A Killing in Costumes by Zac Bissonnette

 A Killing in Costumes

Book Summary

Jay Allan and Cindy Cooper were soap opera stars in the late ’90s, a wholesome young husband-and-wife duo who combined musical talent with humor and charisma. When the truth about their sexual orientations came to light, their marriage and TV careers ended, but decades later they have remained friends. Together, they open Palm Springs’ chicest movie memorabilia store, Hooray for Hollywood--but no customers and dwindling finances spell trouble.

A Hail Mary arrives in the form of Yana Tosh, a ninety-year-old diva of the silver screen who has amassed a valuable collection of costumes and props and is looking to sell. But first, Jay and Cindy have to beat their competition, a vice president from a mega-auction house with ten times their resources. And when he winds up dead, they become prime suspects in the murder.

With their freedom and livelihoods on the line, Jay and Cindy desperately need to clear their names. There are plenty of other potential suspects, but they'll have to solve it soon before they're forced to trade in their vintage costume collection for two orange jumpsuits.

My Thoughts

A Killing in Costumes by Zac Bissonnette is the debut of A Hollywood Treasures Mysteries.  We meet Jay Allen and Cindy Cooper who own Hooray for Hollywood a movie memorabilia store in Palm Springs.  If their fledgling store does not start making a profit soon, they will have to close the door on their dream.  They receive a call from Yana Tosh, a ninety-year-old diva who performed in numerous horror movies back in the day.  She is going to sell off her extensive costume collection.  Cindy and Jay are competing with the smug Dylan Redman who runs the entertainment memorabilia department at Cypress Auctions.  Dylan contacts Jay and Cindy to request a meeting.  They meet with Dylan in his hotel room at The Parker who offers them a deal if they back off on the Yana Tosh collection.  Later that evening, Detective Simon Fletcher stops by the house to speak with Jay and Cindy.  Dylan was found dead in his room, and they are the last two people know to see him alive.  After a television report listing them as suspects, people begin canceling their appointments with Hooray for Hollywood.  The only way to ensure their freedom and save the store is to find out who killed Dylan.  Do these two ex-soap opera actors have the chops to investigate the crime?

A Killing in Costumes is a light cozy mystery with two gay protagonists.  The point-of-view switches between Jay and Cindy.  I wish the point-of-view had alternated chapters instead of switching randomly (I would have preferred third person).  It was made more challenging with Cindy telling us how Jay felt about Jay’s attraction to the detective (shouldn’t Jay be telling us how he feels) or Jay telling us that Cindy is getting angry.  The characters lacked development.  We are given some basic background information.  I wanted more details that would bring the characters to life.  I did feel that the information we are given on Jay and Cindy does not jive with their age.   We get to learn the ins and out of the movie memorabilia business.  There are numerous descriptions of movie props, posters, and costumes.  All the descriptions slow down the pacing considerably.  The whodunit was straightforward.  We have a dead man, several suspects, and a red herring or two.  It takes one clue to solve the mystery.  The pacing does pick up near the end as Cindy and Jay are discovering the final details they need to solve the crime and have a dramatic reveal.  I got tired of being told that Cindy drove a Jurassic Park Explorer and the horror movie table was mentioned nine times.  As you can tell, A Killing in Costumes was not my type of book.  A Killing in Costumes is a blithe cozy mystery with movie memorabilia, slow sales, a prima donna nonagenarian, a murdered competitor, killer costumes, a lethal envelope, a dispassionate son, a shady assistant, and an iffy financier.  

A Killing in Costumes is available from Amazon*.  You can find Zac Bissonnette's other books here.  I appreciate you joining me today and reading my review.  I will return tomorrow with my thoughts on The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie by Rachel Linden.  I hope that you have a joyful day.  I am off to get some work done around the house.  Take care, stay cool, and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader 

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