So Juniper and I tend to go to the show at the cheap theatre in the mall, and often find ourselves in Zellers while waiting. Zellers has tables of books they’re selling for $5 or so, and Designer Knockoff was one such book. I picked it up because it’s the same kind of mystery novel as the crochet mysteries I was reading in the fall.
Lacey Smithsonian is a reporter for a marginally-respectable paper in Washington, DC. This is apparently the second book in the series. Lacey has an eye for fashion and writes the fashion column for the paper. Somehow, of course, she finds herself involved in solving crimes, with the assistance of her colourful assortment of friends.
Byerrum has an engaging writing style, but I’m afraid I’m just not as interested in fashion as I would need to be in order to find this book as fun as it should be. The mystery itself is a good one, and the pieces are laid out pretty well so that the reader can figure it out at the same time as the heroine.
Overall, it’s an enjoyable read, but I admit that it’s not a series I’ll be seeking out at the bookstore – because it’s not my cup of tea, not because it’s a badly-written book.
(The best part, for me, was the inclusion of little columns by Lacey. Those were funny and cute, and definitely the kind of thing you’d find in a newspaper like the one she works at in the book.)