Secrets and Sequins by Gayle Leeson

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Fashion designer Amanda Tucker has her hands full with designing gowns for the Brea Ridge Historical Society’s masquerade ball.  Her assistant Zoe is busily designing masks, and Max is happily commenting everything.  Given that Max is a ghost since her death in 1930, that’s pretty much all she can contribute.  Only certain people can see Max, but that includes Amanda, Zoe, Amanda’s beloved Grandpa Dave, and other relatives.  However, Zoe’s mother Maggie refuses to acknowledge the ghost in the room.  That makes for a sticky situation sometimes, but things get even stickier when Maggie is accused of murder.

This is the fifth in the Ghostly Fashionista series, but can be read as a standalone.  Max aka Maxine is a delight.  While she drops a lot of period slang, she’s also become rather techno-literate, using a tablet to video chat, read books, and stream videos.  She’s also a—well, spirited was the word which came to mind, character with some strong opinions.  Amanda has a host of friends and family around, including a photographer boyfriend with an office in the same building as Amanda’s dress shop. As a local reader, I always enjoy the mentions of Abingdon (Amanda’s shop is on Main Street), Bristol, and other nearby places. 

There’s a secondary plot involving Grandpa Dave and his lady friend, just to keep the story moving briskly along.

Other titles in the series include:

Designs on Murder

Perils and Lace

Christmas Cloches and Corpses

Buttons and Blows

Note:  Gayle Leeson has several series and has also written under the name Gayle Trent and Amanda Lee.