Silence of the Lamps

Happy World Penguin Day!  This day is a chance for people to get to know information about and appreciate the penguin.  The penguin is a native of Antarctica!  The building of the Suez Canal began on April 25 in 1859; New York became the first state to require license plates for automobiles in 1901; and Robert Noyce is granted the patent for the integrated circuit (microchip) in 1961 (and I am so grateful that he invented this little gem).

Silence of the Lamps by Karen Rose Smith is the fifth book in the Caprice De Luca series.  Caprice's sister, Nikki owns Nikki's Catered Capers.  She has been having trouble with Drew Pierson.  Drew used to work with Nikki until she spurned his advances and did not want him to become her partner.  He is now out to make her life miserable and shut down her business.  Nikki and Drew had a heated exchange at an open house that Caprice was staging.  Then another incident at the local wedding expo.  Nikki goes over to Drew's house (actually he lives with his grandmother, Rowena) to talk to him with Caprice and they find Drew dead on the floor.  A beautiful Tiffany lampshade is nearby and the base is missing (I wonder what killed him).  Nikki ends up being at the top of the suspect list (of course).  Caprice will do anything she can to clear her sister's name (as expected).  Caprice (despite warnings from loved one's) is determined to find the real killer.  Join us is Kismet for another Caprice investigation and her intriguing vintage fashions.

Silence of the Lamps was my least favorite book in the series (which I have really enjoyed up to this point).  The novel contained very little mystery.  The clues were not provided until before the killer was revealed (not that you really need the clues to solve the crime).  The focus of this book seemed to be on Caprice and her relationship with Grant, the animals (a cat that needed rescued, Lady and Patches), Uncle Dom becoming a pet sitter, and Caprice's constant need for someone to watch her dog (which I really do not understand).  I read cozy mysteries for the (you are going to be shocked) the mystery!  Silence of the Lamps is nicely written and easy to read (it had a good flow as well).  The characters are interesting, and I enjoy Caprice's unique style of dress and decorating (vintage).  I give Silence of the Lamps 3 out of 5 stars.  If this novel just had more mystery (clues, investigation) and less about finding pet sitters, I would love it.  Silence of the Lamps will be out on Tuesday, April 26.

The other books in the Caprice De Luca series are Staged to Death, Deadly Decor, Gilt by Association, and Drape Expectations.  I received a complimentary copy of Silence of the Lamps from NetGalley in exchange for an honest evaluation of the novel.

You will have to pardon any formatting issues with my post today. Blogger does not want to cooperate today (I keep getting weird fonts and the paragraphs keep wanting to go off the page).  I am currently enjoying Promised to the Crown by Aimie Runyan (I have no clue why I picked this book, but it is good).  I hope all of you had a good day!  Reign returns to the CW tonight (which gives me something to watch at 8 p.m. since Supergirl is over for the season).  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris
The Avid Reader