Silence of the Lamps

Caprice De Luca’s job as a house stager, often has her hiring sister Nikki to cater her open houses. At one such occasion while Nikki is catering, her former sou-chef and now biggest catering competition, Drew Pierson, shows up and creates a scene. He loudly and quite publicly announces that he will destroy Nikki’s business. When at food expo a few days later Nikki realizes he has stolen one of her recipes and is claiming it as his own creation, she feels that she must confront him for his underhanded ways and tell him to stop. When Nikki and Caprice arrive at his grandmother’s home where he also lives, they find him dead, his head bashed in by the base of an expensive Tiffany lamp. Soon it becomes obvious to Caprice that Nikki is a prime suspect and she will need to find out who really murdered the abrasive caterer. Motives and suspects are aplenty, but a need to protect her sister and a promise to Drew’s Grandmother to find his murderer, keeps Caprice hot on the trail.

There is a formula that most Cozies follow. They are usually quick fluff reads with just a touch of suspense. Really, just a way to pass a few minutes of time easily that doesn’t really register as the reader moves on to the next one on her list. Nothing wrong with that, but occasionally I like a bit of substance with my stories, and Silence of the Lamps delivers in a big way. This is my first experience with Caprice De Luca and her author Karen Rose Smith, and I am quite impressed. This story could easily have fallen into the typical pattern and been perfectly acceptable. Instead I found a wonderful story full of well developed, well written characters. Caprice and her close knit family are great examples. Instead of being cardboard filler, they are bright and vibrant with stories of their own. Interesting tid-bits like the circumstances of Nana living with Caprice’s parents, Uncle Dom’s search for a new and fulfilling career and the close, yet distinctly different relationships that Caprice has with each of her sisters, are wonderful touches to the story.

The plot is beyond engaging. This is a murder mystery that reads like straight fiction. Caprice is less a heroine and more just a great protagonist with a great story to tell. Her relationships with her family, friends and neighbors are where the real story is, and nothing is lost as she doggedly tracks down the clues that will solve the murder. Her involvement in the community, her fierce loyalty to rescue animals and her struggles with her boyfriend simply serve to make her a relate-able person. The mystery itself is beautifully laid out with abundant clues and red herrings. The story leading to Drew’s death is well thought out and perfectly written.

With more than 90 books, in some of my favorite genres, I can’t imagine how I have missed reading this author. It is a mistake I intend to correct. I most enjoyed my visit to Kismet and I hope to journey there again soon.