Book Review: Masking for Trouble by Diane Vallere (Costume Shop Mysteries #2)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Great characters, creative mystery, Halloween setting

Cons: All cons disguised beyond recognition

The Bottom Line:

Halloween killer

Disguised at costume party

Another great book

Who is the Killer Behind the Mask?

If you write a mystery series set in a costume shop, you must be prepared to write a book set at Halloween.  That’s just what Diane Vallere does in the second book in her Costume Shop Mysteries series, and Masking for Trouble is a pleasure to read.

As you’d expect, a town like Proper City, Nevada, which uses any occasion to throw a costume party, really ramps things up for Halloween.  There’s an epic town party, with smaller parties all week.  In fact, the schools close for the week, and things are hopping all month at Disguise DeLimit, the costume shop that Margo Tamblyn has taken over from her father.

However, things threaten to come to a screeching halt when Paul Haverford shows up in the shop a week before the big day.  Paul is a venture capitalist with big plans for Proper City, including taking over businesses in the area and shutting those down that won’t sell to him.  He’s also sponsoring this year’s town party, which means only those businesses that have sold to him will be allowed to participate.  Since Disguise DeLimit is one of the hold outs, they are banned, and no one renting costumes from their shop can win any costume contests.

Margo tries to reason with Paul, but that only makes things worse.  Still, she sneaks into the party that night.  The party is being held in a long abandoned hotel on the outskirts of town, and the atmosphere is appropriately creepy.  Things take a dark turn when Margo discovers Paul’s body in one of the hotel’s elevators.  The police seem to think that she had a good motive for killing Paul.  Can Margo unmask a killer before she has a new costume – prison orange?

I fell in love with these characters when I read the first book in the series, and it was fabulous to be back in their presence here.  We got to know them better in this book, and I liked how certain relationships progressed.  And can I say how much I love Kirby and his swim team friends?  They were an absolute blast.  Of course, we meet some great new characters here that make interesting suspects.

Speaking of interesting, the plot for this book is quite intriguing.  It twists in some ways I didn’t anticipate before we reach a logical and fun climax.

And the book makes great use of the Halloween setting.  You can’t help but feel the late October in the air.  Okay, so being Nevada, it’s desert air, but still, if you love this holiday, you’ll love this book.

We get some fun extras at the end as well.  There are four easy recipes, ideas for fun and easy costumes (something I always need), and lists of some other slightly scarier but non-traditional Halloween costumes.

Halloween and costumes are such a natural fit, and Masking for Trouble does a great job of combining them with a fun mystery.  Don your favorite disguise and settle in for a page turning book.

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 Friday, October 14th, so please leave your comment before 12:01AM Pacific Time on 10/14.  You will have until midnight on 10/18 to get back to me, or I will choose a new winner on 10/19.