Samantha Must Find the Gilt-y Party
It’s been a few months since I last visited with Samantha Kidd since I prioritized some of author Diane Vallere’s other series at the end of 2024. So I was glad to get a chance to revisit her again in Gilt Trip, the fourteenth in the series. And it was great to be back in her presence.
Over the course of the series, Samantha has had quite a few jobs in the fashion industry, all in her hometown of Ribbon, Pennsylvania. Along the way, we’ve gotten to know some of her friends as well as a couple of the detectives in town since Samantha has a habit of stumbling over murder victims and getting involved in the cases.
But this night isn’t about Samantha. Instead, her husband, Nick Taylor, has been nominated for an award, and Samantha is determined to make the night all about him and his accomplishments. However, her plans of buying a table so they can celebrate with their friends and family isn’t turning out well since everyone is mad at Samantha for one thing or another.
Before the night can really get started, Samantha does it again. She finds the toastmaster dead in a closet in the hotel. With a January blizzard raging outside, the police aren’t able to come, so it is up to Samantha to take center stage and find the killer. Can she do it without further alienating her loved ones?
Yes, the entire book does take place in one night. That’s a first for the series and something that rarely happens in the books I read. And Diane does a great job of keeping the story moving forward. I never once felt like things were dragging. Naturally, with the locked room setting, all the suspects are right there, so Samantha has access to them all. There are some nice twists along the way to the climax. And yes, everything made sense when we reached the end.
Even though the book all takes place in one night, we have other series regulars on hand, so we get updates on all of them. As always, it was great to spend time with them, and I liked how their lives were progressing. In fact, we saw one that had been missing for several books. I’d kind of figured we weren’t going to see her again any time soon.
With all the personal drama going on to start the book, it’s no surprise that we got some great character growth as well, especially for Samantha. I really enjoyed those parts.
Plus, there’s the humor. As fans of the series know, Samantha is always good for a few laughs, and this book is no exception. And, even though the main event is a fancy banquet, we also get some of the junk food talk I always enjoy in the series.
Gilt Trip is another fantastic book from the pen of Diane Vallere. If you are looking for a light, fun mystery series, you need to read about Samantha. If you are already a fan who hasn’t caught up yet, you’ll enjoy this book when you get to it.
Check out the rest of the Samantha Kidd Mysteries.
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