Friday, April 13, 2018

The Pajama Frame: A Madison Night Mystery



The Pajama Frame by Diane Vallere is the fifth tale in A Madison Night Mystery series.  Madison Night has inherited a building from Alice Sweet that used to house Sweet Dreams Pajama Factory.  The factory was abandoned sixty years ago after a pajama model died in rare equipment accident (or was it).  Madison is unprepared for the people wanting to get inside the building and the mystery surrounding it.  Madison decides to investigate the sixty-year-old case in the hopes of getting answers and putting the rumors to rest.  After persuading Captain Tex Allen to unseal the building, they enter to find that someone has managed to get in before them.  They find bullet casings, the body of John Sweet (Alice’s grandson) and a large supply of new vintage pajamas (Madison can wear a new pair every night).  After leaving the factory, Madison goes by Stanley and Abbott where John worked only to discover Mr. Stanley dead in office chair.  What is going on?  Madison is determined to uncover the truth.  Is there a connection between the old case and the current two deaths?  Madison needs to expose the killer, or she could be the next victim.

The Pajama Frame is well-written and a nice, steady pace.  Madison Night is a great main character.  She is smart and strong willed.  I love her vintage design aesthetic, fashion sense and her dog, Rocky (Shih Tzu). The author provides delightful and vivid descriptions of Madison’s clothing and mid-century furniture.  Captain Tex Allen is the perfect counterpart for Madison. They work well together and have good chemistry.  I am hoping they will have a closer relationship in future books (they are cute together).  I do not like Donna Nast, and I keep hoping that Donna will become a murder victim in a future book.  The mystery is multifaceted which I found appealing.  I enjoy a complex mystery and it was clever how the author tied in the retro angle with the vintage pajamas.  Unfortunately, I did find it easy to pick out the guilty party. There were some loose ends at the end of the book that I wish the author had cleared up (I would clarify but one is a spoiler).  I am giving The Pajama Frame 4 out of 5 stars.  The Pajama Frame can be read alone.  Madison’s background is provided for new readers.  This was my favorite book in A Madison Night Mystery series, and I am looking forward to finding out what trouble will befall Madison next time.

Thank you for reading my review today and I hope you have found a new book to read.  I will be featuring Death by the Sea by Kathleen Bridge on Saturday.  Make sure you take some time for yourself this weekend (a relaxing soak in the tub, laying by the pool/beach, or exploring a bookstore).  Happy Reading!

Kris
The Avid Reader

No comments:

Post a Comment