Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event that
spotlights upcoming releases that I’m really
looking forward to. Waiting On Wednesday
is the creation of Jill at Breaking the Spine.
This week’s “can’t-wait-to-read” selection is:
Tough Luxe
A Samantha Kidd Mystery #11
Diane Vallere
Polyester Press, February 2021
Mystery, Cozy
From the author—
She wanted to visit an old friend. The “friend” is in jail for murder. Can Samantha find new evidence to clear a convicted killer?
Fashionista Samantha Kidd’s new role as style columnist for the local paper encourages her to attend events and discover new trends. But when an out-of-the-blue invitation to visit an acquaintance arrives, standing out is the last thing she wants. The acquaintance is the heiress to a pretzel fortune—or she would be if she were free. Instead, she’s quietly serving a double life sentence after being convicted of killing her media mogul husband.
With a parole hearing looming, the heiress is ready to break her silence. But while the press lines up to get the scoop (and the ratings!), Samantha can’t help wondering who the victim is in this scenario. And after hearing the heiress’s story firsthand, Sam suspects the wrong person was locked up. If she’s right, a killer’s on the loose and will stop at nothing to silence Samantha too.
Can Samantha infiltrate the high life to expose a down and dirty crime?
Tough Luxe is the eleventh fashionable cozy mystery in the Style in a Small Town series. If you like manipulative characters, stylish crimes, and Orange-Is-the-New-Black drama, then you’ll love Diane Vallere’s high-stakes cozy.
Why am I waiting so eagerly? I’m in the mood for something lighthearted and Ms. Vallere‘s books fit the bill. The main thing I like about this particular series is that Samantha is not TSTL, as many cozy protagonists are, but she can still be counted on to go off on a wild hair now and then. By now, she’s gotten a reputation as an amateur sleuth so her snooping isn’t entirely misguided and she makes me laugh, a lot. I’m the last person on earth to care about fashion but that aspect of these mysteries doesn’t distract me from enjoying a clever, funny read, especially in the winter doldrums 😃
Buried Under Books 