Button Holed by Kylie Logan is the first book in the new “Button Box” mystery series. Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime (Penguin), September 2011

In a big picture world, it’s the little things that appeal to button dealer Josie Giancola. There’s history in every button. There’s art, and crafts and style. There might be clues to murder, too.

Working out of her button shop in a Chicago brownstone, Josie Giancola has quietly become one of the country’s leading experts on buttons—antique buttons, jeweled buttons, artistic buttons. Her reputation draws a Hollywood starlet to the Button Box to shop for one-of-a-kind buttons to adorn her made-to-order wedding gown.

But after the Button Box is ransacked and the actress is murdered, Josie’s cozy world is thrown into chaos. Homicide detective Nevin Riley is looking to her for clues, starting with the murder weapon—an antique buttonhook. But a killer has other ideas, like keeping Josie’s lips buttoned up…permanently.

Jo is thrown into a murder investigation when first she finds a dead body in her shop and then when the police detective seeks her help. When her friend is later arrested for the murder, Jo continues to gather clues and in the process learns more about herself. The brilliant use of buttons as a mystery plot worked well because I could not tear my eyes away from this book. The easy tone and fresh dialogue kept the pages flowing. It was fun meeting Jo and exploring her relationships with her friends. The storyline kept me guessing with so many twists and turns that I didn’t see the killer until it was too late. This is a great start to a terrific series and I can’t wait to read what is un-buttoned next.

FTC Full Disclosure – The publisher sent me a copy of this book

** I have one copy of BUTTON HOLED to give away, thanks to Berkley! To enter, leave a comment with a valid e-mail address and please break it up using (at) and (dot). This is only open to US addresses (at the publisher’s request). Contest ends on September 24 at 6:00 pm EST. Winner will be notified by e-mail and has 2 days to respond. **