Death by Diamonds (A Vintage Magic Mystery)

This is the third Vintage Magic Mystery, and tough I love them all, this one took it to a whole new level. In DEATH BY DIAMONDS, Annette Blair gives you a satisfying blend of everything you could want in a mystery and she leaves you wanting the next one NOW! I read DEATH BY DIAMONDS in one night, thought about it all day, and read it a second time. It's that good. Discover Broadway, and all that lurks behind the scenes, the Parasites, greed, lust, love, humor, quick minds, greed, and loyalty. THERE'S SATISFACTION PLUS TO BE FOUND IN THESE PAGES. Not to mention Madeira Cutler's usual psychic abilities and the men in her life: the FBI Special Agent, Dante Underhill, the ghost in top hat and tux for eternity, and Detective Sargent Lytton Werner. Triple yum. Mysteries in order are A VEILED DECEPTION, LARCENY AND LACE, DEATH BY DIAMONDS & SKIRTING THE GRAVE next spring. While you're waiting, don't miss her urban fantasies: NAKED DRAGON and BEDEVILED ANGEL, not to mention her delightful witches, all six.

I love her books. They have a sense of humor, style and a good mystery.

Madeira "Maddie" Cutler owns and operates a vintage clothing shop in Mystick Falls, Connecticut. Maddie can touch vintage items, mainly clothing, and receive visions at times. Maddie's best friend since kindergarten, Eve Meyers, still gets freaked out whenever Maddie zones out (a.k.a. is having a vision). Maddie receives a package from a famous friend, Dominique "Dom" DeLong. It is the gorgeous seafoam gown Maddie designed for the Broadway star a decade ago. Maddie and Dom had dinner together in New York City only a few weeks ago. But last Friday night the actress collapsed during an off-Broadway musical performance. Enclosed with the gown is a note from Dom asking Maddie to use her special talents to snoop and find her killer. To make matters a bit more complicated, the priceless diamonds that Dom had been wearing in the show are missing. Dom's son, Kyle, welcomes Maddie and Eve to New York. Turns out that Maddie is named as the executor for Dom. Kyle seems to be the only one Maddie likes or trusts. Kyle's mother told him about Maddie's psychometric visions and he has high hopes that Maddie will learn the identity of his mother's killer, if not what happened to the infamous Pierpont diamonds. There is a wide selection of suspects to choose from. Ian is the philandering ex-husband. Quinny is the catty "best friend". Lance, the leading man of the show. Ursula, Dom's understudy. Zander, Dom's personal chef. The list goes on and on. Nick Jaconetti, Maddie's FBI boyfriend, is helping with the missing diamond investigation. They share an on-again/off-again relationship. Nick asks Detective Sergeant Lytton Werner to come act as Maddie's bodyguard because the diamond case keeps taking him away from her side. Both Nick and Lytton are interested in Maddie. She soon feels as if she is in the middle of a pheromone war. But can even these two strong lawmen keep Maddie safe? ***** FIVE STARS! Since Maddie travels to New York, the normal cast of spirits in Mystick Falls have little-to-no time in the lime light. However, the unseen spirits of Maddie's mother and Dom are around. Nick is still hot, but Lytton begins some competition with his thermonuclear kiss. To say that Annette Blair has revved up the drama and intensity would be putting it too mildly. The depicted members of a group, dubbed The Parasites, could not have been more perfect. These are the people who use the death of a celebrity to further their own careers. The author has managed to combine greedy snobs, famous leeches, and some lovable characters together to create one of the most interesting mysteries I have read this year. A magnificent story! ***** Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

The upscale clothing store Vintage Magic is located in Mystic Falls, Connecticut. The shop is owned by a very special individual Madeira Coulter. Unique in many ways, what stands out is her psychic skills; especially psychometry in which she touches clothing and receives visions of the person who wore them. That talent allows her to solve mysteries; she hopes it will also enable her to identify who killed her close friend Broadway star Dominique DeLong. Dominique had faith in Maddie when she delivered the dress Madeira designed for he r that contains h faux jewelry on it. A note accompanied the dress stating if the dress was delivered to Maddie she was dead. The cause of death was peanuts, which makes Maddie more certain her friend was murdered because Dominique was highly allergic to them and would not even touch a peanut. Also missing when Don died is the diamonds r she was to wear for an off-Broadway show. Whoever stole the diamonds believes they were on the gown she gave to Maddie. She plans to find out who killed Dom and the man she loved before the killer murders her.. Annette Blair has the magical touch when it comes to entertaining joie de vivre paranormal amateur sleuth who-done- its. The mystery is cleverly constructed making it very difficult to figure out who the culprit as there are so many suspect including Parasite hanger-ons enviously trying to improve personal status through connections. Maddy is unsure where to begin beyond using her psychic skills starting with touching and wearing the gown to induce visions, Readers will relish the latest Vintage Magic whodunit (see A Veiled Deception and Larceny and Lace). Harriet Klausner

finally a series by ms. blair that is interesting, fun to read with a good plot and a nice romance. i have read a few of ms. blair's books and was not impressed. i like her breezy style, but not her penchant to fill out her thin plots with endless descriptions of sex scenes that were not the least bit erotic , but rather uncomfortable and boring. however, the vintage mystery series has all the good qualities of her writing and none of the bad. i am looking forward to the next book in the series.