"fun fashion mystery"

At the capital based Eye Street Observer, editorial columnist Cassandra Wentworth and food editor Felicity Pickles get into an argument over Christmas sweaters; fashion editor Lacey Smithsonian tries to stay out of the dispute as she dislikes both of them and is loathed in turn. An irate Cassandra writes a nasty editorial condemning the colorful holiday garb, but everyone naturally blames Lacey as the fashion writer for the blistering commentary since no name is attached to the article.

Not long afterward someone wearing a Santa cap attacks Cassandra with a candy cane just outside the office. A child uses Cassandra's cell phone to call the last person the editor spoke to which was Lacey. She runs outside to find an unconscious Cassandra wearing a Pickles' Christmas sweater and a boy in shepherd's costume blaming Santa. The child flees as the medics and cops arrive. Lacey vows not to investigate, but somehow she is pushed by her boss who worries about the child, an ungrateful Cassandra who wants justice, and Felicity who is the prime suspect.

The fun in this fashion mystery is Lacey's efforts to stay out of the investigation leads to everyone not believing her as her lover and her work peers assume it is in her blood. The "sweatergate" scandal is cleverly designed while the Santa-dude assault makes for a fine whodunit. Although overall a humorous cozy, there is a subplot involving homeless children living near the seat of American power (K Street) while her boss Mac proves quite the softy.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted July 24, 2007

Summary

Home of the helmet hairdo and congressional comb-over, Washington, D.C., is a hotbed of fashion faux pas. If anyone should know, it's "Crimes of Fashion" columnist Lacey Smithsonian. She dishes out advice to the scandal-scorched and clothing-clueless, doing her part to change this town—one fashion victim at a time....

Eye Street Observer's resident sourpuss, Cassandra Wentworth, made enemies with her editorial skewering of tacky holiday sweaters. She herself wouldn't be caught dead in a red and green cardigan, yet Lacey finds the woman bleeding and unconscious wearing an acrylic number that practically sings "Deck the Halls." A homeless child who witnessed the assault mysteriously disappears—and could be the attacker's next victim. When suspicion falls on the Observer's food editor, Lacey is torn between two co-workers. Or is someone trying to pull the wool over her eyes? It's a case that only the ever-fashionable Lacey can unravel...

Tweed on the Beach, Flip-flops in the Snow? It can only mean one thing: You're a victim of Seasonal Apparel Disorder. Consult your mirror. Call your stylist. Get help now.