Button Holed
A Button Box Mystery, No 1
Kylie Logan

Berkley Prime Crime
September 2011/ 978-0-425-24376-3
Mystery / Cozy / Female Sleuth / Buttons
Amazon

Reviewed by Laura Hinds

Josie Giancola specializes in all things buttons. She owns a button shop called The Button Box, and her expertise is responsible for celebrity Kate Franciscus planning to meet with Josie to help select buttons for her wedding gown. Kate had learned about Josie from Josie’s old college pal, Hugh Weaver, who is now a Hollywood producer.

While Josie is out of the shop, and her assistant Brina sneaks away from minding the shop for a few minutes, Kate arrives early for the scheduled appointment. Unfortunately, when Josie gets back to The Button Box, Kate is dead. She’d been stabbed to death, murdered in the shop with an expensive buttonhook from Josie’s collection.

Although Josie wants to leave the murder investigation in the hands of homicide detective Nevin Riley, she also has to look out for number one. What’s more, the killer may now have set his sights on Josie as his next victim! So a girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do, and Josie does some investigating of her own.

I really enjoyed this book on many levels. The mystery is intriguing, the characters are well rounded, and Josie, the protagonist, is smart, and doesn’t suffer fools gladly. The dialogue in the story is smooth and believable. Nothing about this book stretches credibility for the reader, as cozy mysteries are sometimes prone to do.

Logan, who also writes as Miranda Bliss and Casey Daniels, is a skilled storyteller who makes a compelling case for a lead female character to be strong and a polar opposite of the *TSTL type of amateur sleuth that is all too often portrayed these days. *TSTL stands for “Too Stupid To Live.”

For me, this book is a stand-out as a first entry in a new series. I like everything about it, and look forward to the next book in the series. Button Holed really held my attention throughout the whole story. It is a pleasant change of pace from all the so-called craft or hobby mysteries. It’s a nice read for a blustery fall day, is suitable for all mystery lovers, cozy lovers, and button collectors alike. As a bonus, the book also includes some tips on collecting antique buttons. If there were a “Like” button on this book, I’d click on it for sure!

Reviews of other titles in this series

Button Holed #1
Hot Button #2
Panic Button #3