Retro Reading: Iced Chiffon by Duffy Brown
Consignment To Murder
Victims of messy divorces always try to land on their feet but sometimes they fail. This isn't the case for Reagan Summerside.
In the first installment of the consignment shop mysteries, Reagan's ex-husband, real estate "mogul" Hollis Beaumont III and his current squeeze, Janelle (also dubbed "Cupcake" by Reagan) pay a visit to Reagan's home. With mounting bills and foreclosure a breath away on the Victorian she dreamed about living in, Janelle notices some designer clothes laying on the dining room table and insists she buys some from Reagan.
Reagan sells her the clothes and thus begins her consignment shop.
While this may be a new venture for her, things get a little sticky the next morning when her Aunt Kiki discovers Janelle's body in the trunk of Hollis' Lexus. With Hollis as the main suspect in Cupcake's murder, Reagan owes it to him to at least try and figure out who the actual murderer is.
Of course, there are obstacles in the way. The primary obstacle being Hollis' attorney, Walker Boone, a former gang member gone straight.
Boone tries to get Reagan (who now has the help of Aunt Kiki) to stop her own investigation to the murder, but she knows that Boone's covering something up. What it is she intends to find out.
Author Duffy Brown has assembled probably the best cast of characters to ever appear in a mystery. These Southern belles are at the helm of helping each other through thick and thin.
Reagan and Kiki (who at one time was a roadie for Cher and quotes her as if gospel) make Lucy and Ethel seem like amateurs. These two have the knack for getting into trouble on almost every page and always seem to come out smelling like a rose.
Iced Chiffon is the beginning of a great series and I can honestly say that I couldn't get enough of this book. It really is a fun filled look at the south and how "proper women" conduct themselves when the going gets tough.
