Making Southern brides beautiful is top priority for hat designer Missy DuBois, but sometimes her Louisiana studio moonlights as a crime-solving headquarters . . . While driving to her hat shop, Crowning Glory, Missy accidentally sideswipes a car parked in front of Dogwood Manor, an antebellum mansion being converted into a high-end hotel by the much-reviled property developer Herbert Solomon. … Herbert Solomon. Of course, the car is his Rolls Royce. But Solomon is too busy berating his contractor and interior designer to worry about a little fender bender. When Missy returns to check out the mansion’s chapel where her latest client will be married, she finds the developer dead on his property. After an autopsy finds poison in his body, Missy’s shop is then flooded right before it’s supposed to be featured in an article about wedding-veil trends. Now before everything becomes sheer disaster, she’ll have to train her sights on finding a killer . . .
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Death Comes to Dogwood Manor is the 4th book in the Missy DuBois cozy mystery series, written by Sandra Bretting and published in June, 2018. I won an ARC of this book through a cozy mystery group I subscribe to and have previously read the 3rd book in the series. At some point, I’ll go back to read book one and two once my TBR is a bit shorter this year!
In this book, Missy, a milliner in Louisiana, is distracted and accidentally sideswipes another car. She attempts to do the proper thing by notifying the owner, a rich man sweeping up local mansions and converting them into mini-hotels. She’s met him before, and he’s not a very kind person, but in this instance, he himself seems distracted by the renovation going on at the house. A few days later… she finds him dead. At the same time, Missy’s trying to build up her business and lands a potential big win when a magazine wants to publish an article about her shop. As she stumbles upon several people connected to the deceased man, and works with a designer to freshen up her shop before the photo shoot, everything starts to fall apart and come together in very interesting ways.
I see great improvement from the third book to this fourth book in the series, particularly around the writing style and assemble of the potential suspects. There is more balance and less formal language around Missy’s dialog and relationships, which is a great step forward for the series. I enjoyed reading each of the pages and consumed the whole thing in about 2 hours one evening. Missy is very likable and doesn’t put herself in harm’s way to try solving the case. She is a bit nosy, but its endearing and often just part of who she is rather than an issue of getting in the way of the police. She works with them, as the detective is an old-friend.
Lots of detail, descriptions and research went into building the setting for this edition. Between the various wedding veils and hats Missy’s designed, the decor in her own renovated shop, and the design style of the homes-converted-into-hotels, we can see a wonderful backdrop of southern architecture and beauty. There’s also a few steps forward in Missy’s relationship status, as in the last book, there were two potential suitors. It’s a nice small arc rather than a major piece of the story, but seeing her friendships is also one of the more sweeter aspects in these books, too. Bretting’s settling in well with this series and I will definitely be interested in reading the first two and the next when it comes out.
Protagonist Missy DuBois has built a successful business designing hats and veils in her Crowning Glory boutique in Bleu Bayou, Louisiana. Her significant other, Ambrose ‘Bo’ Jackson creates stunning wedding dresses, and the pair work well together.
As the story begins, a curmudgeon billionaire who purchased the historic Dogwood Manor home has apparently ticked off someone so badly they’ve murdered him. Missy has to deal with a bridezilla whose wedding was to take place at Dogwood Manor just a few days later. Meanwhile, Missy is scrambling to see to a cosmetic makeover for her shops interior before a popular bridal magazine comes to interview her. Her friend, Detective Lance LaPorte, agrees Herbert Solomon’s death is suspicious, and Missy goes into investigate mode to follow up on some of the people the billionaire had run-ins with before his death.
I thought this was an engaging plot that flows along at a steady pace. Bits of humor liven the story and the romance between Missy and Ambrose is given just the right amount of attention so it doesn’t distract from the mystery. I remember the cast of recurring characters from previous books and enjoy re-visiting with them again. I had an idea who the culprit was and found the reveal contains an interesting bit of history that adds to their evilness! There’s sort of a cliffhanger ending, yet I don’t feel like it distracts from the story in any way. It just makes me want to read the next story!
I reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley and Kensington. Thank you.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! A real page Turner! Fun, witty and exciting!
The milliner (hat-maker) profession is unusual and interesting, but the descriptions of the South, including the heat and sounds and smell and feel, are all so authentic. I felt as though I was truly in Louisiana, and I loved it. The characters are fun, witty, and endearing. Great start to what promises to be a fun series.
Death Comes to Dogwood Manor is was a delightful mystery with easily relatable characters. I love books that center around the wedding business and the idea of someone who creates wedding veils and those fascinators that royal weddings have made popular offers a unique take on a favored cozy mystery sub-genre. In typical cozy fashion, Misty manages to trip over bodies at River Road mansions that her clients use as wedding venues. For a different feel, local law enforcement appreciates her input on the crimes. I know it is not realistic but I enjoy this different slant and, knowing how different life is in small towns, can image it happening with long time friends. He boyfriend Bo is great and the romantic element is sweet but you know that in the background things can get hot.
It is wedding season and Misty is swamped so the last thing she needs is to stumble over another body but that doesn’t keep her nosiness in check or keep her from turning up another body. The late owner of the current venue was a true grumpy old man so the number of suspects is almost endless. A frustrating bride, a magazine interview and disaster do not leave time for a murder investigation and a real life so it is the life that has to be sacrificed. Fortunately for Misty that is just a figure of speech but food, sleep, and romance are not things she wants to give up. This series is definitely for avid cozy readers to check out.
I received a copy of this book from the author but it is the fun I had reading it that makes me want to share it with my friends.
I love this series. This one had me guessing until the end. Great characters and great story? I highly recommend. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Death Comes to Dogwood Manor (Missy DuBois Mystery #4)
“Death Comes to Dogwood Manor” is the first installment I have read in the “Missy DuBois Mystery” series. I found it enjoyable and fun. I did not have any trouble getting caught up with the characters or the previous happenings. I enjoyed protagonist Missy DuBois and felt she was a perfect character for this delightful southern cozy. Set in Louisiana, Missy is a hat designer and making a southern bride happy is a difficult job, so she has her hands full with her work. Somehow thought, Missy’s gets involved in murder mysteries. This is one of those times.
Crowning Glory owner, Missy, is on her way to check out Dogwood Manor for a wedding she is involved in later in the week. I guess she is human because as she is driving up to the imposing building, she is checking out the work being done and clips the mirror of a Rolls Royce. It just happens to belong to the man converting the antebellum mansion Herbert Solomon. He is not a very nice man. It seems no one likes him or even gets along with him. So when he winds up dead and Missy is the one who finds him, she has a long list of suspects and not much time to deal with this mystery. Her shop is being featured in a magazine, being redone and at her own fault it is flooded. Somehow, with the help of friends and new acquaintances she gets everything done.
One of the things I really enjoyed about this cozy is the cast of characters. Some books have a full ensemble of characters and for me, it can get confusing. I liked that Missy had her boyfriend and a few others in her life. It only makes sense as busy as she is that her circle of friends would be smaller. I enjoyed their relationships and the way they worked together seamlessly. It also made coming into the series at the 4th book so much easier. The author’s well developed characters and entertaining writing style made this an easy read.
I recommend this quick and fun read to any cozy lover, especially those who enjoy a trip to the south. “Death Comes to Dogwood Manor” was just the right mix of humor, intrigue and friendship. As I have said, even coming into the series late, this was easy to get caught up. So you can definitely read this installment without having read the others.
I was kindly given a copy of this book by the author. My review is not based on that and it in no way influenced my opinion.
“Death Comes to Dogwood Manor” earns 5/5 Pearls and Lace…Murderously Fun!
Missy has had a bit of a fender bender accidentally sideswiping the Rolls of local billionaire/property developer Herbert Solomon with whom she has had previous run-ins. She doesn’t feel a note on the windshield confessing her responsibility is the proper response, so she heads into the nearby construction area to talk to him for a face-to-face mea culpa. Dogwood Manor is one of the antebellum mansions Solomon has purchased and is converting into a high-end hotel which Missy worries could change a beautiful historic area into “hotel row.” His plans and his uber-controlling manner have put him at odds with most of the locals, so when Missy finds his dead body, she is suspicious that a “heart attack” is the real cause of death…way too many are not adequately mourning the man’s demise.
New to the series, I am now a big fan of Sandra Bretting’s Missy DuBois Mystery, and starting with the fourth book did not put me at a disadvantage. There are references to background and character connections to keep me totally engaged. I love my cozy to have an interesting theme around which the mystery and character interactions revolve, and the idea of a millinery handcrafting veils and such for brides was very interesting. I enjoyed the references to Missy’s work and her designs and the experiences with some “bridezillas” and their families…”Is that blackberry jam on the mirror?” There are several storylines to unpack in this book beyond a clever cozy murder, as we have a popular magazine wanting to highlight Missy and her shop and her concerns about the shop’s country chic decor needing a bit of refreshing. Bretting doesn’t rely on just her third-person narrative with the marvelous description, she includes delightful banter that solicit many emotions and illustrates well personalities and tone. There’re Southern tidbits, friendships, and a nice romance that rounds out a delightful Louisiana community. I highly recommend this book!
Let us take a trip to Bleu Bayou, Louisiana to visit
Missy DuBois, milliner and amateur sleuth. Missy
runs the Crowning Glory boutique where she designs
hats and veils. Her significant other, Ambrose ‘Bo’
Jackson who designs wedding dress works in the
same complex.
On the way to work, Missy stops at Dogwood Manor.
This is an old antebellum house that is being renovated
by billionaire Herbert Solomon. Herbert is not well liked.
Later in the day Missy returns to the Manor where she
discovers the billionaire dead in a small bedroom in the
Manor. How did he die? With so many people not liking
him, the suspect list is lengthy.
Vivid, colorful, quirky, well defined cast of characters
involved in a complex mystery.
Well written, detailed description, southern charm,
southern dialect and sayings plus southern sweet ice
tea, fried chicken and jambalaya.
I was immediately drawn into this delicious read.
This is book # 4 in A Missy DuBois Mystery series.It can be
read as a stand alone.
I volunteered to read an advance copy of the book. Thanks
to author via the Cozy Mystery Review Crew for the book.
My opinion is my own.
This book is an ok read. I might read another in the series but I wouldn’t pay more than $1.99.
Things are heating up in the south especially when everyone’s least favorite billionaire keels over! Missy once again finds herself in the thick of things as she finds the body and helps her friend who is a deputy unravel the mystery of the man’s death. Humor, southern charm and relatable characters keep you interested in a well developed plot with multiple suspects to keep you guessing! Definitely a great book to keep you entertained for the day and if you haven’t read the series, you definitely should as the series is a fun way to spend a few days entertaining your brain in a series of “whodunits!” I’m looking forward to the next book in the series already!
I enjoyed this latest Missy DuBois book. Again, the author brings realism to the setting and provided a decent mystery. The clue that seals the deal against the killer isn’t something that Missy came up with, but it was still satisfying.
There was one off note for me. One of the characters responds harshly to something Missy says and what would then need to be done. A professional would not have gotten in that position in the first place.
I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.