Pearls and Poison by Duffy Brown is the third book in the “Consignment Shop” mystery series. Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime, March 2014

It’s election time in Savannah, Georgia, and Judge Guillotine Gloria—aka Reagan Summerside’s mom—is neck and neck in the polls with Kip “Scummy” Seymour. But the already dirty campaign is about to get downright filthy—with one candidate getting buried six feet under.

With her strong opinions and knack for getting into trouble, Reagan is not an ideal volunteer for her mother’s alderman campaign. Plus, she’d rather be running her consignment shop, the Prissy Fox, and eating doughnuts with her dog, Bruce Willis. But when her mother’s opponent, Kip, is found poisoned and her mother is pegged as a suspect, Reagan nominates herself as lead murder investigator.

Reagan is intent on finding Kip’s killer and clearing her mother’s good name, but she soon finds herself on the bad side of Kip’s enemies-turned-suspects. This time, no amount of costumes and makeup can keep her inconspicuous and out of danger. Because the closer Reagan gets to the truth, the hotter things get.

This was a fun and humorous read that I could not put down. When Reagan’s mother becomes the prime suspect in the murder of her political rival, Reagan is determined to find a killer and clear her mother’s name. What she discovers is fraud and deception running amok in her small town. This book embarks on madcap escapades that Reagan, Kiki and her Mamma finds themselves in. The mystery was good as it kept me tuned to the pages in this fast paced and light fare that tickled my funny bone. Ever present was Walter Boone who I see having a closer friendship with Reagan and we also met a few quirky residents that inhabits the space that is Reagan. I enjoyed this book and I look forward to more amusing antics with Reagan and her friends in this delightfully entertaining series.

previously posted on the Cozy Chicks blog