Book Review: Silk Stalkings by Diane Vallere (Material Witness Mysteries #3)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Wonderful characters and a strong plot

Cons: Nothing material

The Bottom Line:

Fruit mogul murdered

With beauty pageant suspects

Delightful cozy

Poly Stalks Another Killer

While I have tended to avoid the crafty themed cozies over the years, one of the exceptions has been Diane Vallere’s Material Witness Mysteries.  I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the first two, but Silk Stalkings is even better.

June in San Ladrone means it is time for the annual Miss Tangorli festival.  This annual beauty pageant was founded by Harvey Halliwell, who first created the hybrid citrus fruit that combines orange, tangerine, and lime.  In an effort to level the playing field this year, Polyester Monroe has been brought in to provide silk from her store for the gowns the contestants will wear.

Tragedy strikes when Poly finds Harvey murdered mere hours after getting the job.  Worse yet, her friend Charlie, the town’s mechanic, seems to know the main suspect, a man she is protecting for some reason.  With her job inside the contest, Poly begins to learn more about Harvey and meet more suspects.  Can she figure out who killed him?

I realized just how much I have come to love these characters when I started the book.  It was absolutely fabulous to be spending time with them again.  We get to see plenty of growth in their relationships by what happens over the course of the book, which is always a joy in a series.  Of course, the new characters are just as strong and interesting as the series regulars.

The plot starts quickly and keeps moving forward at a steady pace.  Poly is always learning something new and there are a couple of very fun scenes along the way as well.  Naturally, we reach a logical and suspenseful climax.

If you are looking for a project after you’ve solved the mystery, you’ll find instructions on how to create a garment bag.  And naturally, this is a project inspired by the book.

Silk Stalkings is a wonderful third in a series that will please those who loved the first two books.  And if that isn’t you because you haven’t met the characters yet, you need to fix that today.

Check out the rest of the Material Witness Mysteries.

NOTE: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Giveaway!

Thanks to the publisher, I have one copy of this book to give away.  Because it is a physical book, the contest is limited to residence of the US.

Just leave me a comment with your e-mail address so I can get in touch with you if you win.  I will pick the winner next Thursday, August 11th, so please leave your comment before 12:01AM Pacific Time on 8/11.  You will have until midnight on 8/16 to get back to me, or I will choose a new winner on 8/17.