"Shoulder Bags and Shootings" by Dorothy Howell - Book Review

Shoulder Bags and Shootings
Author: Dorothy Howell
Publisher: Kensington
ISBN: 9780758223784
Genre: Fiction, Mystery

About the Book (from FSB):

Fashionista and amateur sleuth Haley Randolph is in hot pursuit of the season's newest must- have handbag. But soon she's also in hot pursuit of a killer -- when she discovers the corpse of none other than her designer purse party rival . . .

Life is beyond fabulous at the moment for Haley Randolph. She just spent two amazing weeks in Europe with her boyfriend Ty Cameron, owner of Holt's Department Store where Haley works. And now Ty's grandmother, Ada, is letting Haley drive her way-cool Mercedes. Things would be perfect if she could just get her hands on her latest fashion obsession: the new Sinful handbag.
Every store in town is out of stock, and Haley would rather die than buy a knockoff. But when she finds the body of her nemesis, Tiffany Markham, in the trunk of Ada's Mercedes, she's not so sure she wants to trade places after all . . .

Topping the list of suspects, Haley doesn't deny seeing red when Tiffany and her business partner not only stole her purse party idea, but also made more money. But Haley wasn't jealous enough to commit murder. Now she'll have to solve this mystery quickly -- and find that Sinful bag -- before she becomes a killer's next fashion fatality . . .

My Thoughts:

Haley is certainly a character, and one that I wanted to strangle at times. She is self absorbed and more into fashion than murder. I think that's what works with this story. Haley's nuttiness makes is amazing to find that she actually can work out the murder! The story is humorous but at the same time has hit a raw nerve from time to time with me.

This is book 3 of the "Haley Randolph Mystery Series" but can easily be read as a stand-alone. This is my first exposure to Haley, and I'm planning on picking up the first two to see if she's as much of a kook in the first two as this one. Maybe some of that will be explained a bit better. LOL

If you love cozies, give this one a try. If you can't get past self-absorbed young women, this book may not be for you.

About the Author:

Dorothy Howell was inspired to write Handbags and Homicide by her crazed obsession with designer purses. She lives in Southern California, where there is, thankfully, no rehab program for handbag addiction, and is hard at work on her next Haley Randolph mystery.

This book was supplied by FSB for me to honestly review.