My rating: 4 of 5 stars
When Interior Decorator Madison Night accepts an assignment in Palm Springs with handyman Hudson James, she expects designing days and romantic nights. But after spotting a body in the river by the job site, she causes a rift in the team. Add in the strain of recurring nightmares and a growing dependency on sleeping pills, and Madison seeks professional help to deal with her demons.
She learns more about the crime than she’d like thanks to girl talk with friends, pillow talk with Hudson, and smack talk with the local bad boys. And after the victim is identified as the very doctor she’s been advised to see, she wonders if what she knows can help catch a killer. An unlikely ally helps navigate the murky waters before her knowledge destroys her, and this time, what she doesn’t know might be the one thing that saves her life.
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I first read a book by Diane Vallere last year (A Disguise to Die For (Costume Shop Mystery, #1)), and I found the book to be charming, just the kind of cozy mystery I like to read. So, when I got the chance to read this one did I not hesitate. I quite like the idea of an interior Decorator that has a thing for Doris Day.
The Decorator Who Knew Too Much is a great book. I came to like Madison Night quite a lot, I especially liked that she is not a young thing. That she is a mature woman over forty who just stumbles over mysteries like this one in this book. Nowadays it's like all the books I read the main characters (women) are around 20-40 years old. Nothing wrong with that, but I like authors that actually decide to something different from everyone else. Another thing, for a cozy mystery, did the book feel very serious, with Madison dealing with PTSD, seeing a dead body and being mistrusted because no dead body is found and clashing with her boyfriend's brother-in-law among other things.
But, it worked, there are no gruesome deaths, but at the same time, it has not a silly plot, despite Madison's Doris Day passion (obsession). I quite liked the mystery in this book, even though I did have an inkling of whom was behind it all and was right about that. It was a very good book, perfect when you want a mystery, but have read too many heavy crime novels.
I found the book to be just to my taste, loved the cover, like the characters, there is a hint of a triangle drama, she had to choose between two men in the previous book or one of the previous books. Did she make the right choice? Well, Hudson, her boyfriend is a nice guy, but I kind of like Tex Allen as well. So, it will be interesting to see what the future will bring because I will definitely read the next book in this series, and the previous as well if I can get them.
I want to thank Liz D Publicity & Promotions for providing me with a free copy for an honest review!
Links:
Website: http://www.dianevallere.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/@dianevallere
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/dianevallere
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DianeVallere/
About Diane Vallere:
Diane Vallere is a former fashion buyer turned mystery writer, trading fashion accessories for accessories to murder. She is president of Sisters in Crime and writes the Samantha Kidd, Madison Night, Costume Shop, and Lefty-Award Nominated Material Witness Mysteries. She started her own detective agency at age ten and has maintained a passion for shoes, clues, and clothes ever since.
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