A Design to Die For by Kathleen Bridge

Welcome!  I hope you are having a restful weekend.  On July 21, South of the Buttonwood Tree by Heather Webber, Handbook for Homicide by Lorna Barrett, The Daughters of Foxcote Manor by Eve Chase, and Speaking of Murder by Edith Maxwell become available.  The Girls of Victory Street by Pam Howes is out on July 27.  It is the debut of The Bryant Sisters series.  Is there a new release you are looking forward to reading?

A Design to Die For by Kathleen Bridge has Meg Barrett decorating Shepherds Cottage as well as the outdoor spaces at Enderly Hall for Montauk’s first annual Designer Showhouse.  Enderly Hall is owned by Meg’s friend, Jenna Eastman.  Jenna’s husband, Roland is the only thorn in her side with his acerbic comments. Meg’s fellow showhouse designers are experiencing the same problem.  A collection of paranormal investigators have assembled outside the gates of Enderly Hall because they wish to explore Shepherds Cottage which is rumored to be haunted.  Jenna mentioned she has seen strange lights in the cottage recently.  Just before the kick-off cocktail party, Jenna comes into the kitchen screaming and with blood on her hands.  She found Roland dead at the bottom of the cliff.  Chief Pell is quick to arrive and zeros in on Jenna. Meg, with her natural curiosity, cannot help but do a little digging into the victim’s background.  She soon learns that Roland was not a popular fellow.  Meg needs to uncover which person disliked Roland enough to end his life while not getting herself killed.

The Montauk Point Light

A Design to Die For by Kathleen Bridge is the 5^th A Hamptons Home & Garden Mystery.  While this book can be read on its own, I believe it is best if the series is read in order.  You will then know the characters, their relationships, and their backgrounds.  Meg Barrett is a decorator who owns Cottages by the Sea in Montauk.  She has been invited to be one of the decorator’s for Montauk’s first annual Designer Showhouse being held at Enderly Hall.  There is tension from the beginning thanks to Jenna’s pompous husband, Roland Cahill.  It is no shocker when he ends up dead at the bottom of the cliff before the showhouse opens to the public.  Unfortunately, the killer is framing Roland’s wife, Jenna (and Meg’s friend) for the crime.  Meg cannot resist snooping.  There are a number of people who disliked Roland from the showhouse decorators to his boss.  I liked the incorporation of Captain Kidd into the mystery as well as the history of Enderly Hall and Jenna’s family.  There are a variety of suspects along with misdirection.  There is action throughout the book as well as Meg searching for clues and talks to suspects.  The whodunit was fun to solve. The clues are there to help you if you pay close attention.  I like that the mystery was completely wrapped up.  Meg is no longer seeing Cole, but her feelings have yet to disappear.  When Cole ends up missing, Meg is worried.  There is a new love interest for Meg who shares her passion for poetry.  I enjoyed the descriptions of the beautiful furniture used to furnish Enderly Hall and Shepherds Cottage.  There were interesting outside the box design tips at the end from Meg and Elle.  I am eager to explore a couple of them.  There are also recipes from the meal served at Meg’s first Dead Poets Society Book Club Meeting.  A Design to Die For is an eventful cozy mystery with fine furniture, galling ghost hunters, a surfeit of suspects, an appalling police chief, designer duds, and a surprise shindig.

Montauk Main Street

A Design to Die For is available from Amazon* along with the other four novels in A Hamptons Home & Garden Mystery series.  Kathleen Bridge also writes A By the Sea Mystery series.  You can find Kathleen Bridge's other creations here.  Thank you for reading my review.  I will be back tomorrow to share my thoughts on South of the Buttonwood Tree by Heather Webber.  I hope you have an enjoyable day.  Take care, stay safe, and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

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