Veiled Revenge by Ellen Byerrum is the 9th book in the “Crime of Fashion” mystery series. Publisher: Obsidian, February 2013

Home of the helmet hairdo and congressional comb-over, Washington, D.C., is a hotbed of fashion faux pas. If anyone should know, it’s “Crimes of Fashion” columnist Lacey Smithsonian. She dishes out advice to the scandal-scorched and clothing-clueless, doing her part to change this town—one fashion victim at a time.

Washington, D.C., fashion reporter Lacey Smithsonian has always believed clothes can be magical, but she’s never thought they can be cursed. Until now. Lacey’s best friend, Stella, is finally getting married, and at her bachelorette party, fellow bridesmaid—and fortune-teller—Marie Largesse arrives with a stunning Russian shawl. A shawl, Marie warns, that can either bless or curse the wearer. When a party crasher who mocks the shawl is found dead the next day, the other guests fear the curse has been unleashed. But Lacey has her doubts, and she must employ all her Extra-Fashionary Perception to capture a villain who has vowed that nobody at this wedding will live happily ever after.

The road to matrimony with Lacey at the helm is one fun ride that I did not want to get off in this delightfully entertaining whodunit. The gang is back in this well-written mystery as Lacey’s search for a killer provides us with a fast-pace drama filled with fashion anecdote, engaging conversation and a pictorial view of Washington DC as seen through Lacey’s eyes. This page-turning tome kept me in suspense as the story moved towards a rewarding conclusion. I especially enjoy the dynamics of Lacey and the wonderful supporting cast of characters from the impressionable Lady G, the bride-to-be Stella, psychic Marie, the effervescent Miguel, bodyguard Turtledove to the ever handsome Vic. Like fine wine that gets better with age, Veiled Revenge is the best book yet, in this fabulous series and I can’t wait to see where Lacey and her fashion-sense take us.