Weekly Reader: Designs on Murder: A Ghostly Fashionista Mystery by Gayle Leeson; Breezy Supernatural Cozy Mystery Emphasizes The Cozy Over The Mystery

 

Weekly Reader: Designs on Murder: A Ghostly Fashionista Mystery by Gayle Leeson; Breezy Supernatural Cozy Mystery Emphasizes The Cozy Over The Mystery

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: There are cozy mysteries that balance the two aspects very well. The book is filled with charming characters with odd jobs or living in a small town. The mystery is gripping and nail biting enough to keep the Reader interested and guessing the killer's identity. Even more so in the small town setting because the more that the Reader gets to know the amateur detective and their entourage, the stronger the possibility that one of their inner circle might be murdered, be the murderer, or have a devastating secret that hinders the investigation.

Then there are the kinds that can't balance the two. Either the mystery is too dark for the charming cozy world or the coziness overpowers with its cute cast and homey atmosphere that the mystery becomes slight.

Gayle Leeson's first book in her A Ghostly Fashionista Mystery series, Designs on Murder definitely emphasizes the cozy over the mystery. The plot surrounds itself with a bevy of interesting characters, one of whom is a ghost, with unique shops and a delightful setting that the mystery is a mere afterthought.

The amateur detective du jour is Amanda Tucker, who is drawn to a building called Shops in Main. She is interested in designing retro style fashions and opening her boutique. She thinks this charming building is the perfect spot.

 The first person that Amanda meets is Max Englebright, a talkative bold woman dressed like a flapper. Amanda also gets to know the other tenants of Shops on Main who also share their unique goods and services.

When home decor shop proprietor Connie admits that she can't see Max, it becomes obvious to Amanda that Max is a ghost. Despite Max's discorporal form, Amanda and Max become fast friends and Max even assists her living friend with the boutique. Amanda begins to adjust to life with her new living and deceased friends and is looking forward to opening her shop, Designs on You. That is until another Shops on Main tenant, a web designer named Mark is found murdered.

The setting for Designs for Murder is beyond cozy and moves to precious. Abingdon, Virginia is a town that is perfectly designed for the history buff or antique shopper. It's described as one of those charming towns that a person can stroll through on some pleasant weekend of window shopping, restaurant eating, and cemetery hopping. (What you've never been?) 

What particularly makes the setting is Shops on Main itself. I am not too familiar with any shops that are arranged like this, inside a three story historical house where each room is designated for a small shop, but it adds to the overall quaintness of the book.

The shops are also unique and say a lot about the proprietors. Besides Designs for You owned by the bright and ambitious Amanda (and fun loving Maxine), there is: Janice's Jewelry, a jewelry shop owned by the stylish and flirtatious Janice; Mark, the secretive web designer whose occupation arouses suspicion because "who hires someone to design web sites for them anymore?";  Antiquated Editions, a second hand bookstore owned by a brawny but kind man named Ford who looks more like a biker than a bookseller; Delightful Homes, a home decor shop run by the modern day hippy Connie who greets Amanda with a hug, and a paper shop run by married couple Ella and Frank who personalize gifts with unique patterns like books. 

It's one of the settings that the Reader just wants to break through the words, climb into the book, and go shopping or at least browsing.

The characters are also unique in that rural small town storybook way, particularly Amanda and Maxine. Amanda lives in Abingdon near her grandfather, Dave. Nothing bad happened to her parents. They just retired and moved to Florida. No matter, Dave is always on hand to offer advice and encouragement especially considering how stressed out and nervous Amanda is about starting her own business.

Amanda has the right talent and verve to design clothes and meets some very grateful and delighted customers who love her work. She shows an appreciation and love for each garment like a small child that she created and nurtured and will soon be released into the world.

Amanda's friendship with Max is also well developed. Max is the very image of a free spirited flapper, frozen forever in the days when she was wild and youthful. She is a more lighthearted contrast towards Amanda's sometimes seriousness. However, there is some sadness concerning how Max died and how she felt alone in the afterlife with no one to communicate with until she met Amanda and Dave (who can also see Max).

Because of the overall sweetness and charm, the mystery isn't as good as it could be. There are the usual suspenseful moments and red herrings but they aren't as plentiful as in other mysteries. The identity of the murderer is pretty obvious as though the mystery was an afterthought in Leeson's overall plan to create an inviting setting and characters.

The mystery is average but it's the setting of Abingdon and Shops on Main that make Designs on Murder more than a ghost of a chance.