Buckled Down: A Mata Morrow Mystery

The Mata Morrow Series #1

by Lula Flann

Mata Morrow, with wonder dog Toby in tow, has made her move to Portland at a pivotal moment for her budding career as a clothing designer. Her entrepreneurial ambitions are threatened when old friend, Jo, appears on the scene with an urgent request for help. Jo has new information about a daughter she was forced to give up decades before. Unsettling details emerge surrounding the daughter’s birth story. As the hunt intensifies, a sinister pattern materializes.Mata enlists her brainy book group in the task of solving these mysteries through the savvy of the well read. Buckling down to cut out a place for herself in the local fashion zeitgeist, Mata stitches together a vibrant personal network.The series lovingly explores the Portland environs while entering the psyches of the Pacific Northwest’s quixotic and quirky communities.

246 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 21, 2015

About the author

Lula Flann, a devotee of head-turning ensembles and witty women, writes Cozy-Noir from her home in Portland’s Alberta Arts District. A mad sketcher of clothing inspirations since receiving a collection of paper doll templates, Lula is drawn to patterns that make for psychologically colorful characters as well as clever wardrobe creations.

Lula depends on her well-read book group to steer her to authors more contemporary than Eliot and James, Oregon’s incomparable landscape to spur her out biking and backpacking and upon her fascinating wife to be ever open to the delights of living with an Enneagram 9.

Lula is the author of the Mata Morrow mystery series, set in Oregon.

Reviews

[Laci · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll recommend this one to lovers of books, fashion, Portland, travel, comeuppance. To those moving to new cities for new starts, who want to cheer on another person's journey. To myself the next time I want a quick, exciting read and don't want to waste any more time on misogynistic ex-MPs.

Mata Morrow is a wonderfully human protagonist, and I'm looking forward to getting to know her more through later novels. Whatever Mata's next adventures may be, I loved (and would love to see more of in time) the women of the book group, stories of Mata's lived-everywhere past, the Remarkables, Portland.

I'll be on the lookout for Button Up next...

[Alice Benson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book, with intriguing characters.

[Debbie Boots · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know the author so this is not unbiased - but it is honest. I loved this book. Loved loved loved it. I felt an affinity for the characters. I love that this is set in my beautiful hometown of Portland. I loved including a book group.

Mata Morrow is a feisty, independent, entrepreneur fashion designer who has just moved to Portland. Her goal is to launch her new clothing line getting support and inspiration from the Portland fashion community. As part of creating a social network for herself in her new town - she does a Meetup callout for women who want to form a book group to read women authors. An old friend, Jo, shows up to request help from Mata and friends with tracking down her daughter who she was forced to give up for adoption when she was a young dyke in the early 60's.

Tracking down the daughter ends up meaning finding the father as well - a man never held accountable for his youthful violence.

Until now.

[Margaret L. Hedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting!

I enjoyed reading Buckled Down. The different sub plots keep the story moving right along. Some places it's a little hard to follow. But an enjoyable read. I will read the next one in the series.