I really enjoyed this book! This is the first book I read by Debra Sennefelder. I definitely want to read more of her books.
The setting of a consignment shop was original and I love the part it played in the mystery. I also enjoyed the references to fashion, (and I am not a fashionista). I like her characters. I enjoyed reading their interactions. Kelly, the main character, has returned to her hometown. She has some relationship issues to work on, (for instance her sister and a high school friend), and they are well handled. I really liked the way the author wrote these, nothing rushed and not completely resolved. It felt realistic. I also like the way the love interest didn’t hijack the story. The mystery was the story as it is suppose to be. There is a psychic, who may or may not be the real thing, but, so far, no ghosts or things like that. That was refreshing and original, for me. The mystery was done well. It kept me interested as every time I had to put it down, I was eager to return to it. It was, for me, one of those books you get to the end and are forlorn, thinking, “now what?” I wanted to know the ending but was so sad because it was..the end. I’m looking forward to more books in this series.
I almost forgot! Thank you to Goodreads and the author for the opportunity to read this book. I won it in a Goodreads Giveaway. The opinions expressed in this review are mine and based upon what I read. ( )

Murder Wears a Little Black Dress by Debra Sennefelder is a 2019 Lyrical Underground publication.

Cute, fun and zany!

With her dream job as a Manhattan buyer circling the drain, Kelly Quinn relocates to Lucky Cove to take over her grandmother’s consignment shop. Her plans for the shop are in jeopardy, however, when a customer tries on a ‘little black dress’ and claims the dress triggered visions of a murder.

Desperate to salvage the shop’s reputation, Kelly is determined to find out what is going on- but things turn deadly serious when the psychic’s look alike cousin is found dead, and Kelly becomes a suspect. But it also looks like Kelly might be in the killer’s line of fire


A fast-paced cozy mystery, with a mild paranormal element, presented with a chick-lit format is a winning combination for this first in a series novel.

This is a very light, easy, quick read- and a very nice way to de-stress, and have a little fun while you are reading! ( )

Fashion and a cozy mystery! Loved the title and found the tagline "A Resale Boutique Mystery" irresistible. Enjoyed the premise of a young women coming back to her small town roots when she inherits her granny's consignment shop. First one, then a second person is found dead and Kelly Quinn feels compelled to solve the murders and clear her name as the police consider her a suspect. The only thing I didn't like was that Kelly makes some careless decisions which put her in danger more than once. I don't blame Kelly, but rather the author for not coming up with realistic motivations for Kelly's decisions. All in all though, the book is entertaining and kept me turning the pages. A fun read! ( )

After having read (and enjoyed) Three Widows and a Corpse, book three in the Food Blogger Mysteries, my podcast partner for Books Don’t Review Themselves and I both decided we want to try Debra Sennefelder’s Resale Boutique Mystery series. I bought book one, Murder Wears a Little Black Dress, so I would be able to read it before book two, Silenced in Sequins, comes out on January 7, 2020.

I was intrigued by the synopsis because it reminded me of Juliet Blackwell’s Witchcraft Mysteries. The main character, Lily, owns a vintage clothes shop and she picks up vibes off of the clothing, which draws her into mysteries. The two worlds of the Witchcraft Mysteries and the Resale Boutique Mysteries couldn’t be more different though. Juliet Blackwell’s series in a supernatural cozy, while Sennefelder’s is not, it just happens to have some psychics in it.

I’m not a huge clothes person, mainly because being plus sized so many of the clothes don’t fit right or look like tents, so I don’t really enjoy clothes shopping. But reading Sennefelder’s descriptions of the clothes and accessories was still enjoyable for me and definitely added another level to the book.

For the first book in a series, the characters are already very well developed. Kelly’s best friend is always bringing over baked goods, her assistant loves her like a mother, and even her uncle, who seems to be a jerk, has a solid identity. There was a perfect amount of characters to have plenty of suspects and I wasn’t sure who the killer was, so that’s always fun for me. I hope we get more stories about Kelly’s grandma intertwined in future books.

Highly recommend Murder Wears a Little Black Dress! And I will be reading and reviewing book two, Silenced in Sequins. You should also check out Sennefelder’s Food Blogger series, starting with book one, The Uninvited Corpse. ( )

murder wears a little black dressMurders Wears a Little Black Dress by Debra Sennefelder takes readers on a journey to Lucky Cove, New York. Kelly Quinn has inherited her grandmother’s consignment shop, Lucky Cove consignment Shop much to her Uncle Ralph’s disappointment. Kelly has big plans to make the shop profitable and change it into an upscale boutique. She is having a three day sale to help clear out the unwanted items. Bernadette Rydell, the local psychic, comes in and tries on a little black dress. While wearing the dress, Bernadette has a vision of a man being murdered. The shop quickly clears of customers while rumors of the “haunted dress” swirl about town keeping shoppers at bay. Kelly needs to get her sale back on track and starts by visiting the dresses consignee. She then gets a call from Bernadette asking her to stop by right away. Kelly arrives at Bernadette’s cottage and finds her dead on the floor. She is shocked when Bernadette walks through the door. The victim is Maxine Lemoyne, Bernadette’s cousin, who could pass for her twin sister. Which cousin was the intended target? Detective Nora Wolman is on the case, and she has Kelly at the top of her suspect list. The situation at her shop deteriorates when Valerie Leigh holds an impromptu sĂ©ance and claims a chair is haunted which results in a customer filing a lawsuit. Kelly is determined to clear her name and the shop’s. However, someone is not happy with her sleuthing and tries to discourage her. When a second person connected to the case is murdered, Kelly knows she must be getting close to the truth. Kelly needs to work quickly, or she could end up the subject of the sĂ©ance.

Murder Wears a Little Black Dress is the debut novel in A Resale Boutique Mystery series. Kelly Quinn has inherited her grandmother’s consignment boutique and she is determined to make it work. Kelly lost her job as an assistant buyer in New York and her old boss has had her blackballed in the fashion industry. She wants to make changes to the shop to feature clothing and accessories only (getting rid of furniture and tchotchkes). Pepper Donovan, her grandmother’s friend and employee does not like the changes Kelly plans to make to the shop (I want to know how a shop making no profit can afford an employee). I thought Murder Wears a Little Black Dress was a quick, easy to read cozy mystery. It is fashion oriented with detailed clothing descriptions. The mystery was straightforward and avid mystery readers will find it a piece of cake pinpointing the killer. I wish the author had provided more details on Kelly’s past. Some information is imparted throughout the book and details on how she lost her job is slowly revealed. Kelly has tension with Ariel Barnes over an incident that occurred back in high school. Again, the information is slowly provided as the story progresses (very drawn out). To me it should have been an emotional part of the story, but the feelings were not there. There is a smidgeon of paranormal in the story and a hint of romance. Murder Wears a Little Black Dress is a lively cozy mystery with fashionable clothes, personable characters, murder, mystical forces, and mayhem. ( )