Murder After A Fashion

These days, not even a new wardrobe can keep fashionista Rita Jewel from feeling blue. Perhaps the cure is a cooking class with a celebrity chef! But her appetite is ruined when murder becomes the main course… As a salesgirl at Dolce’s, a chic boutique outfitting San Francisco’s wealthiest women, Rita has the world’s greatest job. So why does she feel like last season’s Christian Louboutin stilettos—worn and out of style? Maybe it’s because her love life needs a makeover ASAP. From carrots to caviar, Guido Torcelli is the celebrity chef du jour. Perhaps signing up for his cooking class will serve as a much-needed distraction for Rita. But when Guido’s shot to death, Rita knows she’ll soon top the list of suspects. Guido was killed at his culinary school the same night she scrawled her phone number on a menu and handed it to him. Now she’s got to find the murderer before she’s forced to take all her meals in the prison cafeteria…

"Crimes of Fashion" columnist Lacey Smithsonian delves into her latest mystery when hot new stylist Angie Woods supposedly commits suicide, but Lacey believes otherwise and teams up with a gorgeous ex-cop to find the truth, an investigation that leads her to a congressional staffer. Original.

Home of the helmet hairdo and congressional comb-over, Washington, D.C., is a hotbed of fashion faux pas. If anyone should know, it’s “Crimes of Fashion” columnist Lacey Smithsonian. She dishes out advice to the scandal-scorched and clothing-clueless, doing her part to change this town—one fashion victim at a time.... SHAWL TALE Washington, D.C., fashion reporter Lacey Smithsonian has always believed clothes can be magical, but she’s never thought they can be cursed. Until now. Lacey’s best friend, Stella, is finally getting married, and at her bachelorette party, fellow bridesmaid—and fortune-teller—Marie Largesse arrives with a stunning Russian shawl. A shawl, Marie warns, that can either bless or curse the wearer. When a party crasher who mocks the shawl is found dead the next day, the other guests fear the curse has been unleashed. But Lacey has her doubts, and she must employ all her Extra-Fashionary Perception to capture a villain who has vowed that nobody at this wedding will live happily ever after….

National bestselling author Diane Vallere delivers a not-quite-cozy series with a hilarious amateur sleuth! Join Samantha Kidd as she trades high fashion for dirty laundry and learns a great wardrobe isn't enough to turn her life around, let alone catch a killer. Designer Dirty Laundry is the first book in the humorous Samantha Kidd mystery series. If you like witty protagonists, clever dialogue, and fashion-forward drama, then you'll love Diane Vallere's chic story. She expected the fashion industry to be ruthless. She wasn't prepared for it to turn deadly. ​Ready to redesign her life, style expert Samantha Kidd accepts a job in her Pennsylvania hometown as a trend specialist. But her first day goes completely A-line when she stumbles across her legendary boss dead in the elevator. And after the body disappears, she can't help but pull on the mystery's thread and unravel an entire wardrobe of suspects. ​Supervising her deceased employer's vogue competition, Samantha tries to hem in a sexy shoe designer and countless ego-driven creatives to stitch together the clues. But when her own name appears on the police's suspect list, the sleuthing fashionista's days on the catwalk could be numbered. Can Samantha put a killer in the spotlight before she's sewn up for a crime she didn't commit? ​Buy Designer Dirty Laundry for this season's murder couture today! Designer Dirty Laundry is a humorous mystery set in a fictional eastern Pennsylvania town. It has a cozy mystery feel and features a determined and loyal amateur sleuth and a fresh-start storyline. Designer Dirty Laundry is the first book in the Samantha Kidd mystery series and appeals to fans of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. What people are saying: "...the book is enriched by the author's cleverly phrased prose and convincing characterization. The surprise ending will satisfy and delight many mystery fans. A diverting mystery that offers laughs and chills." ~Kirkus Reviews "an impressive cozy mystery from a promising author." ~Mystery Tribune ​"A really funny mystery with a chicklit feel." ~Susan M. Boyer, USA Today Bestselling Author of the Liz Talbot Mystery Series "Designer Dirty Laundry shows that even the toughest crime is no match for a sleuth in fishnet stockings who knows her way around the designer department. A delightful debut." ~Kris Neri, Lefty Award-Nominated author of Revenge For Old Times' Sake ​"Combining fashion and fatalities, Diane Vallere pens a winning debut mystery...a sleek and stylish read." ~Ellen Byerrum, National Bestselling author of the Crime of Fashion mysteries ​"Vallere once again brings her knowledgeable fashion skills to the forefront, along with comedy, mystery, and a saucy romance. Buyer, Beware did not disappoint!" ~Chick Lit Plus "Fashion is always at the forefront, but never at the cost of excellent writing, humorous dialogue, or a compelling story." ~Kings River Life "A captivating new mystery voice, Vallere has stitched together haute couture and murder in a stylish mystery. Dirty Laundry has never been so engrossing!" ~Krista Davis, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Diva Runs Out of Thyme "In Designer Dirty Laundry , author Diane Vallere stitches together a seamless mystery. Samantha Kidd is a witty heroine that you will root for as she fashions a fresh stylish start in her hometown of Ribbon, Pennsylvania." ~Avery Aames, Agatha Award-Winning Author of The Long Quiche Goodbye "Samantha Kidd is an engaging amateur sleuth." -Mysterious Reviews "It keeps you at the edge of your seat. I love the description of clothes in this book...if you love fashion, pick this up!" -Los Angeles Mamma Blog "Diane Vallere takes the reader through this cozy mystery with her signature wit and humor." -Mary Marks, NY Journal of Books "Maybe your handbag holds only a phone and a wallet, but if you're Samantha Kidd, from Diane Vallere's Style & Error series, there may be something deadlier in the bag.​"~Sheila Connolly, New York Times Bestselling Author of Murder at the Mansion For readers who like humorous character-driven cozy mysteries with a dash of fashion and a dollop of fun! Keywords: humorous mysteries, cozy mysteries, amateur sleuths, women sleuths, mystery with humor, fashionable fiction, fashionable mysteries, friendship fiction, traditional mysteries, Pennsylvania fiction, stylish sleuths, funny mysteries, personal growth mysteries, mysteries set in Pennsylvania, funny cozy mysteries, humorous cozy mysteries, traditional mystery, free mystery, freebie, free first in series, free series starter, series starter, designer mystery, starting over mystery, fish out of water mystery, fresh start, starting over, new job, cozy hobby mystery, animal mystery, cat, black cat, determined sleuth, female sleuth, women sleuth, fearless sleuth, crime, crime fiction, murder mystery, amateur detective, sleuthing in style, stylish sleuthing, suspense, thriller Previously published under the series title "Style & Error" and "Style in a Small Town" mysteries. Join Diane's newsletter THE WEEKLY DIVA and never miss a new release! Sign up here: https://www.dianevallere.com/weekly-diva National bestselling author Diane Vallere writes funny and fashionable character-based mysteries. After two decades working for a top luxury retailer, she traded fashion accessories for accessories to murder. A past president of Sisters in Crime, Diane started her own detective agency at age ten and has maintained a passion for shoes, clues, and clothes ever since. Diane-Fans describe “her vintage Vallere goodness,” and say she is a “great storyteller” with “a way with creating strong female characters and intrigue” who is “a superb and very humorous writer.” Her gift of creating “spunky sleuths in fun settings” take readers to Dallas, Palm Springs, Los Angeles, Pennsylvania, and outer space. Drop in on Diane! Website: www.dianevallere.com Facebook: www.Facebook.com/dianevallereauthor Instagram: www.instagram.com/dianevallere ADDITIONAL BOOKS BY DIANE: Samantha Kidd Mysteries (funny, fashion-y mysteries with many mentions of pretzels) Designer Dirty Laundry Buyer, Beware The Brim Reaper Some Like It Haute Grand Theft Retro Pearls Gone Wild Cement Stilettos Panty Raid Union Jacked Slay Ride Tough Luxe Fahrenheit 501 Stark Raving Mod Madison Night Mad for Mod Mysteries (cozy/traditional mysteries winking at Doris Day movies) Midnight Ice (Prequel) Pillow Stalk That Touch of Ink With Vics you get Eggroll The Decorator Who Knew Too Much The Pajama Frame Lover Come Hack Apprehend Me No Flowers Teacher's Threat The Kill of it All Love Me or Grieve Me (Oct 2022) Material Witness Mysteries (cozy) Suede to Rest Crushed Velvet Silk Stalkings Costume Shop Mysteries (cozy) A Disguise to Die For Masking for Trouble Dressed to Confess Mermaid Sister Mysteries (cozy mysteries in the ocean) Tails from the Deep Murky Waters Sleeping with the Fishes Non-fiction Bonbons for your Brain

**THE INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER** "An unforgettable—and Hollywood-bound—new thriller... A mix of Hitchcockian suspense, Agatha Christie plotting, and Greek tragedy." —Entertainment Weekly The Silent Patient is a shocking psychological thriller of a woman’s act of violence against her husband—and of the therapist obsessed with uncovering her motive. Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word. Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London. Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him....