Raiders of the Lost Corset

Crime of Fashion #4

by Ellen Byerrum

Lacey can't wait to see France for the first time with friend Magda Rousseau, corset creator for Washington D.C.'s wealthiest and kinkiest. Ostensibly seeking Paris fashion as haute couture reporter on budget of The Eye news, her real search is for a gem-lined corset stolen from a Russian princess by Magda's Latvian ancestor soldier in 1912 massacre.

When Magda dies from poison, Lacey and her best friend Stella search a nailed-shut coal cellar in France, overseen by British jewel thief Nigel Griffin and Texas aficionado ex-KGB Gregor Kepelov. Lacey is chloroformed after finding a torn scrip signed by another of the Latvian soldiers. Who can they trust and where can they go next?

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

282 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 5, 2006

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

[BabyLunLun · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like all Crime of Fashion book with their witty and sarcastic characters. Raiders of the Lost Corset is like Designer Knockoff with a fashion mystery and a dash of historical fiction. Lacey is tasked with looking for a long Lost corset worn by the Romanov girls.

This one dragged on a little for me. Not to mention Lacey's wild goose chase to Paris and turn out the key to solving the mystery is in USA all along . The truth revealing moment didn't occur until the last chapter and I have to read through endless description of Paris and Lacey making cake and ugghhh

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Easy read that follows the predictable formula seemingly required by most mystery novels. The main character is vain and self-absorbed, which limits my enjoyment of the book (and series)as a whole. This is the second book in this series I have read, and I can't say the endings were all that surprising. Then again, I read mystery novels almost exclusively, so I may have an easier time predicting the end because of that. Overall, this book didn't hold my interest the way most mystery books do. I didn't find myself rushing to get through it so I could see who the murderer was. Also, after you have read more than one of the books in this series you can start to see how the author relies on the same few adjectives, phrases and situations again and again. Do we really need to hear again and again how small Lacey Smithsonian's waist is? Or how fat the food editor is? I started out rating this 3 stars, but as I wrote this review I talked myself down to 2! Not impressed.

[cloudyskye · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh dear, this was just barely OK. And it's the last one of this series I read. The idea wasn't even so bad, and I've always found the details of the last Russian imperial family's execution quite sad and disturbing.
But oh, these people! The writing! So much that got on my nerves. Tip of the iceberg:
The heroine Lacey, the constant mention of her curvy petite figure and teeny-tiny waist - enough already! Plus her friends and the people she meets, a bunch of loonies.
Also the romantic bits somehow don't fit, I don't know, it's so terribly cliché, the Paris setting, I just don't buy it.
Sorry, thumbs down.

[Jenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a horrible, poorly written mess. The story was silly. The "heroine" was dim, at best. This is evidently a series, and not the first one. The main character's last name is Smithsonian and she lives in DC? Is that supposed to be funny? 'Cause it's just silly. The whole story revolves around a reporter jetting off over the world, following clues, to try and find a corset stuff with jewels that belonged to one of the Romanov's. The source of this story dies in the first chapter. She's a corset-maker in DC who's talked about how she soon won't have to worry about money when she gets this treasure that she plans to go to France to find. Only *SPOILER, if you care* the corset is just in New Orleans and evidently she knew it all along, so why the hell didn't she just go get it? What kept her from looking before now? Yes, she was killed, but she was quite old. Blech. This book was horrible. This author's on my DON'T READ HER EVER AGAIN list. Ug.

[Heather Lin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is probably the worst book I've read beginning to end.

First, let me tell you why I kept reading:

Paris! The detailed trip to Paris was great to read through, and it was clearly written by someone who has traveled there herself.

The mystery itself was intriguing. I wanted to know what happened, and I'm not the type that can just read the last few pages.

Now, the rough stuff:

*CONTAINS MINOR SPOILERS*

If you have ever read "On Writing" by Stephen King, let me tell you this book does literally everything he tells you not to do. Cliches, overuse of adverbs, run on sentences.

At times, I was confused as to whether I was reading a mystery or a romance, and neither was great. Byerrum had a few opportunities to really hype up the suspense, put Smithsonian through the emotional ringer, and make me feel something intense. And every time it fell flat. The characters are two-dimensional and predictable at best and just plain annoying at worst.

And what on Earth is with Lacey and the no smoking thing? It might not bother me so much if being a prude was part of her personality. If someone she knows died of lung cancer, even. She's totally fine with her boyfriend beating up a man who has not caused any physical harm himself, but, yeah, smoking. That's where she draws the line. And why does Nigel listen to her like a whipped puppy every time she tells him not to??

All of the major turning points in the story were too easy. "Sure, you can have this urn because you asked for it and you looked nice." "Of course we'll demo this tomb for you, random journalist lady." Etc.

Her friend Stella has an entire paragraph in which she likens Donovan and Smithsonian to retards (yes, she says "retarded") and I'm not really a member of the PC police, but it made me cringe.

And there was just poor writing and editing throughout. At one point, "Kepelov" is misspelled as "Kelepov". In another instance, Lacey says "Hi, Mac" in front of Vic and then mouths "It's Mac" to him. And in another part, Nigel uses Stella's name, and then immediately after she says "You can call me Stella." HE JUST DID THOUGH.

I could go on.

But I won't. You get the idea.

Oh, Lacey constantly calling Vic "cowboy" and Vic calling her "sweetheart" got REALLY annoying.

The most interesting person in the book was Magda and she died on page 1.

Okay, now I'm done.

[Holly Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a romp...from Washington D.C. to the country side of France to Paris the City Of Light to New Orleans and the French Quarter. Ex Russian spies, Ex British jewel thieves. to find a lost corset of one of the Romanov Princesses....a good cozy mystery by a new author for me. "Lacey Smithsonian" is a hit as a sleuth and a fashion reporter.

[Deb White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lacie Smithsonian investigates a corset maker's murder. Is there a Russian Romanoff secret, the jewels of a Faberge egg, hidden somewhere in the corset maker's room? Lacie travels to Paris and New Orleans to find out the secret.

[B. Mantler · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first part felt a lot like a Stooges movie with everyone chasing everyone else with little or no progress on the story. The second half was better in progresses the mystery. Though for a while it makes one wonder if there was a murder as the sole focus is the treasure.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved how determined Lacey was throughout this whole book! How cool would this be if one actually found a corset full of jewels! I was a little lost on the past references since this was book 4 of the series.

[D Nichols]

This book has such an intriguing title but I had trouble getting into it Maybe I was just not in the right mood. I will definitely request it and try again.

[Minette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up when I had nothing else to read. I did finish it. I found the dialogue to be a bit unrealistic.

[Peris · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Dale Zweibohmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. It was interesting and a mystery with some historic ties. There twists and turns.

[Philip Mantler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Proof that a writer doesn't have to be really good to get published. An ok read but not great.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an easy cozy mystery to read.

[Sophia miller242i · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's really great 💯

[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.
 
Raiders of the Lost Corset is the fourth instalment in the Crime of Fashion Series by Ellen Byerrum published in July of 2006. Lacey Smithsonian - the heroine of the series - works for the paper The Eye Street Observer as a fashion reporter in Washington, D.C. - a city she keeps calling as "The City Fashion Forgot". She tangles herself again in a mystery involving a lost corset stolen from a Russian princess in the 1912 massacre and murder of her good friend. Lacey sounds more and more like Jessica Fletcher from Murder, She Wrote - wherever Jessica goes, a murder happens and promptly she gets involved in solving it. Interesting life, this Lacey leads. :)
 
Magda Rousseau was a master corsetiere, one of the last practicing almost dying art of accentuating (or creating) the alluring curves of the female form with laces and stays. However, Lacey finds her in between all her baubles lying on her sofa mumbling and commanding her to "Find the corset" even though she is poisoned. Shortly after she dies taking a promise from Lacey that he would indeed find the corset. Later when Detective Broadway Lamont arrives on the scene - whom she constantly runs into - notices that Magda is stabbed as well.
 
Who wants to poison and stab Magda? Who have taken the corset - one that is worth millions as it is infamous for being sewn with hidden imperial jewels, lost since 1912? Where is Analiza Zarina - a Latvian and co-owner of the shop? What happened to her? What happened to the missing broach that Magda always wore? Is there any hidden meaning to the quirky theatrical expressions that Magda always used - "Bloody thread, knock 'em dead"; "Bloody stitch,  all get rich"; "Bloody dress, get good press"? Has this have to do anything with Magda's search for a legendry jewel-filled corset worn by one of the Russian imperial princesses during the execution of the entire Romanov family in July of 1917 in Ekaterinburg, Russia?
 
Magda had mentioned to Lacey that one of the corset was spirited away on that bloody night by a Latvian solder named Juris Akmentins , who was her maternal grandfather and later on moved to France and hid the corset there. Since Magda couldn’t afford to go to France and wanted it to be found, she had asked Lacey to do the search instead. And Mac, her editor had approved her trip to France, completely funded by the paper. With Magda's demise her determination to find the corset and find the murderer increases ten-fold. And now she is off to Paris, France with her friend Brooke Barton to unravel all the mystery behind the infamous corset. It would be a good break for her from Vic as well considering their puzzling end to their romance.
 
Another easy murder-mystery read tying up all the elements of fashion together beautifully. And the fashion bites and columns by Lacey continue to spur interest in me. Signing-off with the tidbit from Lacey's Fashion Bites that she writes for The Eye.
 
Lacey Smithsonian's Fashion Bites:  Welcome to Tonight's Thrilling Episode of What Will I Wear Tomorrow?

We all need fewer clothes that work better and harder (Or bigger closets.) Always thin the herd of the weaker specimens. Be ruthless. One way to be sure you'll always know what to wear tomorrow is to get rid of the clothes that don’t work for you today, especially the sneaky ones that turn on you in the middle of the afternoon.

[Anne Patkau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wafting on heavy rose perfume, messages, some in Latvian, lead Washington DC fashion reporter Lacey (is Smithsonian really a surname?) from dusty, cobwebbed French country coal cellar bed, to urn left on soda-shop cum pharmacy shelf, to cemetery crypt, to New Orleans steamer, inside gift corset, and dummy - not a spoiler when yelled repeatedly at point of death, especially from poisoned stabbed old victim corset-maker Magda - in dreamy vintage floral dress shop where owner Alzeheimer gaga (illness is not funny, terrible tragedy).

Tall dark handsome Colorado detective Vic is love interest for series, finally in Paris, "making love, feeling love, tasting love" p156. Interspersed newspaper columns encourage style-inept to splurge on expensive underwear and all wear, confidently take charge of outside appearance to bolster internal strength. Nasty KGB Korpolov knocks her unconscious in cellar, and flabby Brit jewel thief Nigel stalks her threatenenly. Her busty hairdresser friend Stella seems even more shallow and decidedly unworthy when she hops into bed with latter. Light romance between fluffy females and appropriate hunks, escapist tingle of fright.

[Beth Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I had the option to give this 3 and a half stars. I have mixed feelings towards this series. I like the descriptions of fashion, and Lacey's sense of humor. I like the DC setting, though I wish the author would do a bit more with it. I felt she gave more detailed, and interesting, descriptions of Paris and New Orleans in this book than she's given most DC locales (though maybe I feel that way because I've been to DC many times, but never to Paris or New Orleans). What I don't like are the super-wacky supporting characters--the conspiracy nuts, the wacky hairdresser. In this book, Lacey was essentially being stalked--one stalker being a bumbler, and treated as comic relief. It irritated me that he didn't take no for an answer. And way too much time was spent on Lacey trying to convince her boss, co-workers, boyfriend, that she wouldn't put herself in danger. Reducing those conversations by half would've shortened the book a bit, but made it more palatable.
Spoiler alert:
And the very end was inconsistent with the way the mystery was initially set up. Did Magda know the location all along or not?

[Erik Dewey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had seen the two Lifetime movies based on this series and I wanted to see if the books were as enjoyable.

Overall I enjoyed the book but it took me getting past the first third of the book to really get into it. There are quite a few puns in the game and a little over-the-top concepts, but honestly with a title like Raiders of the Lost Corset, that can't be a surprise.

Once I got into it though, I really enjoyed the story. I found the mystery interesting and the story felt plausible within the universe the book presented.

I particularly appreciated the final few pages of the book as right up until then the ending seemed to be going in a weak direction. The final pages closed up the story nicely and left me satisfied.

It is a light read but a fun one.

[Dharia Scarab · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...

1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.

2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.

3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.

4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.

5 stars... I loved this book! It had earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this one cause It was a mystery and the cover caught my attention. It was a lively story with a cast of characters that I had a little trouble keeping track of who was who. I hate when that happens.. but the funny thing was I had it sitting on my coffee table and some fellows on bikes came by as the sat in our living room sipping on some icewater conversing with us, I kept watching their eyes wonder to the cover of the book sitting there. I was suddenly very embarrased, about it because there's no way that they would even begin to know what the book was about. I think they thought it was dirty or something, form their expressions. Oh well! It's so much funnier to me now.

[Sonya · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book took me most of the month of January to read (which is a long time for me.) It was hard to get "into" the book. The articles written by the main character where cute. The idea of the story was interesting. However, overall it just did not draw me in. The ending was very short, and rather dull.

[Shiela · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Nancy Drew mystery for adults! This light, comedic mystery reminds me of those days where Nancy, George and Bess (except we now have Lacy, Stella and Brooke) unintentionally find themselves in sticky situations, and the next couple of hours are spent resolving them. A quick beach-read. This title is the fourth book in the “Crime of Fashion” mystery series.

[Milisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love mystery, and are looking for a light, fun read this is your book. I have read four books in Ellen Byerrum's crime of fashion mysteries. They have all been good reads that have made me laugh while maintaining suspense. Raiders of the Lost Corset did not disappoint. I am looking forward to the next book in this series as I love Lacey Smithsonian and her friends.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite in the series. The scenes set in Paris seemed to exist only to justify a trip for the author. They didn't add much to the plot. The mystery was decent. I like the characters...I just like them better in DC.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the first book that I read of this series and y'all know I hate starting in the middle! I liked it. Lacey Smithsonian is a likeable character, always in trouble and sort of an EveryWoman character. Like most cozy mysteries, this was fun and light.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had this book lying around, so I picked it up and started reading. I knew it wasn't book one but eh, didn't care. So far just a couple chapters in and it's ok. I don't feel lost, it does do a bit of a recap.

[Shana · Rating 1 out of 5]

This wasn't as much fun as I was hoping which may explain why it took me several days to read. I won't be reading any of the others in the series. I was hoping to whip through some fun fluffy reading, but the story was drawn out and I didn't want to spend much time reading it.

[Nicole Galbraith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun fashion mystery with Lacey Smithsonian. This time she is searching for a missing corset containing lost jewels from the Romanov family. You can see where the characters and the relationship between Lacey and Vic have evolved. My favorite in the series so far.