Reviewed By Liz

ISBN 978-0-451-22178-0

GRAVE APPAREL is the fourth Crime of Fashion mystery featuring Lacey Smithsonian. Lacey is the fashion reporter for The Eye Street Observer in Washington D.C. and has recently been caught up in Sweatergate. One of her co-workers wrote a scathing editorial panning Christmas sweaters and Lacey is taking the heat for it both in and out of the office. When her co-worker is attacked in the alley behind the paper’s office, an eyewitness to the attack uses the victim’s cell phone to summon Lacey by hitting the redial button.

But the witness is a child and quickly disappears into the night while Lacey is distracted. Lacey knows she must find this child again before the killer does because the police are stymied by the description of the attacker – a “Santa dude” who used a giant candy cane to bash his victim.

This book is a pleasant read. The fashion element is present in the book, but unlike some themed books, isn’t overwhelming and doesn’t feel too contrived. The book is populated with interesting character and has some interesting plot elements, but it isn’t much of a mystery. Instead of developing clues to enable both Lacey and the reader to solve the mystery, Byerrum spends time on characters and has Lacey stumble across the bad guy at the end. I found the book’s happy ending predictable but this is what the readers of this kind of chick-lit quasi-mystery expect, so I guess that is okay.

Did I guess it? Yes. Favorite character? Felicity Pickles, the food editor. Will I read another? Probably. This isn’t the first Crime of Fashion mystery I have read. They are the kind of low-impact read that you sometimes want.

Mystery Book Reviews by Liz at http://reviewedbyliz.com ©2007

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