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Wednesday, February 3, 2016

A Disguise to Die For - Blog Tour Review + Giveaway


A Disguise to Die For: A Costume Shop Mystery by Diane Vallere
Rating: Very Good
Source: Blog Tour/Publisher
Description:  Someone is dressed to kill in the debut Costume Shop Mystery from the national bestselling author of the Material Witness mysteries.  No sooner does former magician's assistant Margo Tamblyn return home to Proper City, Nevada, to run Disguise DeLimit, the family-owned costume shop, than she gets her first big order.  Wealthy nuisance Blitz Manners needs forty costumes for a detective-themed birthday bash.  As for Blitz himself, his Sherlock Holmes is to-die-for - literally 0 when, in the middle of the festivities, Margo's friend and party planner Ebony Welles is caught brandishing a bloody carving knife over a very dead Blitz.
For Margo, clearing Ebony's name is anything but elementary, especially after Ebony flees town.  Now Margo is left to play real-life detective in a town full of masked motives, cloaked secrets, and veiled vendettas.  But as she soon learns, even a killer disguise can't hide a murderer in plain sight for long.  (from Goodreads)

Genre: Mystery

Why I Picked This Book: I have read 2 other books by Vallere and really enjoyed them both.  I couldn't wait to see what she could do with a costume shop!

My Impression:  Vallere is becoming my go-to author for a fun and crazy -without being over the top -read.  This is my 3rd book by her and it might just be the most fun.  The costume store was fascinating and I could have read an entire book about the store itself.  The town of Proper City is an interesting little town with storybook street names and a mania for costume parties.
With all the time spent on Piglet Drive and time spent in go go boots and gangster costumes, the mystery itself doesn't get lost.  Margo is a likable and intelligent main character.  Her reasons for investigating make sense and I liked that the primary detective is portrayed as an idiot.  With the evidence that the detective has it makes perfect sense that Ebony is the primary suspect but she still listens to Margo without letting Margo take over the investigation.  I had some ideas as to the solution but I wasn't completely sure of anything until the final reveal and I enjoyed looking for clues and answers along with Margo.
This is a series I'm very much looking forward to continuing.  Vallere has set up a fantastic series with likable characters and an incredibly fun setting.  I can't wait to see what costumes Margo and Jerry come up with next and see more of Tak, Kirby, and the rest of the Proper City residents.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?:
Absolutely!  I looking forward to the next one of these and reading more of her earlier books

Would I Recommend this Book?: If you enjoy cozies with a little bit of humor this is a series (and an author) you don't want to miss.

40 comments:

  1. OK, those names are priceless. The shop name - Disguise DeLimit? LOL!!

    Think I'll have to try this one.

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    1. I know! I giggled with glee every time the name was mentioned!

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  2. Like the cover as well. Is this open to all?

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  3. YOu are making me want to get into cozy mysteries again. This book seems adorable. The Piglet Lane! I can't even with how adorable that sounds.

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  4. Thanks for the giveaway. Looking forward to reading A Disguise To Dire For.

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  5. Wonderful prizes. Can't wait to read. Thanks for the chance!

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  6. Thank you! (I wish I lived in a library too. Would you have lots of library cats?) Good luck to all!

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    1. Cats are mandatory in a library I think! I really enjoyed this one!

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  7. Thanks for the review and giveaway. All of the books sound like a great read.

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    1. It was a really great read! It was such fun to really just fall into the story.

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  8. Sounds like a great book to add to my cozy challenge list. Thanks for a chance to win a copy.

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    1. Good luck with the giveaway and the challenge. You can't go wrong with any of Vallere's books.

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  9. I wish I lived in a library, too! I would definitely be reading A Disguise to Die For ~

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    1. I really enjoyed this one. I love a great cozy!

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  10. While not a big cozy reader this one sounds great, always enjoy a bit of humor and fun.

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    1. There's a lot of humor in this one and just a hint of romance too!

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  11. This sounds fun, and I don't think I've read a book set in Nevada. I like the sound of the shop (love that name, like another commenter said) and the street names sound fun too. Looks like an original and fun cozy! Nice to hear it's not over the top too.

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  12. Wonderful and informative blog! These books look interesting and are going on my TBR list!

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  13. I love this cover and the book looks so good and exciting.
    Marilyn

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  14. Thank you so much for a chance at the give-a-way. I love Diane's books!

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  15. I haven't tried this author's books (yet) but costume party sounds like a fun read, and different! Different for a mystery plot (even for cozies) is always a good thing!

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  16. A Costume shop mystery! What a great setting! Fun and crazy but not over the top sounds good. I will have to look for this one.

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  17. I haven't read this one yet but it is going on my list!!!

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  18. This sounds good, Katherine. The costume shop sounds like so much fun. I'm reading more and more cozy mysteries so I'm always on the lookout for new authors and series. I'm going to look for this one!

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  19. That's one of the things I love about cozies. They are punny. I have not had the pleasure of reading any in this series. They are on my TBR. I am hoping this will be an early start. Thank you for this chance to do so
    Della at deepotter@peoplepc.com

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  20. This was such a fun book, wasn't it?

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  21. This is the second review I have read for this Kathrine and you all have me wanting to dive into this cozy! So glad it was a hit for you.

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  22. This sounds like a lot of fun! I love it when humor finds its way into a story. Great review!

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  23. This sounds delightful, and I love costumes. I will have to check it out!

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  24. Ooh yay! I'm glad I read this post in time.

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  25. The name of the store is enough to get one to read the book!

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  26. I am most excited about this giveaway. I have yet to read one of Diane's books. Only learned of her fairly recently. The blurbs on some of her books have been very intriguing. And a couple of friends who have read her said she is great. So am hoping. Thanks for this chance at an early start on her mysteries. Della at deepotter@peoplepc.com

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