Lethal Black Dress

Crime of Fashion #10

by Ellen Byerrum

When does a little black dress become a lethal black dress? When it becomes unexpectedly weaponized at the most security-conscious event in Washington, D.C.—the fabled White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Fashion reporter Lacey Smithsonian is delighted to finally take her place at the legendary D.C. insider bash, but she senses something is amiss with a pushy TV reporter's vintage Madame X gown with its stunning emerald lining. When the woman takes a tumble with a tray of champagne and dies of something other than embarrassment, Lacey taps into her ExtraFashionary Perception and follows her hunch that this was no freak accident. Juggling her investigation with her love life and future in-laws complicates matters, while spies and lies and an enemy close to home bring Lacey face to face with danger and jealousy, the green-eyed monster. But this time, will the style sleuth discover that green is also the color of death? This book is the 10th in the Crime of Fashion Mysteries.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Fashion, Chick Lit

310 pages, Paperback

First published September 16, 2014

About the author

Ellen Byerrum was a Washington, D.C., news reporter, now a novelist and playwright. In the interest of research, she also earned a Virginia private investigator's registration. She has written comic mysteries, a thriller, a middle grade mystery, and a children's rhyming picture book.

Most recently, she published the 1940s prequel to her Crime of Fashion Mysteries, THE BRIEF LUMINOUS FLIGHT OF THE FIREFLY, starring Mimi Smith, a young woman from out west who goes to Washington, DC to do her part for the war effort.

Her Crime of Fashion mysteries star a savvy, stylish sleuth: Lacey Smithsonian, a reluctant fashion reporter in Washington D.C., "The City Fashion Forgot."

Lacey would rather be working "hard news," but her nose for nuance, eye for a great story, and talent for getting into trouble make her the right reporter for the Crimes of Fashion beat. In her vintage suits and killer heels, she trips over fashion clues, fabulous shoes, dangerous women, drop-dead men, and of course the occasional corpse (who wouldn't be caught dead dressed like that).

Reviews

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Started this series way back when and was happy to finally get back to it. Have loved the series from the beginning, and, for me, this was worth the wait!

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Washington D.C. fashion reporter Lacey Smithsonian attends a gala event where she admires the vintage dress worn by broadcaster Courtney Wallace. That particular shade of green lining the dress is rare, Lacey notices, so rare that it might be related to a shade called Paris Green. A waiter accidentally bumps Courtney, spilling champagne all over the gown. And that’s when Courtney starts feeling ill. Lacey, aware that Paris Green can emit toxic fumes when wet, warns the woman but Courtney accuses her of being envious. Lacey isn’t the one who covets her limelight, however. Courtney’s various other colleagues resent her role. Did one of them purposefully change the original lining of the dress, arrange for the spill, and orchestrate Courtney’s demise that followed? Only a fashion reporter with a nose for vintage dresses could sniff out the clues in this brilliantly conceived murder mystery.

[Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Lacey Smithsonian. Ellen Byerrum continues to surprise me by keeping her Crimes of Fashion series fresh and interesting with stories that aren't predictable or run-of-the-mill. When tv news reporter Courtney Wallace dies unexpectedly at the White House Correspondents Dinner, no one except Lacey suspects that Wallace's vintage black dress may have been lethal. Using her "ExtraFashionary Perception," Lacey doggedly pursues every clue to the dress's origin and the mystery of how it came to be worn by the reporter, and how it was turned into a deadly weapon. Aided and abetted by her crazy cast of friends and her sexy and stalwart fiance, Vic, Lacey once again unravels the mystery and brings an unsuspected killer to justice.

I enjoyed this book tremendously, and I eagerly await the next Crimes of Fashion mystery.

[C.A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lacey Smithaonian is back and commenting on the fashion, or more often lack of it, of the nation's elite. This time, she's at a gala event, the Whitehouse Correspondents Dinner. Her fashion eye spots follow journalist in a copy of the famous Madam X dress, with one exception, the inner lining is a bold green rather than the white of the original. A killer dress that ends up killing the woman wearing it, and only Lacey's EFP leads the police to the killer, a dye known as Paris Green. Still fun after all these books, but this one takes on some darker themes.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the storyline... Felt Lacey to be arrogant which was a huge disappointment since I love her character. Don't know if the harshness of her attitude has to do with lack of an editor since the author independently published the book but definitely felt that Lacey complained and criticized too much. Her overall tone was rude. Maybe an editor would've softened her a little like the old Lacey.

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series. It is always fun and interesting.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual, a very enjoyable book from Ellen Byerrum. I love her criticisms of D.C. fashion.

[Eryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The latest book in my favorite guilty pleasure series did not disappoint! It had good twists and turns, laugh out loud moments and sweet scenes mixed in.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series! Very fun & stylish!

[Aparna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stars: 3.5 / 5
Recommendation: An easy mystery read that is weaved through the world of fashion, style and dressing from the view point of a fashion stylist.

Lethal Black Dress is the tenth installment in the Crime of Fashion Mystery Series by Ellen Byerrum published in October of 2014. Lacey Smithsonian, the fashion reporter for The Eye Street Observer in Washington D.C., gets tangled with another fashion murder while attending the fables White House Correspondent's Dinner - hosted by White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA), an organization of journalists who cover the White House and the President of the United States. Ellen has not written another Crime of Fashion book since then - I wonder if this will be her last in the series, although hadnt seen any official notice of that kind anywhere.

A select few from The Eye Street were allowed to attend the Correspondent's Dinner every year and this year Lacey Smithsonian was among them. Although she did not come there to report on anything, as usual her mind and keen eye were looking for any fashion ups and downs, any loops and ties, in all the distinguished folks at the gala - including The President of United States. She was mildly disappointed that everyone including her reporter friends from The Eye who attended black, except her - she wore Blue. Her "Source Date" for the event was Detective Broadway Lamont. The gala seemed exciting and successful what with all the who's who from the higher class over there, yet there seemed an oppressive feeling that Lacey could not shake off.

In walks Lacey's nemesis Courtney Wallace - a TV news reporter for Channel One - who had recently started her video feature on "Vintage Through The Decades" was a direct steal from Smithsonian's Crime of Fashion and Fashion Bites columns. And despite her efforts to avoid, Lacey gets tangled in a battle of words with Courtney, much to her dismay. Add to that Lacey suspects that Courtney wore a dress that is an exact replicate of the gown worn in the famous "Madame X" portrait by John Singer Sargent in 1884. Her BFF and attorney Brooke Barton also attends the event along-side her boyfriend Damon Newhouse - owns the Conspiracy Clearinghouse blog on the web at Deadfed dot com - since Damon was also a member of WHCA.

Then the blooper of the evening happens - Courtney while racing after an actress for a scoop bumps into a waiter holding a tray filled with glasses of Champagne and all of it gets spilled on her making her wet from head to toe. But what is that strange smell again, something garlic-like that came off from Courtney, wondered Lacey and that musty aroma that reminded her of something. Much later at the event it clicks to her brain that the garlicky odor belongs to Paris Green - an inorganic compound that was used as a pigment in early nineteenth century but was banned decades ago when it was realized that when wet it can be dangerous. The following day Courtney Wallace is identified as dead from unknown reasons - although she had been taken to hospital the previous night when she had collapsed at the end of the party, everyone assumed she was exhausted or had a flu. Lacey's brain immediately tunes to Paris Green, the odor that she had smelt on the dress Courtney wore.

Was her dress really laced with Paris Green? Why would anyone use that dye in this era? What was the cause of her death? Who was gunning for Courtney - although she was not short of enemies in Washington D.C.? Was the scandal she had been involved in with regards to Thaddeus T. Granville - political operative, his candidate Senator Swansdown and the opposite candidate's wife that almost cost Courtney her career? Does Drake Rayburn, the lobbyist and Courtney's boyfriend, have anything to do with it? Where does he fit? Why was Gregor Kepelov - ex-KGB and fiancée to Marie Largesse who is a psychic with fainting spells - so interested in the dress? In all this hubbub Peter Johnson another reporter at The Eye is showing more animosity with Lacey than normal is - causing Lacey to wonder if he could be a suspect. Well, the line of suspect keeps growing and the work of Lacey is cut out.

Another interesting murder mystery involving fashion, style and legends. Ellen Byerrum did her best in this again although I did feel at time the text was too much as always. The other characters linger around in the plot woven to make it a thick quilt. Well written to keep you on the edge of entertainment. Signing off with another of Lacey's fashion bites.

Lacey Smithsonian's Fashion Bites: Casual Friday - Let the Counterrevolution Begin!

So join the Casual Friday Counterrevolution this Friday, and dress up instead of dressing down. You'll be doing your part to turn this menace around. Together we can stop the conspiracy known as Casual Friday, one Friday at a time.

Spoiler Alerts:

1) Ellen mentions about US government's clothing regulations during war-times - Regulation L - 85 - and peeked my interest to check it out. Very interesting that to balance outfits for soldiers during world war times, UK and US had regulations on women's clothing to save and use it for soldiers. Interesting that now women's clothing for fashion are barely there even though there is no world war around the corner. More on the regulation here: http://glamourdaze.com/world-war-two-...
2) Potrait of Madame X by John Singer Sargent - I had to google to see what that was before I could understand it in the book. Seems to the portrait had brought bad luck both to the artiste and the model. Scandal primarily for the artiste being "was the strap of one shoulder dropped in the original and repainted after?" More here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrai...
3) Julianne Moore and Nicole Kidman have since wore the replicas of this dress on two occasions. Check them out here: http://partnouveau.com/?p=219
4) I envy Lacey of her Aunt Mimi's old steamer trunk that is full of memories, fashion memorabilia and long-forgotten dress patterns that had complete information but not yet been transformed. Lacey periodically takes one pattern at a time and converts into the dress per the pattern as she did in this book as well. I wish I had someone in my family that left that to me. Wouldn’t it be fun to wear Vintage designs with upgraded fabric and walk in style at any event?
5) Paris Green - Never heard of this pigment but makes me wonder how people made dyes in the centuries past. More about the pigment here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_g...
6) Lacey had accepted Vic's proposal finally and had gotten engaged in the previous book (Veiled Revenge). Now I am curious to see when they will get married and if a book will be written up - of course it would include murder. :P
7) As Lacey goes through the videos Courtney had made as part of her series, she talks about one look that reflects the movie His Girl Friday - a movie that was on my mind for quite sometime to watch. A post for another day.
8) Lacey's grandmother's quip about seventies fashion is very humorous and so to the mark - "The whole world was having a costume party and I wasn’t invited."
9) Ellen mentions about a vintage store in Baltimore that Lacey visits as part of her investigation. The store is called as Killer Stash in the book. However the store is Killer Trash in reality per google. Link: https://www.facebook.com/KillerTrashB...
10) A sub-plot involving Harlan Wiedemeyer - The Eye's Death and Dismemberment Reporter - and Felicity Pickles - The Eye's Food Reporter - wedding plans continue thru the book.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun murder mystery. Lacy ties it all together with fashion. This one is about a TV personality who dies wearing a vintage dress lined with green silk. She gets champagne dumped on her at a dinner and a few hours later she is dead. Lacy thinks there is something odd because she smelled an odd smell when the wet dress came within her range. Lacy tried to tell the woman wearing the dress that she should take it off because if the green was the Paris Green, it had arsenic in it and had been known to cause illness death in the late 1800’s. None had been around in modern time so it may not be the lethal dye. No one believed it was the dress that had killed the TV personality but Lacy couldn’t let it go. It was a smart mystery and the way Lacy conducted the investigation was well done. It is always nice to know the terrain where a book is written and this one is in D.C. and nearly suburbs. If you like mysteries with smart dialect and lots of fashion clues, you’ll like this book. It is #10 so you might want to start with Book 1, most are in Kindle format now.

[Myarn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lethal Black Dress by Ellen Byerrum 5 stars

It has been awhile since Veiled Revenge and I thought the series was over. But lo and behold, Ms. Byerrum is self publishing her Crime of Fashion mysteries and I couldn't be happier. Where else can we get fashion used to murder someone. I enjoyed this book very much and I hope that it will continue.

[Jan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I used to really enjoy Ellen Byerrum's Crime of Fashion mystery series. I was distraught a few years ago when she took a break from the series. Now I find the mysteries just ok, but still enjoy the vintage fashion elements & Washington DC locale.

[Hope Broadway · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this series. Great character development over the course of the series. I enjoyed the mystery. I didn't guess the killer until close to the end. Great use of red herrings.
There's a certain.... arrogance to Lacey that annoys me. I still enjoy her voice, but she's works my nerves sometimes.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite in the series so far! The story was original, and kept me guessing, although I did figured it out before Lacey did.

[Rachelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lacey is a terrible snob. And I cringed every time the sassy black woman called her “girlfriend.” Which was in every scene the woman showed up in.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cozy mystery reading group I am in selected the first book in this series, Killer Hair, as the March book of the month read. But I read pretty much exclusively on the Kindle these days and that book is not available digitally (Why?). After hemming and hawing, I finally ordered it. It was the first physical book I purchased for myself in a couple years. When it arrived, I realized there was no way I would be able to read it as the font size appears to be about 3-point. My past-50 eyes struggle with that.

I noted that book club members sometimes read other books in a series if they have already read the selected book. I have committed to reading the cozy mysteries each month this year. I began looking through to see if any of the books were available for the Kindle. Sure enough, the last one (this one) was. And to boot, it was free to borrow!

Fashion, vintage fashion at that, is not my genre! But here is where the author makes a difference. The character of Lacey Smithsonian was compelling. She was an interesting fashion reporter. I loved the death! That sounds odd, I know. It was extremely clever. As someone who has read and seen a lot of mystery/thrillers over the years, this was a unique experience. I appreciated that. I was into solving the mystery as much as the characters in the book.

Despite what I thought were more than ample characters, the author wrote cleanly to assist the reader from confusing the characters. I appreciate that.

There were enough suspects and Byerrum did a good job of trying to gin up suspicions to throw one off the case. I am happy to say, however, I nailed it! :)

For some reason, this book took a long time to read. It's just because the last two wees have been insane! Now it's time to read some more in this series. How about releasing it all on the Kindle??????

[Denise Zendel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lacey Smithsonian, fashion reporter for a second-rate Washington, D.C., newspaper, gets to go to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. A TV reporter who is trying to advance her own career by stealing Lacey’s work involving vintage fashion, ends up dead at the event in a most unusual way in a most unusual dress, right in front of Lacey. Lacey juggles the investigation of this case with her impending engagement to hunky security expert Vic Donovan. All of the supporting characters I’ve grown to love over the course of this series are back for more.

Sometimes long-term series (this is Book 10) grow stale for me, but not this one. The author manages to keep the characters current and interesting, while honoring their basic personalities and not having them behave out of character. I always enjoy learning more about vintage fashion – I want Lacey to take me shopping and dress me in those classic 40s clothes. Reading this was like visiting with cherished old friends and I was bereft when it was over. Can’t wait to spend more time with Lacey, Vic and their crazy friends.

You could read these out of order, but I think you’ll find them much more satisfying read in order, because each one builds on the previous one.

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books may not be high class literature or epic in any way. BUT I am invested in these character's lives. I read the earlier works in this series in high school at the library where I waited for a ride. They were funny and had that mystery flair I always love in a good detective series. Lacey was hilarious in these one especially towards the end. I found myself smiling and appreciating that Lacey Smithsonian fashion sense. It was interesting to learn about the paris green dye history too.

However, since it took me a long long time to get into it due to my utter book slump...I have to dock it one star. It was certainly a slow beginning to get into. I will always love this series ad I hope for more mysteries in the future.

[Theresa Pollara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as previous offerings

I love this series. I have followed it since the first book. This episode has the usual interesting fashion history, the familiar setting of Washington D.C., and the interesting insiders view of the newspaper world to give the book it's charming setting. The plot, as always is fashion related and clever--a killer green lining as a murder weapon. However, the main character has gone from a fun to read fictional heroine to a very judgmental and somewhat mean spirited person. It took away from the lightheadedness of earlier books. Hopefully this trend can be reversed in future offerings. Lay off the poor food editor already.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this because it sounded similar to a series I was reading by another author and I wanted to compare the two styles and approaches. Also I thought it would be fun to read something with a local setting and I wasn't disappointed. I was familiar with the numerous local shoutouts which helped ground the story for me. I liked this book and how it brought fashion into the story. It felt like a fashion story that was lightly sprinkled with mystery and the other author's series, Diane Vallere's "Style & Error" and "Material Witness" series, was primarily a mystery with big doses of fashion added. I would recommend both authors and their related but distinctive approaches.

[Stellans · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the whole Crime of Fashion series, and enjoyed it immensely!

Lethal Black Dress, the 10th of this series, is my favorite because it was Lacey's story, not Stella's or Brooke's or Mac's or Damon's or even Harlan's. Plus, what a truly inventive way of ensuring someone's death -- well, outside of the 14th or 15th centuries, that is. And Byerrum has a knack for making her reader see the action in their mind's eye which is undeniably one of her strongest assets, beyond her imagination. I want more!

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual Ellen Byerrum doesn't disappoint. Another great fashion mystery solved by the intrepid Lacey Smithsonian. Frankly, I would love to own the famous lethal black dress described in the book. Perhaps Ms. Byerrum could work with a local designer to bring some of the fabulous vintage looks worn by Lacey and her cohorts to life. There are many I'd like to wear myself.

[Erinw · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has been awhile since I read the earlier books in this series. This was well written and I found the mystery interesting. The only critique is that I felt little emotion from Lacey's character. I just couldn't connect with her - she comes across as cold and uptight. I found the fashion descriptions interesting, but others may find them too long.

[Noelle Walsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was interesting. Lacey seemed like a decent character, though sometimes it did feel like she was slightly over-critical and a tad arrogant but I feel it didn't take away from the overall story. Anyone interested in fashion may like this book.


*won on GoodReads First Reads*

[Jane Kane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who can resist Lacey Smithsonian? Not I. Another fun adventure centering around a vintage piece of clothing--this time a dress with an unusual lining. Lots of fun, interesting tidbits of historical fashion, and always fun characters. A treat, as always.

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lacey Smithsonian is rocking it! She finds out that a reporter is killed by a dye called Paris Green- but who did it? And why?

With her trademark fashion clues- Lacey is going to solve this case.

Cute ad fun and just plain enjoyable!

[teresa steele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic novel, I couldn't expect anything less. A must read for fans of mystery and fashion. Also, you must google the painting of Madame X, it is very lovely!

[Elisha (lishie) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I missed Lacey very much & this installment is hysterical! I loved the camaraderie in the beginning too, pulled me right in. And love the smart fashion connections!

[Deborah Dingledy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book and great series. I love the fashion tips !