't sound right. (I almost wanted to ask Donna if she were in the Witness Protection Program and using an assumed identity.) And in the midst of all the humor and getting acquainted with Evie and the islanders, I found a good mystery. Towards the very end I realized that I didn't have a clue whodunnit, and I just managed to figure it all out before Evie did. It certainly was a close race.

The only problem with finishing the book is the fact that I've got to wait for the next episode. Hurry up, Duffy-- I want to go back to Mackinac Island! show less

Read for Fun/Book Club/Dewey's (Paperback)
Overall Rating: 4.50
Story Rating: 4.25
Character Rating: 4.75

First Thought When Finished: This was just too much fun! :)

Story Thoughts: What a freaking romping good time! I seriously giggled for most of Iced Chiffon. This was a case of someone hitting rock bottom and saying I am not going to put up with anymore. If that means finding the real killer to get her ex-louse of a husband out of jail so she can keep her house (the one unresolved item from show more their divorce) then so be it. While a little bit of it was far-fetched (aren't all cozies?), the whole thing read exactly like someone at the end of their rope. I think what I loved most about Iced Chiffon is everyone kept telling her to stop investigating on her own because it was dangerous. She didn't listen, ended up being a decent tracker of information (though not at all as sly as she thought), and that made it fun.

Character Thoughts: Holy Mackerel! The characters were the Da Bomb! I loved Reagan! She was a hard-headed pull yourself up by the bootstraps kind of gal. She was a bit of a mess (my favorite kind of cozy leading lady) but she wasn't stupid. She was a delight to follow around and her shenanigans were stuff of legends. Walker Boone *swoon*! Though there is no love story in this one (girl is still reeling from her divorce) there was a HAWT guy. One of course she hates because he is her ex-hubbies attorney who took her for all her money. I think they are going to be fun to watch in the books to come. Favorite Character: Aunt Kiki! Gotta love a little old lady that can run circles around you :)

Final Thoughts: If you want something fun for a relaxing afternoon then Iced Chiffon is for you! show less