Staging is Murder
(A Laura Bishop Mystery)
by Grace Topping
About the Book
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Henery Press (April 30, 2019)
Hardcover: 268 pages
ISBN-10: 163511490X
ISBN-13: 978-1635114904
Paperback: 268 pages
ISBN-10: 163511487X
ISBN-13: 978-1635114874
Digital ASIN: B07N96J65X
Laura Bishop just nabbed her first decorating commission—staging for sale a 19th-century mansion that hasn’t been updated for decades. But when a body falls from a laundry chute and lands at Laura’s feet, replacing flowered wallpaper becomes the least of her duties.
To clear her young assistant of the murder and save her fledgling business, Laura’s determined to find the killer. Turns out it’s not as easy as renovating a manor home, especially with two handsome men complicating her mission: the police detective assigned to the case and the real estate agent trying to save the manse from foreclosure.
Worse still, the meddling of a horoscope-guided friend, a determined grandmother, and the local funeral director could get them all killed before Laura props the first pillow.
About the Author
Grace Topping is a recovering technical writer and IT project manager, accustomed to writing lean, boring documents. Let loose to write fiction, she is now creating murder mysteries and killing off characters who remind her of some of the people she dealt with during her career. Fictional revenge is sweet. She’s using her experience helping friends stage their homes as inspiration for her Laura Bishop mystery series. The first book in the series, Staging is Murder, is about a woman starting a new career midlife as a home stager. Grace is the current vice president of the Chesapeake Chapter of Sisters in Crime, and a member of the SINC Guppies and Mystery Writers of America. She lives with her husband in Northern Virginia.
Author Links
Website - https://www.gracetopping.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/gtoppingauthor
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/GraceToppingAuthor
My Summary of the Book
Staging is Murder by Grace
Topping takes us to Louiston, Pennsylvania.
Laura Bishop has quit her boring job in IT to start her own home staging
company called Staging for You. She has
done homes for family and friends for years, but now she has received her first
paid commission. Unfortunately, the job
is staging the notoriously difficult Victoria Denton’s home, but, if the job is
done well (which it will be), it will give Laura a good reputation and a much
needed reference. Tyrone Webster is
Laura’s assistant and Victoria’s constant criticism has him on edge. After accidentally breaking a vase, Victoria
insists he no longer work on the project and threatens a scholarship Tyrone has
applied for at school. Later that day,
Laura is in the basement when she hears a rumbling and Victoria tumbles out of
the laundry chute at her feet--dead. Detective
Alex Spangler puts Tyrone at the top of his suspect list and soon arrests
him. Tyrone’s grandmother, Mariah Webster
visits Laura and asks her to clear Tyrone’s name. Laura has been an avid cozy mystery reader
thanks to the influence of Sister Madeleine at Holy Spirit School and uses what
she gleaned from books to guide her investigation. Detective Spangler is firm in his belief that
he has the correct killer and is not open to Laura’s meddling. Laura, with help from her best friend, Nita Marino,
dons her sleuthing cap and begins her inquiries. Can Laura solve this case in time, or will
Tyrone end up designing stylish cells for the local prison?
My Thoughts
Staging is Murder is the first
book in A Laura Bishop Mystery series. We
meet Laura Bishop who had a well paying job in the IT industry, but she found
it dull. Her true love is interior
design. Laura took the plunge and set up
Staging for You. Nita Marino is Laura’s
best friend who has a large family (Italian-American’s) who treats Laura like
one of the family. If Laura needs some type
of assistance, Nita has a cousin who meets the need (lawyer, painters,
etc.). Laura has hired college student,
Tyrone Webster as her assistant. He has
a flair for design and designs sets for local plays. Victoria Denton is not the ideal client, but
she has influence in the town which can help (or destroy) Laura’s new
business. When Victoria is murdered, the
rude detective zeros in on Tyrone who argued with Victoria the day she
died. Laura is dragged into helping
Tyrone when his grandmother insists that Laura is the one to save her
grandson. There are multiple suspects
who wanted to harm the critical Victoria.
Laura questions numerous people in her search for the killer. One person stood out to me as the killer, but
others may not find it as apparent. Staging is Murder contains good writing with
a steady pace. I liked that there was humor
interjected into the story. Inky, Laura’s
rescue cat, is such a sweetie and a comfort to Laura. I like the staging tips at the beginning of
each chapter plus I learned interesting information about staging homes to sell
from Laura. Staging is Murder is a
pleasant start to A Laura Bishop Mystery series. Staging is Murder has a friendly protagonist,
a charming town, witty commentary, good friends, a frisky feline, a client who
has gone to meet her maker, and one cunning killer.
Staging is Murder is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo. There is a giveaway to go with the tour. You can click here to enter or use the Rafflecopter form below. Please take the time to visit the other stops on the tour for reviews, character interviews, spotlights, a guest post, author interviews, and character guest posts. Thank you for taking the time to stop by today. Tomorrow I am going to share my review of On a Summer Tide by Suzanne Woods Fisher. The first novel in Three Sisters Island series. I hope you have a joyful day. Take care and Happy Reading!
Kris
The Avid Reader
Tour Participants
Part One
April 25 – The Power of Words – REVIEW
April 25 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT
April 26 – Moonlight Rendezvous – REVIEW
April 26 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
April 27 – A Wytch's Book Review Blog - REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
April 28 – Cozy Up With Kathy - REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
April 28 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT
April 29 – I'm All About Books – SPOTLIGHT
Part Two
May 6 – Brooke Blogs – GUEST POST
May 6 – Laura's Interests – SPOTLIGHT
May 7 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
May 8 – Baroness' Book Trove – REVIEW
May 8 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – CHARACTER GUEST POST
May 9 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
May 9 – Carole's Book Corner – SPOTLIGHT
May 10 – Teresa Trent Author Site – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
May 11 – The Book Decoder – REVIEW
May 11 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
May 12 – A Blue Million Books – GUEST POST
May 13 – That's What She's Reading - CHARACTER GUEST POST
May 14 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
Yay I have been wanting to read this book. Should I be lucky enough to win I would love a Kindle. Thank you for the chance.
ReplyDeleteMarilyn ewatvess@yahoo.com
Thank you for your review on "Staging is Murder" by Grace Topping and for being part of the book tour. Sounds like a fabulous book and I'd love the opportunity to read it. Definitely on my TBR list.
ReplyDelete2clowns at arkansas dot net
We have a house we are trying to sell right now. Sounds like this book would be more fun than our experience!
ReplyDelete