Shoe Done It
An Accessories Mystery, No 1
Grace Carroll

Berkley Prime Crime
Oct 2011 / 978-0-425-24403-6
Mystery / Cozy / Female sleuth / Fashion
Amazon

Reviewed by Laura Hinds

Rita Jewel has found her niche working at a San Francisco upscale boutique. Her employer, Dolce Loren, caters to the very wealthy, and carries only high-end merchandise. Rita is sent to Florida to pick up a pair of designer silver shoes made especially for a client of the boutique.

This client, MarySue Jensen plans to wear them at a gala she is hosting. There’s a hitch: MarySue doesn’t have the money to pay for the shoes, but she’s desperate and steals the bag holding the shoes right out of Rita’s hand. Naturally, Rita feels responsible, so she goes over to MarySue’s house to try to repossess the shoes herself rather than wait for the professionals Dolce has called.

MarySue won’t let Rita in, so she decides to climb a ladder to the second story window where she spotted MarySue. MarySue pushes the ladder and Rita falls and blacks out after hitting a tree. Later, at the hospital where Rita is treated, she overhears nurses talking about MarySue being murdered, and how she just happened to be barefoot at the time.

The story gets more complicated from there, but it isn’t hard to follow. There is some humor and a dash of romance as three men are interested in the very single Rita. The premise is a good one and this has potential to grow into becoming a fun cozy mystery series. It is a good first effort by Carroll and I did enjoy reading the book.