Decorating Schemes

Ginny Aiken writes a mystery that the a mystery lover would like if they don't want to figure out "who done it" before the end of the book. In this fascinating Christian mystery Haley Farrell, an interior decorator gets caught in a bizarre murder investigation. It leads down a narrow path, or so the reader thinks until the bitter end. Aiken is the mother of four boys and has a a very diverse grouping of jobs in her life. In her biography it states that she was born in Cuba, and then raised in Venezuela. She is also the author of twenty-one published books so far. This specific work was interesting, a fast and easy read. The descriptions of things, and of the characters emotions were wonderful. The characters were also well written with just enough background story that the reader is not lost on who they are. The plot of the book flows seemlessly from beginning to end. Another wonderful aspect is that the factual things in this book are accurate. Especially about learning how to scuba dive. Recommended reading for anyone who wants a cozy/hard edge blood mystery. Images and emotions will follow the reader even after the book is done. Sue Grafton fans would probably enjoy this heroin and her cast of supporting characters.

Decorating Schemes by Ginny Aiken is the second book in the Deadly Decor Mystery series. I think that this series is undergoing an identity crisis. It wants to be a humorous, light mystery, but real human drama keeps sneaking in. It's hard as a reader to take some of the characters, like Bella, seriously when she can't seem to string together a sentence without mispronouncing a word, but then Haley has so many demons she's fighting, it's difficult to balance them both in the same book. Bella is obviously a character, but Haley seems much more real. Haley, an interior designer, again stumbles upon a dead body while getting ready to remodel a home. This time the body is that of a young girl, and Haley's former nemesis Dutch Merrill is the prime suspect. Lily Tsu makes another appearance, but this time she comes off as far less capable. Haley's father does some things that seem so out of character, he seems unreal as well. Because the book tries to maintain a light edge, when Haley solves the mystery, the resolution seems extremely dark. What she finds underwater repulsed me and seemed out of place with the rest of the book. Aiken also leaves a lot of unanswered questions in this entry; I was a bit disappointed. Here's hoping she solves the identity crisis with the entry due in August.

There's nothing like a dead body to upset the color schemes of a room. Interior designer, Haley Farrell, almost tripped over the corpse while she was making plans to redesign a ritzy Georgian mansion. After the police are called, everyone is treated as a suspect, which gives Haley a terrible feeling of "been there, done that." Fans of this series will remember the quirky, but lovable interior designer from a previous murder investigation in which she was jailed for a short time. In this book, Haley has a bad case of déjà vu as she stumbles over her second dead body. Although it doesn't appear she will be falsely arrested this time, she still feels an urgency to find the true killer. Since the prime suspect is a man who may be stealing her heart, she needs to find out the truth before it's too late. A delicious dash of humor and some cozy romantic tension fill these pages with fun. The mystery element is well done and includes a terrific cast of characters. The clues and motivation for the murder are slowly revealed, giving readers a chance to guess the killer's identity. Setting the story within the framework of interior designing is an unusual touch that provides some clever angles. Yet, at the heart of the story is Haley Farrell. Readers will love her because she needs to be loved. Her past includes some serious heartbreak, which is skillfully masked by her offbeat outlook and creative flair. Although it isn't necessary to have read the previous book, it will certainly be an added bonus to have done so. Decorating Schemes takes interior designing to a whole new level! - Joyce Handzo, Christian Book Previews.com

Haley Farrell reappears in Decorating Schemes. Her debut was in Design On A Crime. The thing about Haley is that she has this crazy habit of walking in on dead bodies. And even though sleuths like Angela Lansbury and Sherlock Holmes seem to react to dead bodies as if it is no big thing, these creepy discoveries hit Haley hard and begin to unravel her world. Why? Because she has been a victim to violence herself. She has only recently begun to get a grip on her life again, and now it is beginning to spin out of control. Unresolved issues of the past haunt her still. And the only way to piece her life together again is to search for the answers behind this latest crime. She must discover who killed this teen girl, and she must try to find the missing baby before it is too late. Her rivalry and attraction for Dutch and her crazy wanna-be sleuth neighbor provide humorous moments that give us a break from the delicious suspense. The ending is great as she takes a foolish but daring risk to try to find the missing evidence. I sometimes thought Haley was a flakey character because of some of the things she said to Dutch, but that just seemed to make her character more human. The only thing I missed in this book is that Dutch and Haley never proclaimed their love or shared a kiss. But I am hoping that they will in the next book of the series. I am eagerly waiting for the new book to be released.