Before bride-to-be Reagan Summerside can tie the knot, she must first untangle a web of mysterious retirement home murders—and prove her neighbors are innocent There are two social functions in Savannah guaranteed to get people talking: weddings and funerals. And just as consignment shop owner Reagan Summerside agrees to marry the hunky Walker Boone, her neighbors, sisters Annie Fritz and Elsie … Fritz and Elsie Abbot, step up their business as professional mourners. They are so successful that the Sleepy Pines Retirement Center has hired them as a part of their retirement package. But the celebration over good business is cut short when the residents at Pines suddenly begin dying at an alarming rate. And the sisters are the first suspects.
Reagan has her doubts, however, and begins to look into the strange phenomenon. But then something even stranger happens: a body winds up in the sisters’ pink Caddy. The evidence begins to pile up and the suspicious case of Willie Fishbine, who swindled the sisters out of a fortune and coincidentally died prior to the Pines case, is reopened.
Not wanting Willie to be buried until they can find the killer responsible for the murders, Reagan must catch the culprit in time to walk down the aisle. Witty, fabulous, and full of charm, Lethal in Old Lace is perfect for fans of Ellery Adams and Jenn McKinlay.
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Dollycas’s Thoughts
I was over the moon when I heard this series had found a new home. This is one of my favorite series and I sure wasn’t done with these wonderful characters.
Something I have been waiting for is moving forward in this book. Boone pops the question and Reagan says yes. They are moving forward in their life together with some major decisions like where they will live and the renovations that may be needed. Due to some crazy circumstances, their wedding party is going to be filled with some people I never suspected. That’s the good news. The bad news is a dead body is found in sisters Annie Fritz and Elsie Abbot garden and another body with casket is hidden in Aunt Kiki’s garage. Both are connected to the Sleepy Pines Retirement Center and the sisters are prime suspects for what could be two murders. Aunt Kiki decides to go undercover in the retirement home to help Reagan solve the case.
Reagan Summerside owns the Prissy Fox Consignment Shop and her neighbors Annie Fritz and Elsie Abbot’s help out at the shop while Reagan is out trying to plan her wedding or catch a killer. Her mother, Judge Gloria and her Aunt Kiki are usually along for both. Her new fiancee Walker Boone does his best to keep all of them out of trouble. With two murders to solve his task is far from easy. I had so much fun following along with their antics. Ms. Brown’s Savannah, Georgia has its hands full with this gang,
Southern charm, snappy dialogue, genuine, unique characters, laugh out loud moments, and a top-notch whodunit grace the pages of Lethal and Old Lace. From the very first word until the last this story completely entertains.
I love the way Duffy Brown writes. Each new story quickly becomes my favorite. It was a bit of a wait for this book, but it was so worth the wait. It surpasses a perfect escape by quite a bit. Yes, this book gets my Paradise Rating. Thank you, Duffy Brown, for this marvelous story!
Duffy Brown is the queen of humorous cozy mysteries. She will keep you not only entertained, but laughing out loud until the very last page. A light hearted who-done-it mystery.
Sub Themes
Humorous cozy, small business owner, southern charm, consignment shop
Can You Start the Series in the Middle?
This was the first book in the series that I read. I can see wanting to go back and read past installments, because this book was so entertaining, but I didn’t feel left behind in the story.
If You Like …
Vickie Fee’s Liv and Di in Dixie Mystery Series, you’ll enjoy this book.
Fans of Duffy Brown’s Consignment Shop Mysteries have waited a long time for “Lethal in Old Lace,” and I’m thrilled to say this story is worth the wait! Easily the most comedic cozy series I know of; protagonist Reagan Summerside, her mother Judge Gloria, her Aunt Kiki, and several of the awesome recurring supporting characters such as Big Joey, Mercedes, and Earlene, are tagged to help Reagan steal a casket with a corpse from the funeral home and hide it. Then, they must track down a mysterious second corpse that’s making rounds about town. What the heck!? The mystery concerns a swindler and Kiki and Gloria go undercover in an assisted living home where drama Southern-style ensues. Aunt Kiki’s serving martini’s on the porch! LOL!
I had a suspicion about the culprits; however, the final reveal was certainly surprising.
I love that Walker Boone and Reagan are rapidly moving forward with their relationship. Bruce Willis, the rescue pup is as loveable and brave as ever. I highly recommend this book and the entire series!
Lethal in Old Lace by Duffy Brown was the best one yet in this series! Ms. Brown has written a fast paced plot with twists, turns, food, humor (laugh out loud moments), and all of the quirky characters that I love.
Reagan is floating on air as she has accepted Walker Boone’s proposal and is now faced with planning her wedding with the help of her mama and aunt Kiki. On her way to Boone’s house to talk about their new life together she finds a dead body in the back of the Sisters caddy. This could only happen to Reagan. From there it all goes into overdrive for this ride to keep the Sisters out of jail. Two murders, body theft, Hollis the Horrible, a retirement home with some fractious characters and a reveal that left me stunned. I could not put this book down and kept turning the pages until I finished the book. I want the next book in this series NOW!
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own. I would like to sincerely thank Crooked Lane Books for allowing me to read and review this book.
I LOVE this series! Hope it never ends!
Another fun mystery from Duffy Brown.
I loved this book!! I have read all of the books in this series. The author writes really funny and romantic mystery books!
In author Duffy Brown’s long awaited Lethal in Old Lace, wedding bells are preparing to ring in Savannah as Reagan Summerside and her fiancé Walker Boone are basking in their engagement and preparing to move in together. Unfortunately for them, senior citizens are dropping like flies at the Sleepy Pines Retirement Home, and Reagan’s next door neighbors Elsie and Annie Fritz are suspects numbers one and two after the police discover a dead body buried in their garden. Add to this the fact that Uncle Putter has Auntie KiKi on a health kick which has caused her to resort to Snickers swapping at a very inopportune moment leading Reagan and KiKi to hide another body (avec casket!) in the trunk of Auntie KiKi’s batmobile. To solve the mystery and clear their friends, Reagan and KiKi promise just about everyone they know in Savannah a part in the wedding, leading to more comic relief as Reagan’s planned small and intimate wedding is turned into one of Scarlett O’Hara proportions! Another hilarious romp through the very charming southern city of Savannah, and highly recommended to all lovers of author Duffy Brown’s Consignment Shop mystery series (also to those of her Bicycle Path mystery series who haven’t discovered Reagan and the gang yet). Absolutely loved it and I sure hope there’s a follow up in the series! Martini recipes included – an absolute must for Auntie KiKi followers! A+++
“If there was one thing I’d learned from my dead-body affliction of late, it was that coincidences didn’t exist.”
Regan Summerside just got engaged, and it seems like the whole town knows. Who needs social media when you have her family: Mom the judge and Aunt Kiki… However, not everybody’s celebrating as old Willie over at the nursing home just dies and his grandson knows it wasn’t just because he was old, and threatens Regan and her aunt with some video unless they find out why. And then another resident dies, and they were connected in life, so maybe the deaths are related?
Take one Mercedes, add a pink scooter, plastic flowers and three women getting taken for a ride by one guy, and a dog named Bruce Willis and you have the latest funny episode in small town southern giggles. Grab a martini- spirited or not- there are more than enough to go ‘round, and enjoy the ride!
(I received this book from #NetGalley and am voluntarily reviewing it)
Lethal in Old Lace is a delightful romp with the very genteel ladies of Savannah. Georgia has peaches, charm, magnolias, and – ta-da! Reagan Summerside! And her very dignified mother, Judge Gloria Summerside, and Gloria’s delightful sister, Reagan’s Auntie Kiki. These ladies are enough to put Savannah, Georgia on the map all by themselves.
Reagan owns the Prissy Fox Consignment Shop on the first floor of her aging Victorian, Cherry House. It was the only thing she from her divorce from the cheating ex. Well, that and his divorce attorney, Walker Boone, and they are dearly looking forward to getting married. Reagan lives on the second floor since the first is where she tries to make enough to pay bills every month. Her dearest Aunt Kiki lives next door with Uncle Putter. Kiki teaches all the girls how to dance for their cotillion. Some of the guys, too! Kiki is Reagan’s partner in crime (solving). Where Reagan goes, dead bodies just show up. She finds the killer, whatever it takes, and Kiki is always up for an adventure.
People at Sleepy Pines Retirement Home are dying unexpectedly. Yes, it is a retirement home, but rumors are everywhere. Reagan gets dragged into first one, then another death. The first is a man who wasn’t very lovable, or loved, except by his grandson. He has reasons to bribe Reagan to into finding who killed the guy, thanks to Kiki’s need for chocolate. The second is a woman whose body was first seen in the back seat of the Abbott sisters’ Cadillac, then in the window display at … the Prissy Fox? When Aldeen, a police detective, is chatting with Reagan, her dog BW brings a dirty blue hat and a red purse, both belonging to a missing woman. As BW happily trots to the Abbott sisters’ back yard, they found a woman’s hand sticking up from the garden. Gaa!
Now Kiki is staying at Sleepy Pines to find the culprit, then Gloria joins her to “help her sister” with dressing and other tasks. There is a full complement of laugh-out-loud scenes that give serious competition to Lucy and Ethel’s zaniest stunts, as well as very frightening moments. All this, and a wedding to plan…so many interruptions, so little time!
I love Auntie Kiki and Reagan! They are loyal, fun, imaginative, and brave. The Abbott Sisters are also amusing, although I didn’t believe the story of why they buried the poor lady’s body. Only a man like Walker could love Reagan for who she is and not try to change her; the author has designed these characters with such care!
There are interesting plot twists that maximize either sadness, hilarity, or fear. There are times that I think, where does the author come up with these things? I guess I don’t care if she continues to dream them up! The author allows us as readers to lighten up and not take ourselves so seriously. It turns out there is no shortage of suspects for either senior, sadly. Or are there two killers on board? The real killer(s) I considered on and off throughout, even though some of the others looked so much more culpable. No spoilers – suffice it to say that there are no loose ends at the end of the novel except…when will we see Reagan walk down the aisle? I highly recommend this novel to those who like their mysteries cozy, their Southerners charming, and their mysteries complex.
From a grateful heart: I received a copy of this from the author and NetGalley, and here is my honest review.
In Savannah, Georgia, there are two events that ar3e guaranteed to make people talk: weddings and funerals. Just as consignment shop owner Reagan Summerside agrees to marry the hunky Walker Boone, her neighbors, sisters Annie Fritz and Elsie Abbot, step up their business as professional mourners. They are so successful that the Sleepy Pines Retirement Center has hired them as a part of their retirement package. But when the residents at Sleepy Pines suddenly begin dying at an alarming rate, things don’t go so well and the sisters are under suspicion of murder.
Reagan begins to look into the deaths. When a body winds up in the sisters’ pink caddy, the evidence begins to pile up against them. When Willie Fishbine dies suddenly, his grandson wants to know why and isn’t above blackmailing Reagan to find out who killed him. Reagan must catch the culprit in time to walk down the aisle.
—
Series: A Consignment Shop Mystery
Author: Duffy Brown
Genre: Cozy mystery/Business
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books – Publishing Date: March 13, 2018
Lethal in Old Lace is a fun, intriguing, and easy-to-read book that will give the reader hours of enjoyment. Duffy Brown has woven a story that is seamless from start to finish. There is never a dull moment or a lack of action. This is book six in this series.
The character of Reagan is an entertaining person; she has a way of getting to the point without being too pushy. Her life is changing for the better, but she still keeps finding bodies. This time nothing has changed, innocently walking home, she once again stumbles onto a dead body and leaps into an investigation. Even though she swears she isn’t interested and doesn’t want to get mixed up in a murder investigation, she puts herself in the thick of it.
Other supporting characters including Reagan’s hunky fiancé, Walker Boone, are well developed and an intricate part of the story. They are highly entertaining, massively likable and seem almost real to the point the reader can find traces of them in their own family and neighbors. If the reader has not read any of the other books in the series, it may take them a while to figure out what roles each of the characters play and who they are. However, this will not subtract from the enjoyment of the book.
Savannah is a great setting for this series. Having visited this beautiful city, it is easy to know exactly where Reagan is throughout the story and what she sees without the need for too much detail. If the reader hasn’t visited Savannah, they will want to spend time seeing all the sites after reading this book and the others in the series. The city is a living history museum and filled with intelligent residents dripping with southern charm.
Overall, Lethal in Old Lace is a fast-paced, highly enjoyable book that at times makes the reader laugh out loud. The clues are subtle but easily understood. When the murderer is unmasked, most reader will be surprised and delighted. This book and the series is recommended to anyone who enjoys a bit of romance, humor, and suspense all rolled into the same story without unnecessary detail or distraction.
Lethal in Old Lace by Duffy Brown is the fifth book in A Consignment Shop Mystery series. Reagan Summerside is stunned and thrilled when Walker Boone proposes to her. She barely gets to enjoy the moment when Aunt Kiki disrupts them. Elsie and Annie Fritz Abbot are lacking mourners at Willie Fishbine’s wake (if you knew him, you would not mourn him either). The Abbot sisters are professional mourners and need every cent of their income since they lost their savings in a get rich quick scheme. The next day, Reagan and Aunt Kiki get a visit from Fishbine’s grandson. He witnessed Aunt Kiki stealing a candy bar from his grandfather’s coffin. He wants it replaced and for them to find out who killed Mr. Fishbine. The death was ruled accidental, but the young man has a different theory. Then BW (Reagan’s dog) finds a body partially buried in the Abbot sister’s vegetable garden. Bonnie Sue and Willie Fishbine were both residents of Sleepy Pines Retirement Center. Is someone killing off the residents? With the Abbot sister’s the primary suspects in one of the crimes, it is up to Reagan and Aunt Kiki to get answers.
A Consignment Shop Mystery series is best read in order. I am happy that Regan and Boone are engaged. I just hope Regan gets the wedding she desires (her mother has gone into overdrive). The book contains good writing and a fast pace. The characters are established (well developed), and I just love the setting of Savannah. Duffy Brown provides beautiful descriptions of the area. There are several characters with various quirky traits like Aunt Kiki. Boone is a saint to put up with Regan and her family (he is a nice balance to Reagan). Reagan and Aunt Kiki remind me of Lucy and Ethel in I Love Lucy (screwball comedy). The mystery will lead readers on a merry chase. I do wish there had been a little less action. There needed to be some calm moments in between the frenetic ones. Lethal in Old Lace was different from Iced Chiffon (first book in the series). The author seemed to have ramped up the zany antics and quirk factor in Lethal in Old Lace. I loved the reference to Gilmore Girls in the book (my favorite show). There are various martini recipes included. Lethal in Old Lace is an entertaining cozy mystery that will have readers in stitches and perplexed over the killers’ identity.
For those waiting for Duffy Brown’s next book in the Consignment series, you will not be disappointed. For those who haven’t started, you will love this book I don’t think you will have any problem reading this as a stand alone but I suggest that you start with the beginning, just to get the history of these characters.
While at a funeral for an elderly customer of a retirement home, Reagan finds another body in her neighbors, Elsie and Annie’s, caddy, who also work at the same retirement home. Knowing that the sisters have nothing to do with murder, Reagan and family begin to investigate to clear their names. Add planning for her wedding, Aunt Kiki getting into the middle of the investigation plus her mother, Reagan has her hands full.
I love these characters, so many crazy things happen around them and I think what makes it funnier is Walker Boone who is Reagan’s fiancé takes it all in stride like it is all normal. No matter what Reagan says to him, he doesn’t bat an eye. He supports her whole heartedly and accepts her for who she is. If you are looking for a good laugh, which Ms. Brown never fails to deliver, in with your mystery, then this is the book for you. I eagerly await the next in this series.
*I was lucky enough to have received an early copy of this book and this is my honest opinion.
Love this series! The characters are great!
I love this series! Aunt KiKi is a hoot and the south is always fun to read about!! This one kept me guessing!! I totally missed the culprit!! Plus it has some wonderful martini recipes in the back!
Lethal in Old Lace is a charming, fun, hilarious cozy mysyery. I loved it from the start. It has so many quirky characters along with a unique mystery to solve.
This book had me laughing and remembering my Aunt who Aunt Kiki reminds me of. She is bossy, caring and opinionated. I just love her.
I have to admit this is my first book in this series that I have read and though it picks up from the last one it was still okay to read as a stand alone. I will be going back and starting with book one now.
One of my favorite parts was right at the start when Aunt Kiki gets Reagan and they have to go to the funeral to be mourners. This just sets the mood and mystery up perfect.
Romance, humor, quirkiness, and a good mystery is what you are in store for in this book.
I received this book for my honest opinion and review
“Lethal in Old Lace” earns 5/5 Tasty Martinis…Murderously Fan!
I heard the ‘buzz,’ so I was eager to read Duffy Brown’s new book in her Consignment Shop Mystery series. It’s always a concern starting a book well into a series with so much having happened and characters already well establishment, but “Lethal in Old Lace” did not disappoint. Duffy Brown revisited enough background and referenced character connections to keep me totally engaged. Although finding out how everyone got here from there, puts the others four books at the top of my ‘TBR’ list.
The wedding everyone has been waiting for between Reagan and Walker is just about to be held, but a few dead bodies put quite the damper on the upcoming nuptials. The link to the Sleepy Pines Retirement Center puts “persons of interest” too close to home. Along with a clever mystery with a few twists and turns to challenge your own amateur detective is a rich set of characters, entertaining dialogue, and more than a few giggles. This was a marvelous read capped with thirteen of Aunt Kiki’s Best Martinis. My favorite was the Espresso Martini (Too early for breakfast?) and the perfect Summer on the Veranda Watermelon Martini (Oh, those summer nights!). I highly recommend this book for fans and newbies alike!
Prepare yourself for laughs, mayhem, wedding planning and of course…murder. Boone has proposed to Reagan and of course she is over the moon excited. But of course, everything can’t be happiness and magnolias! First, Willie Fishbine turns up dead. But hey! You won’t find an eye shedding a tear out of sadness because Willie wasn’t anyone’s favorite person. In fact, quite a few are celebrating that he is no longer among the living. Too bad Auntie Kiki gets herself and Reagan into a little sticky situation at the funeral that gets caught on tap. Really Auntie Kiki? Well, things of course only get more animated from there when another body pops up. While the resident is FROM the Pines, the body isn’t found AT the Pines. Annie Fritz and Elsie Abbot, Reagan’s neighbors, are set up to take the fall for not just one death, but two. The race is on for Reagan and her friends to figure out the real culprits of what happened and why.
Lethal in Old Lace by Duffy Brown is the first book that I have read both of this series and by this author. The minute I started reading this book I was hooked. I was in love with the characters and decided that I wanted to read the series from the beginning. The Southern charm that the author weaves through this story will make you feel both right at home, and like you live there with the character. The mystery flows so well and the story is enjoyable from beginning to end. I love the small town and how gossip gets around so quickly. I especially like how Reagan has such a strong family unit. Her mama and her Auntie Kiki are always there to have her back. The suspense and the thrills are enough to have you begging for more. There are so many laugh out loud moments that I had to be careful when I was reading so that I wouldn’t disturb my daughter (if she was sleeping) with a healthy round of laughs.
I truly adored this story! There isn’t anything that I can say against this story. My only real complaint is that with all the threats from Willie’s grandson, we don’t find out what happens with him. What happened to the video that he allegedly shot of Auntie Kiki?! I wanted to know! Haha!
This is a book that I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a fun cozy mystery. There are laugh out loud moments, thrills, suspense, and tons of drama. I will warn that there are some loose ends that are left with this story, but I’m sure that the author will deal with them in her next book. Which I will be more than eager to snap up and read. Needless to say this author has grabbed herself a new fan, and I will be grabbing up the previous books in this series and ones to come after.
I am rating this book 5 out of 5 stars. I couldn’t get enough of Reagan, her Auntie Kiki and hunky Boone. Reagan has truly got herself something truly amazing with that man and her family. This book is a must read with its twists, surprises and subplot lines. If you love good laugh out loud cozy mystery then I say grab this book. If you love the books by Duffy Brown, then grab this book and add it to your collection. You will not be disappointed.
What will one do for a Snickers Bar?? Just ask the
zany and feisty Aunt Kiki when she decides to trade
a health bar for the Snickers Bar during the viewing
of former resident of the Sleepy Pines Retirement
Home casket at the funeral home. Never did Aunt
Kiki expect a young juvenile to video her. Now both
Aunt Kiki and Reagan Summerside are being
blackmailed. The youngsters believes the man was
murdered. They need to find a murderer… very quickly
and quietly!!!
Reagan Summerside is Aunt Kiki’s niece who runs the
Prissy Fox on the first floor of her home. She has just
become engaged to a handsome lawyer. They are
starting renovations to the second and third floor to
use as their living quarters.
Reagan then discovers a women’s body in her neighbors
( the Fritz sisters’) car. Another deceased person from
the Sleepy Pines Retirement Center. Aunt Kiki decides to
go into the nursing home in an undercover role.
This a fast paced, busy moving story with a well plotted,
complex storyline with a zany cast of creative characters.
The story is filled with charm from these Southerners as
they plan and love to attend their big occurrences such
as their weddings and funerals especially where the
martinis flow. There are recipes at the end of the story
for various types of martinis.
The characters find themselves in out of the ordinary
circumstances that add humor throughout the book.
BW (Bruce Willis) who is Reagan’s dog plays a major
part in the whole scenario.
This is book # 5 in the Consignment Shop Mysteries series.
This can be read as a stand alone. This is the one I read
but will definitely be starting from the first book soon.
I volunteered to read Lethal in Old Lace. Thanks to the
author and publishers via Facebook’s Cozy Mystery Review
Crew for the opportunity. My opinion is my own.
Lethal in Old Lace by Duffy Brown, the fifth book in her Consignment Shop Mystery series was a wonderful story. This cozy mystery series takes us on another wonderful adventure with Reagan, Boone, Aunt Kiki, Big Joey and all the other residents of Savannah, who make you feel like you are part of the town. Reagan is busy with her wedding plans and those of her family and friends, when she is pulled into another murder investigation. There were lots of fun moments and laugh out loud goings-on; from a chick food fight to an old guy fight at a funeral viewing. Of course Aunt Kiki was right in the thick of things as always and helping in a fairly major way with this investigation. I adored that Reagan’s mom, the judge, even got in on some of the snooping fun this time.
I laughed my way through this book and loved how Ms. Brown filled this story with twists and turns along with a few surprises. I never suspected this person as the murderer. Great job Duffy Brown you had me stumped! For those who value loyalty to family and friends, southern manners, and love of their pets, this is the ideal book. Although part of a series, this is a standalone book. I definitely recommend this book to other readers and I look forward to the next book in this series.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.