Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Fatal Feng Shui-Leslie Caine

Fatal Feng Shui
Leslie Caine
Dell, Nov 2007, $6.99
ISBN 9780440335993

Celebrity chef Shannon Young hires the interior design partners Erin Gilbert and Steve Sullivan to renovate her home. She also employs feng shui expert Ang Chung to insure her abode contains harmonious flowing vibrations. Conflict arises between Ang and Shannon on one side and Erin, Steve, and contractor David Lewis on the other, as state and county laws prohibit some of the feng shui design.

Besides the discordant flow disrupting her serenity, Shannon’s neighbor Pate Hamlin will do anything to get her to sell her house to him as cheaply as possible. He arranges all sorts of dangerous mishaps to upset Shannon’s mental state and put the project behind schedule. When the site foreman, Erin's half-brother Taylor Duncan dies in what the local police claims is an unfortunate accident, Erin investigates even as a rival attempts to lure Steve to join her professionally and personally.

The latest Domestic Bliss mystery (see KILLED BY CLUTTER and DEATH BY INFERIOR DESIGN) is an enjoyable cozy as Erin believes her half-brother was a murder victim, but has doubts that Pate killed him. Thus her inquiry after the police quickly sweep the case under the rug considers that Taylor has been a guest of the county. With decorator tips on the side, Leslie Caine provides her fans with an entertaining cleverly designed amateur sleuth.

Harriet Klausner

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