I thought the story was entertaining, but the side characters could have been developed more thoroughly. They seemed a bit one dimensional. When the author switched point of view, it seemed a bit forced. I think the potential for this series is great and with a little more development, it could be wonderful. I enjoyed the main character and would like to see her more. Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy in exchange for my honest review. ( )

Irene Seligman an assistant district attorney moves back to Santa Fe to help out her mother. So she opens a consignment store to provide income. Unfortunately on opening day a body is found in the store's closet. And it will not be the last.
Unfortunately I just didn't like the story, or the style of writing. And I found most of the characters just irritating.
A NetGalley Book ( )

*I received a copy of this upcoming book from Random House/Alibi via NetGalley in exchange for a fair, honest review**


Irene Seligman is a successful assistant district attorney in Manhattan. She enjoys her Brooklyn apartment and city life. But then her elderly mother's sixth husband dies unexpectedly, leaving her mother destitute and exceedingly needy. Seligman is guilted into moving back to Santa Fe to help her mother. She loves the old, run-down home she grew up in, but knows they will have to have a substantial, reliable source of income to be able to afford to live. She decides to open up a used high-fashion clothing boutique because she isn't licensed to practice law in New Mexico. With the help of her mother's knowledge of high fashion, Irene prepares to open Irene's Closet: A Second Look at Haute Couture. Just two hours away from the shop's grand-opening, Irene discovers a dead woman in the store's storage room. The woman is dressed in a $4,000 Prada outfit, but the look is not well-accessorized by the bullet hole in her head. The dead woman was one of her mother's friends, so Irene starts asking questions. Following a threatening phone call ordering her to stop her investigation, the body of another Santa Fe socialite is discovered in Irene's shop. Fearing for her mother's safety and the reputation of her new business, Irene knows she must discover the identity of the killer quickly before anyone else dies.

I had a bit of trouble getting "into'' this story because I was just shocked that a prosperous Manhattan prosecuting attorney would leave her job to go back to Santa Fe just because her 70-year old mother gave her a guilt trip. I just kept thinking that the more common sense solution would have been to help her mother financially, not drop her job and relocate back to New Mexico to live with her elderly mother. And, at times, the main character did not behave like someone who is familiar with criminal cases, suspects and police procedure, as an assistant DA would be. At one point when she is brought in for questioning about the first body discovered in her shop, Irene keeps yelling that she wants an attorney, to the irritation of the officers driving her to the station. I don't believe an assistant DA from Manhattan would have handled the situation that abysmally. But....those two annoyances did not harm my enjoyment of the story all that much. The mystery portion of the plot was well-written and engaging. There were plenty of suspects and interesting angles to the investigation. As in most cozy mysteries, Irene goes about sleuthing without thinking about the danger she might be in, or any thought at all about whether she is hampering the official police investigation or not. At one point, she is threatened with a gun but still continues to investigate without calling the police or informing them of the situation. It's pretty formula in cozy mysteries for the main character to jump in and investigate as if they have more knowledge or expertise than the local police --- but, it is a bit more serious when guns are being drawn, right? I was able to read past that as well, as we all know that in a cozy mystery the main character is not going to be shot in the face, even if she is dancing all around the murderer urging them to do it. There were some great plot twists and interesting developments that kept the pace moving throughout this book. It kept me guessing up to the end!

So, despite some formula plot aspects, this was an enjoyable, suspenseful cozy mystery! I will definitely be reading more by Paula Paul! She is also the author of the Dr Alexandra Gladstone mystery series. There are five books in that series so far.

A Killer Closet releases October 11th from Random House/Alibi. I highly recommend it for all cozy mystery fans, especially those who love the Santa Fe area and high fashion!

For more information on the author and her books, check out her website: www.paulapaul.net

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This was an interesting cozy mystery with both good points and bad.

Good: I loved the Santa Fe setting. I could have used even more descriptions of life in Santa Fe, and what makes it unique. The main character, Irene, was interesting, and I really enjoyed her assistant Angel. He was used as comic relief. Please include more Angel in the future.

Bad: Irene's mom, Adelle, was a horrible person. I felt no sympathy for her, and had a hard time understanding why Irene was so accommodating to her. Also the reveal of the main bad guy was a total WTF moment. It made no sense at all.

Not the best cozy mystery out there, but an ok diversion.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley. ( )

A Killer Closet is a cozy mystery by Paula Paul. Irene Seligman is returning to her hometown of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her mother, Adelle Daniels needs her assistance after the death of her latest husband (Irene is not sure if it was husband number five or six). Adelle was left with penniless (she goes through money likes its water) and guilted Irene into coming home (otherwise Irene preferred to stay in Manhattan as an assistant district attorney). Irene is not licensed to practice law in New Mexico, so she decides to open Irene’s Closet. It will be an upscale consignment boutique (carry designer labels). Irene’s Closet opens with a bang when a body is discovered in the storage room. The victim is Loraine Sellers, a friend of Adelle’s. Police Chief Andy Iglesias is on the case and is interested in getting to know Irene. The murder turns out to be good for business until another body is left in the shop. The second victim is Susanna Delgado and another friend of Adelle’s. Irene is worried that her mother may be next (even though she is a pain in the tuchis), and she starts delving into the victims lives. But the killer is close behind Irene and prepared to act. Will the door to Irene’s Closet snap shut before the shop has a chance to take off?

A Killer Closet is easy to read and can be finished in a couple of hours. I did, though, find it to be a very implausible novel (Irene’s actions were illogical). I would think that an attorney in her 30s would think rationally. Irene jumps to conclusions, acts irrationally, and does not act her age (she is also rude to someone that goes out of his way to be nice and helpful). There are few clues provided to the mystery, but it can easily be solved (it can be figured out quite early in the book). There is an extreme amount of foul language in the book for a cozy mystery (and it was not needed). The story is told from various character point-of-views towards the end which is confusing (and does nothing to enhance the story). I wish the author had told it from the third person point-of-view or from Irene’s perspective (keep it consistent). I give A Killer Closet 2 out of 5 stars. The mother, Adelle, was an extremely unlikable character. You know you do not enjoy a character when you keep hoping they will be the next victim. I found some information repeated a few times throughout the book (like it was filler) and there are other inconsistencies. I felt that A Killer Closet needed some major rewriting and a good editor. A Killer Closet was not my type of cozy mystery. ( )