MYSTERY

Death Drop

Golden Notebook. (Killer Queen Mystery, Bk. 1). Oct. 2023. 363p. ISBN 9780967554150. pap. $18.95. M
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Makeup artist James “Jem” Richard might honestly believe that Marigny Orloff is committing crimes against fashion with her ill-fitting couture gowns, but that doesn’t mean he wanted to kill her. It turns out, however, that someone else did want Marigny dead. This becomes evident when Jem discovers Marigny’s body the day after her latest runway show, which featured drag queen models styled by Jem, who was also pressed into service as a last-minute model. Now, in between remembering snatches of conversations he overheard at the fashion show and suddenly becoming the target of Marigny’s killer, Jem has no choice but to do some investigating of his own, unless he wants his next death drop to be permanent.
VERDICT The mystery itself often seems to take a backseat to personal dramas playing out among the engaging cast of characters concocted by award-winning Herren, author of the “Chanse MacLeod” and “Scotty Bradley” series. However, readers who enjoy crime fiction with a vividly evoked setting and an entertaining story frame will find this series launch to be the perfect literary lagniappe.
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