Parchment and Old Lace {+ Giveaway}

Visions of New Orleans quickly fill your head when you begin reading PARCHMENT AND OLD LACE, the 13th installment in the Scrapbooking Mystery series by Laura Childs.

Childs, with author Terrie Farley Moran, bring New Orleans to life as they keep you in suspense in this latest cozy murder mystery. The rich descriptions of the historic Garden District and other areas places the reader among the characters as the story unfolds.

Scrapbook shop owner Carmela Bertrand and her beau, Detective Edgar Babcock, enjoy a romantic dinner, but have a brief interruption when Isabelle Black stops by their table. After bragging about her upcoming wedding, she leaves.

Minutes later on their way from the restaurant, Carmela and Edgar hear a scream coming from the Lafayette Cemetery. There they discover Isabelle, strangled with a piece of vintage lace, lying across a gravestone.

Carmela is pulled into the search for the killer by Isabelle’s sister, Ellie. A tarot card reader, Ellie works at Juju Voodoo, owned by Carmela’s best friend, Ava Gruiex. Carmela has no choice but to untangle the clues before someone else dies.

The characters are likable, colorful and well-developed. The secondary characters add depth to the story, as well as bits of humor. The bonds of friendship are well defined drawing readers farther into the feel of the story.

The blending of a murder mystery with the daily disruptions of a store owner makes for an entertaining read. Moving at a good pace, the story keeps you marveling at what could happen next mixed with the right amount of tension and suspense.

Readers don’t have to enjoy scrapbooking to be beguiled by this story. In fact, the scrapbooking tips and tasty New Orleans recipes are just an added bonus.

Like a good gumbo, PARCHMENT AND OLD LACE is a mix of all things mystery lovers will relish. 

Author Laura Childs can be found HERE and author Terrie Farley Moran can be found HERE.


Parchment and Old Lace by Laura Childs with Terrie Farley Moran, A Scrapbooking Mystery (Book #13), Berkley, @2015, ISBN: 978-0425266687, Hardcover, 336 Pages 

FTC Full Disclosure – A copy of this book was sent to me by the author in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review. The thoughts are completely my own and given honestly and freely.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

Thanks to the lovely Laura, I have not one but two (2) hardcover copies of PARCHMENT AND OLD LACE to giveaway. The giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. only and will end at 12 a.m. (EST) on Friday, Oct. 23.

To enter, just click on the Rafflecopter widget below and following the instructions. The widget may take a few seconds to load so please be patient. The two winners will be selected by the Rafflecopter widget and I’ll send an email with the subject line “Thoughts in Progress Parchment and Old Lace Giveaway.” The winners will have 72 hours to reply to the email or another winner will be selected. PLEASE be sure to check your spam folder from time to time after the giveaway ends. If you win and you’ve already won the book somewhere else or you just decide for whatever reason you don’t want to win, once again PLEASE let me know.

Thanks so much for stopping by for my review of this mesmerizing mystery. Are you a scrapbook fan? Do you enjoy books that have a New Orleans influence? 

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a Rafflecopter giveaway