A Nazi-trained assassin with an assignment to take out anti-appeasement leaders in Britain adds one more name to the list. Olivia Denis. September, 1938. Olivia Denis wins a plum assignment from her newspaper covering a glamorous French fashion designer providing frocks for Britain’s elite. While there, she finds herself rubbing shoulders with the fabulously wealthy, advising the aristocracy, and … wealthy, advising the aristocracy, and tripping over the body of a German anti-Nazi resistance leader.
In her search for a killer, Olivia discovers that an assassin with links to the London fashion house is targeting prominent British politicians.
Now Olivia must find the assassin before Britain loses the leaders who can best protect it from the Nazi menace. As she digs for the truth inside the designer’s studio, Olivia finds herself in the assassin’s crosshairs. Can Olivia survive a killer waiting in the shadows for the right moment to remove her…permanently?
Deadly Fashion, the third book in the Deadly series, is for fans of World War II era spy thrillers and classical cozy mysteries, of intrepid lady sleuths with spunk and smarts. No explicit cursing, sex, or violence.
Start exploring this journey of mystery and intrigue today as Britain and Germany draw dangerously close to war.
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Olivia Dennis is a smart, capable young woman trying to be independent at a time when it wasn’t acceptable. Captain Adam Redmond, who works for Army Intelligence, is the romantic interest and gets only a little page time in this book, but his appearances show dynamics with Olivia and her father. Olivia’s father, Sir Ronald Harper, wants to control Olivia’s life and tuck her away thus they have disagreements about her assignments. Sir Henry is the owner of the paper where she works and involves Olivia in aiding Jewish family and friends trying to secure means to leave occupied countries. Mimi Mareau is a French fashion designer in the middle of the situation and is clearly a nod to Coco Chanel. General Alford also has an assignment for Olivia to add to the excitement.
This is more than a murder mystery with its elements of intrigue with Sir Henry and General Alford asking for her help. This kept my attention and I couldn’t put it down with everything going on with the various plot lines.
I didn’t foresee the killer, so kudos. Although this wasn’t an daring and tense killer reveal, I liked how it worked out. The conclusion answers all the remaining questions and ends a great note.
This series is quickly becoming on of my favorites. Give it a try if you like historical mysteries with a dash of intrigue.
Rating: Near Perfect
I find myself in-tune with the writings of Kate Parker, having read the same mysteries and growing up with the same passions about history. I enjoy reading historical fiction and immediately jumped on the opportunity to be able to read Deadly Fashion, which is the third book in her Deadly Series. Right into the fray of pre-WWII and smack dab in London we follow Olivia, a widow with a heroic double-life, as she works to uncover who murdered the British Agent, “Elias”.
Kate Parker’s finesse in detailing 1930’s fashion is impeccable and brings you further into the times. What I also found on-point were the feelings she was able to evoke when delving into sympathizers and, on the other side of the coin, those that were oppressed and hunted. The twists and turns that Olivia went through to find who the murderer was, in the end, gave me one question to ask, “What would you do if faced with the chance of being sent back through the same nightmare you escaped from?”.
She drew me in from beginning to end having not read the first two even. Written in such a way that Deadly Fashion can also hold up its own as a standalone; the right amount of history was written about the characters so nothing was missed and the story-line smoothly transitioned into a fantastic cozy mystery. Now? Grabbing myself the first two and going to be checking out her Victorian Bookshop Mysteries.
This seems familiar yet not trite. It enhances what one knows about fashion highlighting how it is not superficial. It is classy yet not too oblique to block out perceptions.