Decorating Schemes

Deadly Décor Mystery #2

by Ginny Aiken

Immediately engaging and full of humor and heart, the second book in the Deadly Dcor series continues the fun and excitement readers found in Design on a Crime.

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

Paperback

First published March 1, 2006

About the author

Ginny Aiken, a former newspaper reporter, lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and their three younger sons--the oldest is married, has flown the coop, and made her a doting grandmother. Born in Havana, Cuba, and raised in Valencia and Caracas Venezuela, Ginny discovered books at an early age. She wrote her first novel at age fifteen while she trained with the Ballets de Caracas, later to be known as the Venezuelan National Ballet. She burned that tome when she turned a "mature" sixteen. An ecletic list of jobs--including stints as reporter, paralegal, choreographer, language teacher, retail salesperson, wife, mother of four boys, and herder of their numerous and assorted friends, including the 135 members of first the Crossmen and then the Bluecoats Drum & Bugle Corps--brought her back to books in search of her sanity. She is now the author of twenty-seven published works, but she hasn't caught up with that elusive sanity yet.

http://ginnyaikenwrites.com/About_Me....

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars, except for that moment close to the end where I’m still not sure how they were able to arrest this one person. I didn’t think they had any evidence on them.

I still am not sure how to describe these. I actually LIKED Haley more in this one. She’s not the type of person I’d want to be BFFs with, necessarily, but she’s fun to read. She’s an immature 25 year old with a spunky streak. She’s witty and sarcastic, and the fast, wise-cracking talk is what really keeps me invested.

This book is quite a bit heavier than the last. The banter is fun to read, but the topics weaving throughout really are somber. Rape was present in book 1 as a past event, but is more present here. Abortion is also very much a part of the story. I thought it was handled very true to the characters involved.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Design job? Check.
General contractor/sparring partner? Check.
Dead body, mystery to solve, and guilty suspicion?
CHECK, CHECK AND CHECK.

Haley Farrell is getting her life under control. She's got a great design business, a successful auction house, and loving friends and family. But finding a dead girl on the patio is not a good way to start a decorating job -- especially when your general contractor is the main suspect. And the body is only the beginning.

"Always curious and always in trouble, Haley sets out to solve the crime. Even though she finds Dutch Merrill infuriating, she can't believe he's involved. But with the karate chop cop, Lila Tsu, watching every move and the neighborhood 'Jessica Fletcher' constantly under foot, will Haley be able to free Dutch? Or will she paint herself into a very dangerous corner -- with a murderer lying in wait?"
~~back cover

Again, it was difficult for me to read all the Christian parts of this book, so I skipped over them. Other than that, it was a loosely plotted, chick lit sort of mystery that Haley, of course, wound up solving, almost at the cost of her life.

[Jan L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scheming decorator

If you enjoy a book with personality you've found it! Haley is a witty, needy, loving, loyal seeker of truth.....she just may awkwardly stumble in to it some of the time. I love the characters who make up Haley's world and the support she receives as a healing rape victim and finder of dead bodies. Intriguing storyline wirh a little surprise in the end.

[Lori Henrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haley Ferrell has just been offered a job to redecorate a home for a prominent plastic surgeon. Dutch Merrill has also been hired. She arrives to take a look at the house and as Mrs. Marshall is showing her what she wants done they come a cross a body of a young girl in a pool of blood on the patio. Dutch shows up just then and calls the police.

Lila Tzu seems to be narrowing her focus onto Dutch because he has a previous relationship with the victims parents. In fact she turns out to be his Goddaughter. As the noose begins to tighten around Dutch he pleads with Haley for her help. So she is off and running again to find out why KC was killed and by whom. Along the way her new client's mom turns up in her father's life. In fact he just announced that he is planning on marrying her.

This is a great series and I thoroughly enjoyed this second installment in the Deadly Decor Mystery series. The Christian focus is not overpowering and realistic. Ginny Aiken has brought the characters to life and the struggles the characters have in seeking help in prayer don't seem put there just to satisfy the Christian focus.

A fun easy read!!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, looking at the cover of the book, you see a light-hearted chic lit book.If that's what the author is looking for, then she missed her mark. Ginny Aiken writes a series of three books where the main character is emotionally messed up after a personal tragedy happened in her life a few years before. She is trying to deal with the pain, but it's hard. In this book, she reveals another part of that time in her life and it makes me, the reader, want to bawl. Then as the conclusion draws the book to a close, we discover something so morbid! No, this is not a light-hearted book, though Ms. Aiken does insert some light-hearted stuff int here.

I love the banter between Haley and Dutch. They are getting closer to dating - I can feel it - but with her preconceived notions of the carpenter, and her past, Haley isn't going to rush into anything. I'm really, really hoping they get together in the next book...

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pleasant read, but I hate it when ages of characters don't add up correctly. Along those same lines, what girl who is 3 years/grades older than her boyfriend goes all through college still dating her high school boyfriend? Although the story doesn't say that directly -- maybe Lori was visiting Dutch when he was a freshman in college as friends only, where she met her future husband, Ron? Marry still in college (she should be a senior now) and have a baby right away? Assuming the normal age of graduation at 22, she has baby at 23, who is now 14 in the story, which makes her about 37, but Dutch is 31, so according to the author, Lori should only be about 34. See what I mean? Stuff Iike this really bugs me.

[Kendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was just okay. I felt like this book was almost a replay of the first book in the series, except Dutch and Haley's roles were reversed. I think the killer's identity was too easy to figure out. I suspected almost from the start. The ending seemed rushed -- I would have enjoyed a bit more time spent with the last hostage situation. Oh well, I did enjoy the banter between Dutch and Haley and will probably read the next book in the series, if only for that.

[Loraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great cozy mystery from Ginny Aiken. The duo of Haley Farrell, interior designer, and Dutch Merrill, general contractor, once again stumble over a body and work "together" (when they aren't arguing) to find out "whodunit".

[Larissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

i liked it.alot.plain as that.hahah.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this series.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this one and love this writer! Look forward to reading more of her works!

[Jamey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yipes! This was not what I expected it to be. It had a political and religiously motivated agenda to the mystery. and I don't appreciate that. Also, the writing is pretty flat.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This second book had a delicious dash of humor and some cozy romantic tension. It also includes a terrific cast of characters.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book and the characters development. Huge "pro life" agenda/message that I wish was a little more unbiased but it was ok

[Cathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fluff, but fun.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute novel! Usually Christan fiction is too boring but this a fun and I enjoyed it!

[Julie Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy and entertaining read.