Review: Glossy Lips: Cold Cream Murders by Barbara Silkstone

Genre: Cozy Mystery/Humor/Woman Sleuth

Description:

“Olive Peroni put out her family therapy shingle six years ago, never thinking her top client would be Myron Meyers, head of a New York crime family. When Olive’s grandmother dies and leaves her a condo in Florida and a secret recipe for miracle cold cream, she grabs the chance at a new life in Starfish Cove, Florida, making designer creams for ladies who spend far too much time at the beach.

Business is brisk and life is good! Olive even makes a wild new best friend in Lizzy, the real estate agent who handles the transfer of Nonna’s condo. When a dead body is found in the trunk of Lizzy’s car, Olive despairs that life in Starfish Cove won’t be any different than the one she thought she’d escaped. But this time, instead of listening to confessions of murder, Olive’s going to have to solve one. Maybe two…”

Author:

“Barbara Silkstone's most current series is Florence Nightingale Comedy Mysteries...The Giggling Corpse, The Killer Corset, and The Cheeky Coroner. Cozies all.

Silkstone is the best-selling author of both Regency Pride and Prejudice variations, including the popular the MISTER DARCY SERIES OF COMEDIC MYSTERIES ~ PRIDE AND PREJUDICE contemporary variations. All her books are light-hearted adventures based on Jane Austen's timeless tales of love denied and love discovered. ‘Feel good’ tales to warm your heart.

She is also the author of the Wendy Darlin Comedy Mystery series. Five coffee-snorting tales that combine cozy with outrageous adventures.”

For more from Barbara, visit her website and her Facebook page.

Appraisal:

Ms. Silkstone’s books are always a pleasure to read. Her characters are realistic, well developed, and diverse. Olive Peroni, a New York family therapist, receives word that her grandma has passed away and Olive has inherited her Florida condo and all of her possessions. Olive takes leave from her practice thinking she can handle Nonna’s affairs in two weeks’ time. She hires a realtor over the internet and heads south. Olive is level-headed, smart, and practical. When she meets the real estate agent she hired, Lizzy, everything changes. Lizzy is a compassionate free-spirit, everything Olive is not. However, they strike a quick friendship with mutual respect for each other.

A dead body shows up in the trunk of Lizzy’s car. Then Lizzy’s cottage is broken into and trashed with lip gloss graphite on the walls and mirrors. Her finches are gone and her dog is traumatized. This causes the two friends to unwittingly become amateur sleuths. Much to the dismay of head detective Kal, Lizzy and WonderDog move into Olive’s condo for the time being. The story twists and turns as the suspect circle widens. The plot is well thought out, original, and entertaining.

Olive’s training as a psychologist serves her well in rooting out the killer, and choosing friends. Ms. Silkstone has an extraordinary cast of characters for this new cozy mystery series set in Starfish Cove, Florida. I just hope they find the time to keep up with sales of Nonna’s Cold Cream. And I loved the last line of the book. :)

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

  

FYI:

Glossy Lips is book 1 in Barbara Silkstone’s COLD CREAM MURDERS Series. Contains a recipe for Olive & Lizzy’s super-creamy homemade lip gloss!

Format/Typo Issues:

No issues in proofing or formatting.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 45-50,000 words