Friday, March 18, 2016

Julianna Deering's "Dressed for Death" - drugs, murder, and Jane Austen

Cover ArtDrew and Madeline return with another mystery! It appears that just because they're married, it doesn't mean they've quit solving murders. While at a Regency-themed house party, one of the guests turns up dead, and it's up to the Fartherings to investigate the murder. But at what cost?

It was fun catching references to Jane Austen's works; some I was more familiar with than others, but I know I recognized quite a few! I enjoyed the return of Carrie as a love interest for Nick. And meeting an adorable tuxedo cat that's worth keeping an eye on.

No matter how fun the mystery may be, or how clever the references to the theme, the murders in these books are never taken lightly. Murder truly is serious, no matter how it's often treated in cozy mysteries. I thought this one had an exceptionally tough death to deal with, along with the serious matter of drugs. And when people turn out to be different than one had always thought . . . it can be heart-breaking. This book was a bit heavier than I had anticipated, but the difficult subjects were treated well.


There are plenty of twists and turns to this mystery! The 1930's setting is interesting as always, with lots of little period details to ground it. Highly enjoyable.

Thank you Bethany House and NetGalley for providing a free book in exchange for review; I was not required to make the review positive, and all opinions are my own.

Drew Farthering Mysteries
1. Rules of Murder
2. Death by the Book
3. Murder at the Mikado
4. Dressed for Death
5. Murder on the Moor
6. Death at Thorburn Hall 

No comments:

Post a Comment