I’m continuing to revisit some of the most popular and recommended Cozy Mystery Series. Today I’ll be discussing Melissa Bourbon‘s Magical Dressmaking Mystery Series, and to do that, I’ve re-read the first book in the series, Pleating for Mercy.

The basic story structure of Pleating for Mercy isn’t necessarily the most original for a Cozy – when Harlow Cassidy inherits her great-grandmother’s house, she decides to give up her big city fashion designer job in New York to return home to small town Bliss, Texas, and set up the small dressmaking shop she always dreamed of. Naturally, an old family friend is quickly implicated in a murder, and Harlow needs sets out to clear her name.

While the overall plot of the novel may not be the most innovative I’ve ever seen in a Cozy Mystery, Melissa Bourbon does particularly well is introducing an interesting cast with different characters without necessarily going overboard in making them seem “zany”. I personally am sometimes put off by too many “quirky” characters in a series, and upon hearing of the protagonist’s mother being able to grow plants in a supernatural fashion and her grandmother being a goat-whisperer, I was at first afraid that they would quickly cross the line into just being quirky for the sake of quirk. However, this didn’t turn out to be the case – while these features were certainly present in the Cassidy women, they weren’t necessarily their only defining characteristics.

The magical elements to the Cozy are also implemented well. The magical abilities of the Cassidy women are introduced in an interesting way, by discussing how their ancestor, Butch Cassidy, wished for a charmed life for his descendants, and every member of the family has possessed some magical charm ever since. Attaching the magical attributes of the series to a story that most people will easily remember (most people being at least vaguely aware of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, through the classic movie if nothing else), they become both easier to remember and more interesting.

The dressmaking elements of the Magical Dressmaking series are also largely successful. I’m not particularly knowledgeable about fashion, but even I was able to end up with reasonable mental images of the dresses that Harlow considers making for her clientele >>> though I’ll admit I did have to look up more than a few terms to make sure I was getting the right image in my head!

Overall, Pleating for Mercy is an interesting read for anyone who is a fan of fashion themed Cozies with a supernatural element, or anyone interested in a Cozy set in small town Texas. (I’ll admit, as a long-term Texas resident, I do have something of a soft spot for the state.)

If you’re interested in checking out some of the other entries I’ve written on fan favorites, be sure to check out the page on Most Popular & Recommended Cozy Mystery Series.

P.S. I should have mentioned that the author is now writing the Bread Shop Mystery Series (as Winnie Archer)…

As you know if you have been around this blog for awhile, I have been working my way through some of the most popular and recommended Cozy Mystery series. Up next is the Gladdy Gold Mystery Series by Rita Lakin. I recently finished re-reading and thoroughly enjoying the first book in this popular series – Getting Old Is Murder. 

The series centers around a Ft. Lauderdale retirement community where Gladdy Gold is the 75 year old primary sleuth. She works with a group of similarly elderly friends – almost all women.  I use the term “works with” loosely since sometimes it seems the other women are (unintentionally) working against Gladdy in their well meaning but often befuddled way.

In the first book of the series, Gladdy finds herself trying to find a serial killer of several of the residents of the retirement community. Gladdy recognizes that there is something fishy with the way some of her old friends are dropping dead seemingly from natural causes. Of course, the police detective whom Gladdy goes to report her suspicions does not take her seriously >> at least at first. However, when another death occurs, though, it becomes all too clear to Gladdy that she is onto something. Soon Gladdy and her friends form a murder-detection group called “Gladdy’s Gladiators”.

This book has a refreshingly slow pace with the murders not really dominating the story telling until well into the last half of the book. Rather, the author introduces us to many of the condo complexes residents while slowly providing the clues necessary for the reader to try to solve the mystery.  This Cozy community really comes to life and the book is sprinkled with gentle humor about the foibles of people and aging. And, for those of you who enjoy some romance in your Cozies, there is one here too!

I’ve written about Rita Lakin before (back in March of 2015), and I have to say that what I said then still applies upon me re-reading this first book of the series. The relationship between Gladdy and her friends really makes the book enjoyable.

Rita Lakin has a background in TV as a writer, creator and producer. (She wrote a memoir about her life in TV, The Only Woman in the Room: Episodes in My Life and Career as a Television Writer which I have not yet read >>> but I am very tempted to do so soon!) Her writing is top-notch and what she has created here is what I think is a fine example of a modern Cozy. If you like your sleuths with a bit of seasoning behind them, I highly recommend Rita Lakin’s Getting Old Is Murder.

P.S. If you’d like to see more highlights of some of the most recommended or popular Cozy Mystery authors/series, visit the Most Popular & Recommended Cozy Mystery Series page on my site.