Friday, July 11, 2014

Book Review for Library Read-a-thon book #11: Staged to Death



Book: Staged to Death (Caprice De Luca Mystery book #1) by Karen Rose Smith

Source: Library

Rating: 1 star

Review:

I really thought I was going to like this book. It started out good and Caprice De Luca seemed like an interesting character who has a good relationship with her family but once the mystery began the story seemed to lose focus.

Caprice De Luca is a interior decorator and home stager, she had been hired by her friend Rosalind Winslow to help stage her and her husband Ted's unique home hoping that would improve interest with buyers. Some days after the housewarming, Caprice went to visit Rosalind when the two ladies discovered Ted murdered in the house. And with her friend Rosalind as the prime suspect, Caprice wanted to help solve the murder. But honestly by then I was so bored with this story that I didn't really care who had murdered Ted.

This mystery felt too formulaic and generic. It seems to follow what too many other authors are doing in this cozy mystery genre. There is nothing that separates this story from the rest. It's not interesting or unique. It's boring and predictable and there was hardly any mystery solving going on.

Another annoying thing with this story was the start of a love triangle for Caprice with Doctor Seth Randolph and Lawyer Grant Weatherford. Why do so many of these cozy mysteries have love triangles?

There were just too many unnecessary and unimportant things going on in this story. And it makes me wonder if the author wasn't too sure what this book was supposed to be. I figured since Caprice was a interior decorator and home stager that the story would showcase an interest in home and garden but it also focused on food as well and included recipes. Caprice was also helping trying to find homes for stray animals as well. Why so many things to focus on?

I'm through with this series already and don't plan on reading anymore from it.

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