lakea's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, Murder, and Toxic relationship
cservat129's review
3.0
Review:
Madison is a decorator who favors vintage clothes and all things Doris Day and decorating in the mid last century style. Madison also gets entangled in murder mysteries. I liked the setting of this book Palm Springs, whats not to like? The plot was good and not at all predictable. Madison has her love interest Hudson with her on this trip and things seem very cozy between them but there is a certain police captain back home by the name of Tex that seems to be very interested in her, so I am not too sure what will develop between these two in future books. There are some good red herrings in this story, they actually had me fooled! I was not sure if I liked Hudson's sister and brother in-law during this book , I found their relationship an annoyance. As for Hudson I am not sure he is the one for Madison, I think I am team Tex!
For me this was a good read, I enjoyed the mystery, the romance part was not too heavy and that for me works for this type of cozy mystery.This review was originally posted on Cindy's Book Binge
Madison is a decorator who favors vintage clothes and all things Doris Day and decorating in the mid last century style. Madison also gets entangled in murder mysteries. I liked the setting of this book Palm Springs, whats not to like? The plot was good and not at all predictable. Madison has her love interest Hudson with her on this trip and things seem very cozy between them but there is a certain police captain back home by the name of Tex that seems to be very interested in her, so I am not too sure what will develop between these two in future books. There are some good red herrings in this story, they actually had me fooled! I was not sure if I liked Hudson's sister and brother in-law during this book , I found their relationship an annoyance. As for Hudson I am not sure he is the one for Madison, I think I am team Tex!
For me this was a good read, I enjoyed the mystery, the romance part was not too heavy and that for me works for this type of cozy mystery.This review was originally posted on Cindy's Book Binge
verityw's review against another edition
3.0
****Copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review****
Another book where I'm jumping in to a well-established series, but actually this wasn't as hard to get into as some of the others - once I'd got my head around Madison's Doris Day obsession. Obviously there are some traumas/issues from her past that I wasn't across, but that didn't stop my enjoyment of the book. The mystery is good, the setting is nice and it was a perfectly fun and fine way to spend a few hours. My first Diane Vallere book, but probably not my last.
Another book where I'm jumping in to a well-established series, but actually this wasn't as hard to get into as some of the others - once I'd got my head around Madison's Doris Day obsession. Obviously there are some traumas/issues from her past that I wasn't across, but that didn't stop my enjoyment of the book. The mystery is good, the setting is nice and it was a perfectly fun and fine way to spend a few hours. My first Diane Vallere book, but probably not my last.
readingactually's review against another edition
3.0
Review:
Madison is a decorator who favors vintage clothes and all things Doris Day and decorating in the mid last century style. Madison also gets entangled in murder mysteries. I liked the setting of this book Palm Springs, whats not to like? The plot was good and not at all predictable. Madison has her love interest Hudson with her on this trip and things seem very cozy between them but there is a certain police captain back home by the name of Tex that seems to be very interested in her, so I am not too sure what will develop between these two in future books. There are some good red herrings in this story, they actually had me fooled! I was not sure if I liked Hudson's sister and brother in-law during this book , I found their relationship an annoyance. As for Hudson I am not sure he is the one for Madison, I think I am team Tex!
For me this was a good read, I enjoyed the mystery, the romance part was not too heavy and that for me works for this type of cozy mystery.This review was originally posted on Cindy's Book Binge
Madison is a decorator who favors vintage clothes and all things Doris Day and decorating in the mid last century style. Madison also gets entangled in murder mysteries. I liked the setting of this book Palm Springs, whats not to like? The plot was good and not at all predictable. Madison has her love interest Hudson with her on this trip and things seem very cozy between them but there is a certain police captain back home by the name of Tex that seems to be very interested in her, so I am not too sure what will develop between these two in future books. There are some good red herrings in this story, they actually had me fooled! I was not sure if I liked Hudson's sister and brother in-law during this book , I found their relationship an annoyance. As for Hudson I am not sure he is the one for Madison, I think I am team Tex!
For me this was a good read, I enjoyed the mystery, the romance part was not too heavy and that for me works for this type of cozy mystery.This review was originally posted on Cindy's Book Binge
3no7's review against another edition
4.0
Madison Night finds murder, fashion, and fun in Palm Springs -- don't we all?
“The Decorator Who Knew Too Much” is the latest installment in Diane Vallere’s Madison Night series. It is NOT necessary to have read the other books before enjoying this one, there are quick snippets of the previous “action” embedded throughout this book when needed to advance the plot without wasting pages and pages of summary about what happened previously. However, if you have not read the previous books, you will want to go back and catch up because you will love Madison, with all her faults and wardrobe idiosyncrasies.
If murder, betrayal, and danger could be fun, Madison Night would be the one to mix that with work, vacation, romance, and incredible period clothes. You can read a plot summary other places, so I will share that in this book, Madison Night is finally becoming a modern woman in “50s clothes. She struggles to move on from her perilous past and its complications while working to maintain her bank account, her piece of mind, and her relationships and combine all this with a vacation!?!?
Of course, the book is full of suspense and crime, but it is also incredibly funny. It is easy to read, but readers may find themselves looking into the back of grandma’s closets for something made from Simplicity 6013 or 7499.
If you think a mystery has to be dark, oppressive, and over stressful, to be “real” crime fiction you are wrong, wrong, wrong. And really, how could any book with a title that is a take-off of my favorite Hitchcock movie be anything but fantastic?
“The Decorator Who Knew Too Much” is the latest installment in Diane Vallere’s Madison Night series. It is NOT necessary to have read the other books before enjoying this one, there are quick snippets of the previous “action” embedded throughout this book when needed to advance the plot without wasting pages and pages of summary about what happened previously. However, if you have not read the previous books, you will want to go back and catch up because you will love Madison, with all her faults and wardrobe idiosyncrasies.
If murder, betrayal, and danger could be fun, Madison Night would be the one to mix that with work, vacation, romance, and incredible period clothes. You can read a plot summary other places, so I will share that in this book, Madison Night is finally becoming a modern woman in “50s clothes. She struggles to move on from her perilous past and its complications while working to maintain her bank account, her piece of mind, and her relationships and combine all this with a vacation!?!?
Of course, the book is full of suspense and crime, but it is also incredibly funny. It is easy to read, but readers may find themselves looking into the back of grandma’s closets for something made from Simplicity 6013 or 7499.
If you think a mystery has to be dark, oppressive, and over stressful, to be “real” crime fiction you are wrong, wrong, wrong. And really, how could any book with a title that is a take-off of my favorite Hitchcock movie be anything but fantastic?
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