Domestic Diva Mysteries #19
It’s the 4th of July in Old Town, VA and Sophie Winston has a houseful of family and friends to entertain for the holiday. Between historical tours of Old Town and Washington, DC, holiday events, and lots of delicious meals, trouble arises when neighbor Dollie Peabody reports finding a body in her yard – but when the police arrive the body is gone. Did she imagine it and does she also imagine the voices and other noises she claims to hear in her house at night? And what’s up with Aunt Mellie’s new hubby Gus, whom she impetuously married during a trip to Las Vegas? Why does his friend Stan tag along for a family vacation at Sophie’s? And just who is Sophie’s sister Hannah sneaking out to see each night?
Despite chaos caused by her houseguests and friends who frequently drop in, Sophie carries on entertaining them all, graciously decorating, providing delicious meals (recipes included), and writing her domestic advice column. Things take turn for the worst when their tour guide is found murdered and someone in Sophie’s family is accused. Sophie’s cop friend Wolf is pulled from the case because he knows her family, so it’s up to Sophie to solve the murder.
As always part what makes the book fun is watching the antics of Sophie’s domestic diva “rival,” pretentious Natasha who wants to out-do Martha Stewart. Natasha’s over-the-top lifestyle, horrible advice, crazy recipes, and too-trendy clothing and tasteless decorating styles are hilarious as ever. For the holiday she hosts a party with an 1826 theme. Notice the precise date: not an early-1800s party but precisely 1826, with no explanation but with the expectation that her guests will dress accordingly. Then she decides to add expensive 1826 clothing reproductions to sell in her new boutique – like people will impulsively buy and wear historical clothing on a daily basis!
There’s something different about this book but I can’t quite decide what it is. Perhaps it’s the pacing. The story starts after all of Sophie’s company has arrived and we’re introduced to a lot more new characters than usual, all at once, so maybe it feels slightly superficial compared to the previous books. Strangely, one chapter starts mid-dialog with no connection to the end of the previous chapter and no explanation. I did read a galley copy of the book, so it’s probably an error that will be fixed before the final copy is printed. Even so, it’s a fun addition to the series and well worth reading. — Cathy Akers-Jordan