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Librarian Note: This is an alternate cover edition for ASIN B00EDDW6AC.

What would you do if you sent a $30,000 piece of furniture out for repair and it came back with a deadly package inside?

That’s the dilemma facing Olivia M. Granville, OMG to her friends and foes, as though the award-winning architect, interior designer and antiques dealer didn’t have enough on her hands.

Olivia, a transplanted Los Angeleno, is the newest resident of Darling Valley, a picturesque town just outside of San Francisco and home of the DV Bills, as Olivia calls the largest concentration of billionaires anywhere in the country. Like the Astors and Rockefellers of old who outdid each other building humongous summer cottages in Newport, the DV Bills outdo each other with eye-popping piles of sticks stuffed with museum quality art hidden in the Marin hills. It was Olivia’s plan to make a killing decorating them.

What Olivia liked best about moving to sleepy Darling Valley from LA was the absence of crime. No worrying about parking her car on a side street because it might get stolen. Nobody slipping sticky fingers into her purse and lifting her wallet while an accomplice distracted her at the sale rack at Neiman’s. Not having to trip over a dead body blocking the doorway of her office building while the LAPD took their sweet time locking down the crime scene. But the best part of living in Darling Valley was never having to find herself sitting across from Brooks at a dinner party while he romanced his new girlfriend and referred to Olivia as a client.

What she hated about Darling Valley was the 400 miles between its pristine mansions and gritty but happening LA. Not far enough to save her from becoming Detective Gurmeet Richards’ lead suspect in a killing of a different kind. Yes, that’s Detective Richards of the devastating velvety eyes.

Olivia should have remembered the advice her tea-leaves reading friend, Tuesday, gave her before she left LA. You get what you resist.

Watch what happens when Olivia and Tuesday get to work proving her innocence amid the opulence and deception of her, idyllic but deadly new home.

290 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 6, 2013

118 people are currently reading
734 people want to read

About the author

Cassie Page

13 books9 followers

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5 stars
125 (23%)
4 stars
155 (29%)
3 stars
150 (28%)
2 stars
71 (13%)
1 star
21 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
Profile Image for Katie.
90 reviews12 followers
November 3, 2016
I 'bought' this book when it was free on amazon for kindle recently. This was a decent book, and the plot was pretty good, but there were a lot of grammatical errors and obvious things like repeated words within a sentence that should have been caught by whoever edited it. This takes away from the book, please have this edited and then it can be enjoyed as a cute read! I read the whole book even though there were so many errors, which says a lot because mistakes like that make me crazy!

Positives - Otherwise I really liked the characters, especially Tuesday and Olivia. Tuesday is Olivia's eccentric best friend who reads tea leaves and dyes her hair strange colors.


*SPOILER* I also don't get the point of having her ex-fiancee returning towards the end of the book. I get that Olivia having a backstory was good, but between her best friend repeatedly bringing him up, and then Brooks himself showing up, it detracted from the story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for D.R. Oestreicher.
Author 15 books45 followers
October 15, 2015
Armoires and Arsenic by Cassie Page is a murder mystery which opens with Olivia M Granville taking delivery of a restored armoire, only to find it contains the restorer inside and very dead.

Since Olivia is on the brink of bankruptcy and the number-one suspect, she is forced to solve the murder herself before she is out of business. In between the long list of potential suspects, possible romances, and rumors of a newcomer's curse, this is a food and fashion mystery with ample mentions Christian Louboutins, Jimmy Choos, House of Graff baubles, and little Chloe numbers, along with delicious descriptions of pastry shops, food stores, and restaurants.

In the end, there are enough plots twists and turns (leading to a surprising climax and resolution) to satisfy any cozy mystery reader.

For more see: http://1book42day.blogspot.com/2015/1...
October 8, 2014
This is one of those easily read, easily forgotten books that have been crowding the cozy mystery genre for quite a few years now. I used to read quite a few cozy mysteries years ago but have almost given up (expect from the occasional Agatha Raisin or Hamish MacBeth) as they usually are quite boring and unoriginal.

Armoires and Arsenic isn't too bad but it's nothing special either. One thing that did bother me very much is that the author made numerous mistakes while trying to name drop in French: Ladoure vs Ladurée, Hermes vs Hermé. These are very famous names (at least in France) so if you want to use them, make sure you get the spelling right otherwise it sounds downright ridiculous! I guess the editing is also at fault here, which unfortunately tend to be the case with lesser known author's publications for Kindle.
Profile Image for Jeri.
534 reviews26 followers
March 10, 2019
Overly bloated story took away from the mystery and storyline.
Profile Image for Aliza Tafoya.
38 reviews
Read
February 5, 2014
After a rather crushing breakup with her famous architect boyfriend, Olivia decides to move up north to Darling Valley, CA (where a large collection of billionaires call home) to open up a antiques store. When she receives the armoire she had sent out to be refurbished, she finds a little something extra inside. She then sets out to prove that she is not a murderer with her eccentric friend Tuesday, while trying to ignore her attraction to head detective and get her shop ready for a big sale, before she ends up bankrupt.

***SPOILERS AHEAD***

I seem to be on a sort of romancy-mystery kick lately and I have to say that this book was a little disappointing in a couple of aspects. One: there really wasn’t much romance. There was certainly attraction, but no real romance. Two: I absolutely hated Tuesday. She was kind of fun at first, but she seems like a pretty lousy friend. Olivia’s awful ex comes back and Tuesday’s is just “Sure, I’ll leave you here with this terrible, terrible man even though you’re clearly uncomfortable and in the middle of a ton of drama and especially since you’re not thinking very clear due to strong prescription medicine.” I’m glad it got sorted, but that one little chapter really turned me against the woman.

On a more positive note, I really liked Olivia’s character. She is a strong female presence, and though I worried about her for a bit, she totally stuck to her guns. I did want a bit more romance, but I am rather relieved that this story didn’t turn into one where the man and woman team up to solve the mystery because the woman couldn’t do it alone.

This was a quick and enjoyable read and I was very intrigued by the murder. I figured out part of the mystery pretty early on, but had no clue about the rest. I love it when I’m right and I love being surprised, so I am quite pleased with this little novel.
525 reviews9 followers
May 29, 2016
I picked this book to read because it fits a book with furniture in the title for the What's in a Name? challenge. It also fits alphabet soup challenge.

Olivia Granville moves to Darling Valley to get away from her old boyfriend. A very expensive armoire is delivered by her helper Cody from Blackman's and they find Mr. Blackman inside. There is no sign of fowl play so it was either natural causes or poisoning. Olivia must clear her name and make her store profitable so her friend Tuesday comes to help. Together they solve the mystery.

Profile Image for Jenny.
281 reviews21 followers
February 10, 2014
Terrible book, though a good editor could really have saved it. Words were misused or missing, whole sentences were repeated, and scenes shifted so quickly I think I have whiplash. I don't think that I'll be reading any more from this author.

At least it was free.
1,166 reviews2 followers
August 28, 2016
I found the characters unlikable and not very bright. The mystery was okay but not enough to redeem the book.
Profile Image for Nicholas George.
Author 2 books68 followers
July 23, 2023
It was hard to grasp the milieu of this particular series -- it was all over the place. Granted, I've missed the previous books, but I couldn't quite see what Olivia, the main character, does for a living. She's combination interior decorator, designer, and...architect? She's apparently had a high-flying life in L.A. was some famous guy named Brooks, but they split up and now she's in...some billionaire enclave outside of San Francisco? Anyway, a dead body shows up in an armoire she's purchased. So she's under suspicion of murder by the handsome police detective. In the meantime, Olivia's kooky friend Tuesday shows up, as does her ex-boyfriend Brooks. There are a lot of suspects in the murder. It never quite all gels, even though everything is supposedly explained at the end. But this series could benefit from a more consistent tone and clearer setting.
Profile Image for Carol Simmons.
297 reviews
August 19, 2017
Interesting murder plot

Good story line, nice romance line built in. Good friend comes running and interesting murder plot, not expected. But the story dragged on slow and I got bored many times and then at the end it was like wham, bam and done like I need to wrap this up. Very sudden ending after a long drawn out story line.
Profile Image for Angela Herzog.
56 reviews
July 25, 2017
Pretty good read.

Lots of misspellings and grammatical errors. Other than that, a good read. Worth it for a free download. An antique shop owner finds a dead body in an armoire that she had restored. Now she is trying to figure out how shge is involved.
515 reviews5 followers
December 5, 2018
Fun and Enjoying

I enjoyed your storyline and characters. Fun little read. The only reason I gave it 4 stars was due to the need for editing - grammar, punctuation, and content (over 100 errors and/or issues). Call me if you'd like my notes. 😇
Profile Image for Deserthomemaker.
1,024 reviews4 followers
August 12, 2017
Poor writing and flow, filled with grammatical errors, a dislikable heroine, and a ridiculous plot make this a book to skip.
Profile Image for Cornflakefrontiernet.net.
61 reviews5 followers
January 1, 2018
Quirky but captivating.

Loved the characters and setting. Enjoyed the author. Good story line. Was hooked at the first paragraph. I would like more from this author.
Profile Image for Pamela .
865 reviews4 followers
December 24, 2018
When the delivery of an antique armoire arrives complete with a dead body, Olivia is a prime suspect in the suspicious death.
Profile Image for Kathy.
302 reviews
July 7, 2021
It was kind of confusing & easy to figure out whodunit. There were several spelling & punctuation mistakes in my ebook version.
Profile Image for Brick ONeil.
Author 15 books17 followers
April 8, 2015
Armoires and Arsenic was a cute read, no glaring omissions or mistakes by Page, the story flowed smoothly, but could have benefited from an editor or proofreader.

I found the non-stop clothing and fashion references confusing at best and irrelevant at worst. Page could have explained why clothing was so important to Olivia and how it fit in with the scheme of the story and plot. Why was it so relevant to an architect, antiques dealer? Which profession was she in, really? Kind of unrealistic for one person to have that many successful careers. These two plot points were wholly unnecessary.

My other little thought on Olivia, was why was she tied so slanderously to the other architect? Page wrote him as some rock star to the rock stars, so well-covered by the media that Olivia couldn't possibly be successful on her own. I can't agree with Page's anti-woman plot line. Which brings me to my next point. She writes Oliva as so obsessed-not-obsessed with the leading man...er...detective. Olivia has more important details in her life to obsess about, like her murder charge, keeping antique and architect clients and so on.

The plot itself was ok, Page knows how to write and keep a readers attention. She somewhat pushes through the plot at the end of the book, as if stating she can't wait to end it. As a reader, I feel your pain. Overall, a good, mindless first draft as a cozy. I give 3 stars.
1,060 reviews5 followers
February 25, 2016
Olivia M. Granville, OMG for short, is new to Darling Valley, and she's rather unwelcome. The town is loathe to accept newcomers to begin with, but then she goes and gets implicated in a murder. She opened an antique gallery for the rich clientele in the Valley, and when she gets an armoire restored, it is returned to her with the body of the restorer inside! Her friend Tuesday, a tasseomancer, pops by for a visit, and together they try to dig out of the mire created by the scandal, all while trying to solve the mystery. Olivia's also reeling from a breakup of Hollywood proportions...very California

Not sure I'd read more of the series if it's just Olivia...while she didn't seem solid enough to hold a whole book on her own, I felt Tuesday was too flitty to help...plus her being named Tuesday kept throwing me off for some reason. Not the author's fault, just weird for me.

Not rife with grammatical errors, which is refreshing after the last few I've read.
Profile Image for Marilyn Groves.
276 reviews10 followers
November 6, 2014
from Amazon:
What would you do if you sent a $30,000 piece of furniture out for repair and it came back with a deadly package inside?

That’s the dilemma facing Olivia M. Granville, OMG to her friends and foes, as though the award-winning architect, interior designer and antiques dealer didn’t have enough on her hands.

Olivia, a transplanted Los Angeleno, is the newest resident of Darling Valley, a picturesque town just outside of San Francisco and home of the DV Bills, as Olivia calls the largest concentration of billionaires anywhere in the country. Like the Astors and Rockefellers of old who outdid each other building humongous summer cottages in Newport, the DV Bills outdo each other with eye-popping piles of sticks stuffed with museum quality art hidden in the Marin hills. It was Olivia’s plan to make a killing decorating them.
Profile Image for Relina Skye.
Author 11 books46 followers
April 22, 2016
"Armoiers and Arsenic: A Darling Valley Cozy Mystery with Women Sleuths Olivia M. Granville and Tuesday" (A Darling Valley Mystery Book 1) was written by Cassie Page. Olivia lives in the world where status and money will make a break a person's career. After her fiancee broke up with her, the night before their wedding, she decided to move to northern California to get a fresh start. The last thing she needs is to find a body in one of her recently renovated armories. Now, the police suspect her and Cody, her delivery man, of foul play. With the help of her tea leaf reading friend, Tuesday, Olivia pokes her head into every possible lead she can find in order to clear her name and save her business. Overall, I found this a fun and interesting read. It had a good mix of mystery and suspense along with creating a range of interesting characters.
Profile Image for Jeanne Jenkins.
151 reviews17 followers
March 18, 2014
Olivia owns an antique store. She had sent an armoire out to be restored. When it came back, it had a dead body in it. I guess it was obvious from the book title that a murder would happen. FYI it was not arsenic that took him out. There were a total of 4 murders. My goodness. This is a small town with a small police department and nothing ever happened there. Olivia called her friend Tuesday to come to her rescue. I like Tuesday. She dresses wild, but is a nice person and a great friend to Olivia. This story has so many ups and downs that it is a real page turner. I loved it. I guessed several of the 'issues' and persons of interest, and a bit of a love interest. Yea for me. Make yourself a cup of tea and enjoy this wonderful mystery.
Profile Image for Avid Series Reader.
1,679 reviews1 follower
October 30, 2016
Armoires and Arsenic by Cassie Page is set in fictitious Darling Valley in contemporary Northern California. Olivia Mariah Granville "OMG" sells expensive antiques. She ditched her successful business in LA to flee her ex. Shortly after arriving in Darling Valley and setting up shop, her delivery man arrives with a dead man in an antique armoire. The writing begs for an editor: "Olivia and Cody watched an unmarked car park in the driveway and walk up to Cody's truck without acknowledging either of them, scanning the front porch, side yard, and hedges, like a bloodhound sniffing for clues." I chose the free ebook for a reading challenge that required furniture in the title. The poor writing and shallow characters make it impossible for me to read.
Profile Image for Elizabeth Haire.
23 reviews1 follower
March 3, 2015
Darling Valley

Very nice write up of a pair of 30-somethings who become embroiled into a small California town and it's murders... yes, murders.

Great characterizations for the former big city LA ladies. Different yet each typifies a stereotypical concept of California residents as viewed from the remainder of the world. But who are they really under that stereotype?

A transplanted Chicago Detective, a lot of billionaires and millionaires, pickup trucks and a rented Mercedes, are wound expertly together with these ladies into a story replete with humor, pathos, and mystery.

Best wishes to the readers who take on the absorbing challenge of this good read!
Profile Image for Amber Frechette.
195 reviews2 followers
May 14, 2015
Fun read

After moving to "Billionaire's Hollow" to start up a new design and vintage furniture shop, Olivia is surprised by a body in a newly acquired armoire. While detective s are convinced she's the killer, Olivia and her eclectic friend, Tuesday, are on the case to find the real murderer and why she was sent the body of someone she hardly knew. The friendship between the two will make anyone want to call up their best friend for a good time and their strong willed characters will inspire those to keep pressing on. This story is also a reminder that even the rich and famous have secrets.
Profile Image for Doina Condrea.
363 reviews26 followers
April 8, 2016
Final notes:

✔️ Weird "Jane of all trades, brand name lover" main character.

✔️Cuckoo best friend who "reads tea leaves"

✔️Seemingly perfect & peaceful Darling Valley w/ inhabitants who, in actuality, aren't quite so darling

✔️ Faux-pas: I refuse to accept that the detective was "McDreamy" because 1. There is and always will be one and he was a Dr and 2. Because the Dt was not 'that' McDreamy. He was quite blah honestly

✔️ Intricate mystery that I ultimately did enjoy despite the small annoyances

Profile Image for Freda Mans-Labianca.
1,294 reviews124 followers
July 24, 2016
Cute.
Yeah, a cozy that's cute.
The setting was a nice little town, something like the Hamptons, and the mystery was not really all that mysterious. I pretty much guessed who the bad guy was from the get-go, but really didn't think I would be right. I was half right any way, since I didn't see the other half and that was nice to still be surprised in the end.
A good start to the series, not mind-blowing, but good. All you cozy lovers out there will enjoy it for sure.
I would definitely read book 2.
Profile Image for Robin Resch.
651 reviews5 followers
February 8, 2017
I had a hard time finishing this book. It starts off really slow. There are moments when it is funny. Takes a couple of twists and turns until you get to the end.
Profile Image for Twyla.
1,766 reviews61 followers
March 20, 2014
It felt like i was reading a rough draft. Lots of spelling and grammar issues and all those missing auotation marks that made you have to backtrack and go huh is she saying this or not ... The last two chapters,were a disappointment as they are just cheesy lets explain the thing instead of make it a,story. And the whole mrs harmon thing was just lame how that wrapped up. Id at least have slapped the b.
148 reviews
April 2, 2015
Very enjoyable

I enjoyed the tells of Olivia and her best friend Tuesday. Tuesday is a love that dresses and does as she pleases without worrying what others think of her appearance. She thinks everyone else dresses funny. Olivia is a the friend who sees Tuesday for what she is..the perfect BFF. Together they make a great team.
Looking forward to reading more of Olivia and Tuesday.
486 reviews2 followers
February 25, 2016
Olivia in Darling Valley

Olivia Granville just moved to Darling Valley, California, where the rich go to live away from the big city. She left LA to get away from her philandering boyfriend and to open her own antique shop. Her faithful truck driver, Cody, delivers an armoire back at the shop. The item is so heavy, they decide to open it on the truck. And out falls a body. So-so story!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews

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