Shattered Silk

Shattered Silk by Barbara Michaels is the second of the Georgetown trilogy. Karen, another of Ruth's nieces, is leaving a bad relationship and needs somewhere to stay. Her husband has left her for a younger woman. Now she wants to start her own business, a clothing shop specializing in vintage undergarments.

But tied up in all those unmentionables are some dark town secrets. Someone or something doesn't want those secrets being aired with the dirty laundry. (Sorry... this cheesy book just needs a cheesy review).

In all of this mess there's the same old heavy handed discussion, lecturing on gender roles, while Karen and Ruth and to a lesser degree the men, are in danger. Really, having already been through this scenario once with a show more supernatural danger, perhaps Ruth and company should stop bickering and get the hell out of that house. The house needs to be burned to the ground and the ground salted.

But no. That's not the point. Of course not. Look at me rolling my eyes.

Ok. Deep breath. The point is that men are pigs and women can't escape and humanity is doomed to repeat the same mistakes. show less

The story follows Karen Nevitt who has recently moved into her aunt and uncle's house, because she married a controlling dickhead and he finally got tired of her and kicked her to the curb for a younger woman. So, Karen has come back to the town she went to college in, with not much money, not much clothes (because she left the instant Jack –the ex-husband- told her about his divorce plan), not much self confidence, out of shape, and with little to no backbone. She’s now working for her friend, Julie, in Julie’s antique store.

Karen’s character kind of annoyed me in the beginning, because she let Julie (and pretty much everyone else) walk all over her, but Karen slowly started regaining her confidence throughout the book. Mainly show more this change in her occurs because, instead of giving Julie the vintage clothes, she finds in her aunt’s attic, she keeps them and decides to open her own shop. After some really hard shoving by her uncle’s mother she finally really starts getting serious about opening her vintage clothing shop. Only her plans start getting delayed by weird stuff starting to happen to her; fake ghosts trotting around in her back yard, a guy breaking into the house and trying to choke her, and someone dying who was working for Julie. On top of all that Karen also has to deal with Mark, her ex-boyfriend who she left for Jack.

This is another really great mystery by Michaels. The line of suspects wraps practically around the block and the killer/stalker that is doing all this to Karen barely even showed up on my radar. Like at the climax of any good mystery everything just clicks into place and leaves you with a “oh my god, I completely overlooked that” feeling. The characters are great, but I would’ve liked to have seen Karen’s uncle’s mother play a bigger role than she did. This book is definitely a keeper for me. show less

A Killer Lurks In her quaint vintage clothing boutique in picturesque Georgetown, Karen Nevitt's laces and white linens seem so innocent. Her aunt's aged friends have even ransacked their attics to help the novice entrepreneur launch her business. The dresses they produce are exquisite--valuable designer originals from decades past--but unwittingly Karen has discovered something far more lethal than fashion trends. Concealed by the delicate fabrics is the hidden clue to a forgotten mystery, and someone is willing to kill to keep it that way.

Good characters, a book of regional ghost stories, two women trying to make sense of their respective divorce/widowhood, interesting information about vintage clothing, and a startling denouement; what's not to like?

Unlike its followup (Stitches in Time), there's no paranormal activity in this book. In fact, there's no crime at all until halfway through. What there is is a story about people, recovery, and determination. Michaels has a talent for conjuring up people I recognize and like.

The second book in the Georgetown Trilogy, this novel has characters related to those in Ammie, Come Home. This book is more of a straightforward mystery. Exploring the theme of friendship in its varied forms, this book let me watch the characters grow and change. I also learned about vintage clothing. The book is well worth reading.

A Killer Lurks... In her quaint vintage clothing boutique in picturesque Georgetown, Karen Nevitt's laces and white linens seem so innocent. Her aunt's aged friends have even ransacked their attics to help the novice entrepreneur launch her business. The dresses they produce are exquisite--valuable designer originals from decades past--but unwittingly Karen has discovered something far more lethal than fashion trends. Concealed by the delicate fabrics is the hidden clue to a forgotten mystery, and someone is willing to kill to keep it that way.

Shattered Silk is a wonderful blend of mystery and romance set in summertime Washington, D.C.