Shoulder Bags and Shootings by Dorothy Howell

Hi there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers!

Whew!  After all the book bloggy fun we had what with the Got Books? Event and everything, definitely needed a teensy break from heavier blogging.....and reading for that matter.  Luckily the world of books, varied as it is, delivered and I had the pleasure of reading a light mystery filled with every girls dream.  What's that?  *listens* Yes, there are love interests.  *listens*  Yes, there is danger and risk too.  But the real motivating factor for our lead character in this book.....SHOPPING...with a capital "S".  Today's book of choice is....

Shoulder Bags and Shootings

by

Dorothy Howell

Meet Haley Randolph.  Average girl with not so average tastes, and her job at Holt's Department Store...yeah, not really helping her to feed her shopping addiction and her stomach.  But as with book bloggers that forgo the food and buy the books, this avid shopper puts handbags (well, almost all fashion for that matter) above the rest.  Her hot pursuit of the week?  Score one totally authentic and original....Sinful bag.  Nice name for a purse, right?  (Perhaps they were thinking of the money spent on said bag when it was named....*ponders*)

Since having seen one in a magazine on the flight back from Europe, and another in the possession of a less than deserving woman (in her opinion of course, since she didn't have one), almost nothing else occupies her every thought...well, except the fact that she is a suspect in the death of a co-worker and competitor whom she happened to discover dead, in the trunk of her new boyfriend's grandmother's car.  (Did you catch that?  I'll give you a second to rewind that sentence.....and a one and a two and a three....got it?  Good deal...)  As it seems, this is nothing new for her....she's been a suspect before, but really...again, in less than a month?  How rude!  Haley can't shop her way out of this mess...or can she?  Will Haley be able to clear her name and avoid those that would rather see her squirm?  Will her love life straighten itself out into a neat little arrangement instead of the "oh-I-think-he's-my-boyfriend-but-he's-not-calling-and-still-in-Europe" situation she's in now?  More importantly....will she ever score that Sinful bag?  Ladies...put on your stylish walking shoes and get ready for more labels than you can shake a stick at.....

Okay, I have a confession.  Every time this book came to mind when I was reading it, I couldn't help but think of Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series.  I mean if fictional characters could cross over to other books for coffee, tea, or shopping trips, Becky Bloomwood (Shopaholic) and Haley Randolph would be (try on your best valley girl impersonation here folks....LIKE, the BEST girlfriend's EVER!  I mean, like, they could totally chill at the mall and blow loads of cash on the latest trends in fashion!  (toss ponytail....and stop)  Dior, Prada, Dooney, Coach....nothing would be safe.  Definitely made for an interesting character personality there....

Speaking of this character....I suppose the saying of "to know her is to love her" really applies to our female lead.  At times, she is beyond ditsy (yes, I said ditsy....) and her lack of focus on anything but handbags, even when faced with a potentially deadly situation, would drive me up a wall at times.  I mean I've read characters that were more mature that were a fraction of Haley's age, but better able to handle their world, their situations.  However, as it turns out, that is simply a part of her charm.  Once your understand her personality quirks, as naive as they make her at times, she verges on being quite endearing.  I mean, how else would you read to a stories end when essentially it's a big shopping trip with a pit stop of murder thrown in on the side?

In the end, for me it boiled down to this....a light, fluffy mystery perfect for a trip to the beach or a weekend read when you're looking for a little "who-dun-it" and a lot of girlish fun.  It fits perfectly with the other mysteries I have read to date and certainly won't be my last venture into this genre.  Being this book is one in a series, I may even seek out the prior books to see if a proper introduction to Ms. Randolph creates a more defined picture....you never know.

Special thanks to Caitlin Price at FSB Associates for the review copy.  (THANKS!)  To learn more about this group, visit their website or follow along on Twitter!  (Yay, Twitter!  Tweet tweet!) 

Until next time....happy reading!