Died With a Bow

Accessories Mystery #2

by Grace Carroll

April in San Francisco may be all about layers, but it also marks one year since the stylish Rita Jewell began working at Dolce’s, an upscale boutique catering to the city’s trendy socialites. And while it may seem like a glamorous world, someone’s about to get ugly…   Things have been less than pretty for Rita lately. There’s her lackluster love life. Then Dolce hires a new salesgirl. Fast-talking fashionista Vienna Fairchild is young, confident, and horribly entitled. She’s rearranged the store and relegates Rita to answering her phone—and the men are ringing for Vienna as though it were going out of style. Lucky for Rita, Dolce has tickets to a charity bachelor auction—but what to wear? While Rita opts for something simple, Vienna stuns the crowd in a breathtaking black dress with a pink bow on the back. Rita is even more stunned when she sees Vienna in that same dress the following day—dead on the sales floor of Dolce’s. With Rita’s fingerprints all over the scene and a believable motive, she’s going to need to find some clues and throw together the perfect outfit that “I’m innocent.”

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fashion, Cozy, Fiction

281 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 4, 2012

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Theda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Plot was interesting, but I didn’t care that that the victim had been killed. The way in which the motive and murderer were revealed strained believability.

The fashion descriptions have now gotten somewhat tedious, possibly because the characters haven’t developed since the first book so they aren’t strong enough to carry the story, and Meera is now just annoying.

[Sonja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun and fashionable whodunnit!

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting mystery. I really enjoyed the details on the shop, the mystery, the interactions with the clients and Rita's potential beaus. Recommend.

[Janel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Starr Gardinier]

Rita Jewel is a successful stylist and sales p r o f e s s i o n a l , who works in one of the most stylish boutiques in San
Francisco, Dolce’s. Life is good, if expensive. Then Dolce, her boss, hires a new sales girl who is young, aggressive, pushy, and entitled. Before Rita can turn around, the new girl, Vienna, has convinced Dolce to put Rita back in the stock room, while she makes all the sales. As Rita steams, Dolce announces that she has tickets to a charity bachelor auction and all three of them are going to attend.

Rita and Dolce wear something simple and elegant, while Vienna chooses a dramatic black dress with hot pink satin accents, with a large pink bow on the back. Vienna makes a splash at the charity event, and Rita goes home depressed. Early the next day, when she enters the shop, she stumbles over Vienna’s body. Rita’s fingerprints are everywhere and it is known that she resented Vienna taking over the shop and her usual duties. How can she convince the police that she was nowhere near the shop when Vienna was killed?

In order to save herself, Rita begins investigating on her own, and soon, she realizes that she is in a maelstrom of emotional reactions from those with whom Vienna had relationships. Rita works hard to clear herself, and finds that she might just be the next victim!

Grace Carroll has written a clever and entertaining mystery with a lovable protagonist and there are fun tips for those who are well dressed, or those who wish to be. This is the second book in the Accessories Mysteries, and I look forward to reading the others! Cheers to Grace Carroll for a cute and clever read!

Reviewed by Holly Price author of “At Death’s Door” (released soon) for Suspense Magazine

[Shelley Giusti · Rating 5 out of 5]

When new girl Vienna starts working at Dolce's and becomes a close friend of Dolce's the owner, Rita becomes a little jealous. Dolce's time is spent with Vienna and Rita feels like that should be her not Vienna, So when Vienna is Killed at the Bachelor charity Auction all eyes and evidence points to Rita. Especially since she was the one who found Vienna and her prints were all over the murder scene.




Rita has to prove that she is innocent and to do that she has to find Vienna's killer before she becomes the next victim. But where to start? And how does she get Detective Wall to believe her? She starts her own investigating. But is she to late , will she go to jail for something she didnt do. Get a copy of the book today and find out.




It was a great read, you will not be disappointed in this book!

[Jeannie and Louis Rigod · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read. I actually did not get the correct villian until it was revealed. If you enjoy high fashion and know designer labels then this book is right up your alley. For me, it was a bit tiring as I'm not into fashion.

I do like the characters, and got a kick out of sleuth, Rita Jewel's trips through San Francisco as she explores, fashion, cooking, museums, etc. I laughed with the Romanian vampire and carp on a Pizza.

All in all, I'll read the next book out as there was a lot to enjoy in this one.

[Beth Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked the main character, the humor, the San Francisco setting, and the fashion. The ending was weak, abrupt, and unsatisfying, and left some major threads dangling. If you read mysteries for the challenge of solving the puzzle, you should skip this one. It's definitely a case of style over substance; I happened to like the style.

[swati · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second in a series of light mysteries by Grace Carroll. Every San Francisco fashionista should read this book. I loved all the references to high end fashion and the culture, neighborhoods and atmosphere of San Francisco. It is a light mystery well set in the city of SF.

[Susie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like it... but I just can't.