Good old-fashioned murder lurks behind the Old World charm of Santa Fe, New Mexico. And nobody knows that better than former attorney turned consignment-shop owner—and part-time amateur sleuth—Irene Seligman. When New York assistant DA Irene Seligman moved home to take care of her demanding mother, Adelle, she thought she was leaving a world of corruption and violence behind. But after opening … But after opening her store, Irene’s Closet, and getting reacquainted with the locals, she learns that something’s rotten in sunny Santa Fe. Even upstanding citizens like her friend Juanita Calabaza, a Native American artisan, can’t seem to escape the decidedly unfashionable surge in crime.
Juanita’s handcrafted jewelry has been known to catch the eye of many a tourist on the plaza in Santa Fe’s historic district. But lately she’s been attracting the wrong kind of attention . . . from the police. With her son missing after falling in with a bad crowd, Juanita foretells the death of one of his associates—which comes back to haunt her when the scumbag actually turns up dead. Now Juanita’s trading in her turquoise beads for an orange jumpsuit, and Irene will need to call upon all her old investigative skills to clear Juanita’s name—before her friend pays the ultimate price.
Paula Paul’s delightful mysteries featuring Irene Seligman can be read together or separately:
A KILLER CLOSET | BROKEN POTTERY
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Accessories to die for, by Paula Paul is the second installment in the Irene’s closet mystery series. Having read the first, A Killer Closet, I had high hopes for this series, but I’m not sure I’ll continue after this one. It started well enough, with an interesting plot, but over time the characters and the story became unbelievable. Irene, a former DA turned shop keeper, and her “partner” in crime solving, PJ -a prominent lawyer- run around doing things they know are not just wrong, but also illegal, to help a friend. Irene’s mother Adelle, while providing a small amount of comic relief, is self-centered, vain, and useless. No one wants to be around her, but everyone pays court to her, and lets her tag along on their escapades. I feel like this is the little book that could, only it didn’t. I received a copy of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Pretty good. A little slow at places, but overall a good read!
Wasn’t my favorite, but an easy read.
Author knows Santa Fe
Loved the connection to Native Americans and learning more about their culture.
I have visited Santa Fe many times. I was excited to see if the book was authentic to include shops, streets, weather and shopping. Of course, the all important food element is also needed. I did enjoy the book and my husband is going to read it when he finishes up the current stack he is working on. Thanks for a satisfying read about a special place and special people. I purchased this book and was not reimbursed in any was for this review.
Reviewer is Nana Fones.
Fun series set in Santa Fe. A fun read especially for those who love the Santa Fe culture
“Accessories to Die For” earns 5/5 Heishi Necklaces…Homicide Included!
This is the second book in Paula Paul’s Irene’s Closet series, and as a newbie I worried about not starting the series at the beginning with “A Killer Closet.” However, I was never out of the loop since subtle references to the background and revisiting character connections provided a delightful experience and made me a fan. I am in love of the setting…Santa Fe is a favorite destination, and the references to Native American beliefs and lore was an additional treat. I was intrigued by the premise of Irene Seligman, an assistant district attorney in Manhattan, buckling under with the pressure of her demanding mother Adele to return to her home in Santa Fe, New Mexico—this family dynamic is endearing and frustrating at the same time. Off the main thoroughfare, she opens up Irene’s Closet, an upscale consignment shop, but it’s not all vintage couture and designer cast offs…it is also murder! Yes, now we get into a very entertaining murder mystery with contemporary issues adding to the realism: drug use, gangs, and the acquiring and selling of stolen artifacts. Irene gets involved when Juanita Calabaza, close friend and Native American artisan, becomes a ‘person of interest’ in murder. Juanita has been deeply worried about the disappearance of her son Danny who has become connected with a bad lot and struggled lately with drug use, and things go from worse to worst when Juanita predicts, well more like proclaims, a man connected to her son ‘must die,’ and then…he does. The twists and turns in the investigation are engaging with more than one suspect to ponder, the characters react reasonably to the circumstances, and the exciting end was one I didn’t expect. I highly recommended the Irene’s Closet series, and you can start here or at the beginning, either way it will be an entertaining journey.
A good, solid second-in-series mystery, I enjoyed Accessories to Die For more than the first one. The characters are stronger and the primary characters are better defined and easier to empathize with. The plot is finely planned and executed, with the bad guy/ gal being a definite surprise. Overall, I like this novel and will be looking for additional books in the series.
Irene’s Closet is Irene’s upscale, designer consignment shop in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She and her salesperson, Angel, are a great team, and Angel has the charm and gift for sales and helps customers purchase hundreds to thousands of dollars of merchandise they will look gorgeous in. Juanita, a local Native American craftsman, designs and makes traditional jewelry that also bring in hundreds to a thousand dollars or more each. It is with sadness, then, that Juanita shares her concerns about her son, Danny.
Danny has been involved with drugs and possibly the Capitolistas gang. It is further thought that Danny stole the ancient and priceless “sacred necklace” from the Kewa pueblo. She saw him give it to the Frenchman, who steals the past from tribes across the country by purchasing for a song or stealing, then auctioning it in France for a huge profit. If it sounds like it is all about money, that is correct. Danny needs money to support his drug habit. The Frenchman makes a huge profit on the antiquities. When the Frenchman, Louis Armaud, is found murdered, some think Juanita did it, and others think Danny, who hasn’t been seen since the murder, did it. Now Juanita is arrested, Danny is missing, and Irene is hot on the trail to help her friend Juanita.
Adelle, Irene’s formerly pampered mother, is injured while she and Irene are at the Kewa’s Green Corn Dance. Getting help for her outweighs Irene’s search for Juanita. PJ, the local high-profile criminal defense attorney who has befriended Irene since she moved to Santa Fe, helps her through her search for Danny and Juanita.
The characters are well-rounded. To me, Adelle is someone who has changed since Irene’s first return to Santa Fe. While she still enjoys holding court and being the center of attention, she is also less dependent on her daughter and has even been staying out late – playing bridge? Irene, PJ, and Angel are the delightfully in-charge type folks we have come to know them as.
The plot is action-packed, with well-executed twists and turns, right down to the very last moment. The most astounding twist is almost at the end. I would never have anticipated the bad guy/ gal to be revealed in such a way! It was a complete surprise to me! I very much enjoy the Southwest setting, the inclusion of Native American art and challenges. There are many very suspenseful moments that I won’t give away. There is humor, especially in the exchanges between Irene and Adelle, and Irene and PJ. It is an intriguing, at times scary, and exciting read that I highly recommend!
From a grateful heart: I received this eBook from the publisher and NetGalley, and this is my honest review.
Former New York assistant DA Irene Seligman moved home to take care of her aging, demanding mother, Adelle. She thought she was leaving a world of corruption and violence behind. But after opening her store, Irene’s Closet, and getting acquainted with the locals, she learns that violence and corruption aren’t indigenous to big cities. Unfortunately, her friend Juanita Calabaza, a Native American artisan, can’t seem to escape the decidedly unfashionable surge in crime.
Juanita’s handcrafted jewelry has been known to catch the eye of many tourists on the plaza in Santa Fe’s historic district. However, lately, she’s been attracting the wrong kind of attention, from the police. Juanita foretells the death of one of her son’s associates, which comes back to haunt her when the man actually turns up dead. Now Juanita’s trading in her turquoise beads for an orange jumpsuit. Irene will need to call upon all her old investigative skills to find a killer before it’s too late.
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Series: A Mystery – Irene’s Closet
Author: Paula Paul
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Alibi
Accessories to Die For is an extremely original story. Ms. Paul writes an intriguing and entertaining story that will get the attention of the reader. Her writing is faultless, with little to no issues transitioning from one scene to another.
Irene Seligman is a well-rounded character with plenty of personality and a few character flaws that make her a wonderful main character that reader will enjoy learning about. She is intelligent with a curious streak that lands her in trouble more often than not. Although someone might wonder about her loyalty to her friends and family due to her legal training. Sometimes she forgets that she is no longer a DA and has trouble convincing herself to stay away from the police investigation side of crime.
Irene’s mother is a study in what a seventy-year-old woman should not be doing. She worries about what people will think, yet goes out of her way to meddle in situations that no proper lady would get involved with. Adelle doesn’t seem to understand that there are limits to what she can get away with at her age. PJ and Angel are fantastic characters play a more prominent part of the overall plot of this story.
The use of the Indian lands as well as Santa Fe and surrounding towns is a great location and setting for this story. The landscape makes for some interesting situations, and it is easy for the reader to imagine the lay of the land as it is described throughout the book.
The plot of this story is unusual for a cozy. There might be a bit too much violence for most readers of this type of material. Accessories to Die For is a good mystery but it is not easy to read. Some of the cultural background needs to be explained to the reader in order to follow the basic plot. This book cannot stand on its own without reading the other books in the series.
Although the story is fundamentally well written the solution to the murder among other issues are not resolved in a believable manner. Vital clues that would help the reader learn of the killer’s identity and make the story far more enjoyable are left out of the story and are only brought to the reader’s attention after the killer has been revealed. This makes for some frustration and disappointment.
Overall, if the reader has read the previous additions to this series they may well enjoy this book. Unfortunately, the ending leaves too much to be desired to make this a great book.
It can very well be read as a stand alone. The only thing I missed was a bit more information and background on the protagonist Irene. But this is the second book in Irene’s Closet mystery series and I did not read the first installment, there might be more information in that one. I enjoyed that some of the characters are of Native American background, which I haven’t encountered in any other cozy mystery so far.
The story was very fast paced and entertaining. The only drawback was that towards the end it became somewhat far fetched.
I am looking forward to read more from this author.
I requested this book from NetGalley and am thankful that Random House Publishing Group – Alibi and the author provided me with a copy.