Another great book by Diane Vallere.
Dressed to Confess is another Costume Shop Mystery and she brings back our favorite characters.
The town is having a Board Game Themed Festival and their headlining act is the Domino Divas. When one of the Divas ends up murdered and Don is accused of it, it's up to Margo to figure out who the real killer is. If you haven't read any in the series yet this is a great story to start at!!
I received a copy of the book for my honest review.

This book was good. I enjoyed the setting and the characters. Ms. Vallere is a good writer and I enjoy her books.

Loved it!! Fun humorous cozy. Great characters. Author Diane Vallere has another hit

I had a day off and decided to start reading “Dressed To Confess”, the new book in Diane Vallere’s “Costume Shop” series. I was sitting in a comfy chair, beside a window overlooking the green outdoors, while music was playing in the background, and I just started reading. Before I knew it, I was halfway through the book. Rather than do some errands I had played for the day, I kept reading because I was really enjoying myself.

Two hours later I was done with the book and was quite pleased with it. The book had perfectly balanced all the elements of a typical Vallere story- an unusual murder, an fun cast of characters, a couple of red-herring misdirections, incremental growth of the protagonist, interesting knowledge about the series theme, and a good bit of humor.

To summarize the plot, here it is directly from the back of the book:
“It’s no secret around Proper City, Nevada, that the Sagebrush Festival, the town’s annual family-friendly event, is the place to be. This year’s theme of board games has everything from Conspiracy to Clue. Margo Tamblyn’s costume shop, Disguise DeLimit, has been tasked with providing costumes for the festival headliner, the Domino Divas. But on the night of the performance, one fallen Domino threatens to bring down the whole show when head dancer Ronnie Cass is found in her dressing room, unmasked, unprepared, and very, very dead.

As the police investigate, Margo learns that Don Digby, her father's best friend, is the prime suspect, tied to the victim by an unsolved robbery connected to Proper City’s past. As conspiracies abound and theories are debunked, Margo seeks to unmask the real killer before her dad's buddy winds up in a costume made with prison stripes.”

There is the unusual murder I mentioned- a Domino Diva dancer killed in a board game themed setting. As for the characters, sometimes by the end of a book I am tired of hearing about a particular character and their woes. In the last book in the series, Masking For Trouble, I got a bit too much of Ebony- Margo’s surrogate mother and best friend, and too much angst with Tak, Margo’s supposed boyfriend. Not that I don’t like those characters, quite the contrary, but I wanted some time with other characters too. Here everyone got just enough attention that I was actually wanting more time with them, even the ones I overdosed on in the last book. Plus, I wanted to know more about co-worker Kirby’s romantic crush, and have more scenes with the manager of the Candy Girls- a competing costume shop.

I think part of the reason for that great character balance is because the author has made another leap in her writing prowess. Before, a character’s monologue or speech might have been used to define their feelings during a conflict and to convey information to the reader. Now we are able to infer that for ourselves simply by the deft way the author crafts the scene. This approach was especially effective in the scenes with Margo and her father. You could sense their shared affection, concern and grief simply by the way they acted with each other. No additional pages were wasted by telling us what they were feeling- we already knew because the author did a great job of immersing us in their experience so we could realize things for ourselves. Kudos!

Finally, there was ample time devoted the nuts and bolts of a running a costume shop. We saw what Kirby, Margo and her father do each day to keep the store going, the promotions they put on, their interactions with customers, how they come up with costume designs, and even how to make tye-dyed shirts. I love reading about the little details that come with having a themed mystery series. It is like having an extra character to follow and get acquainted with. It might even be my favorite part of the series (but don’t let Margo know that.)

Overall, this is an excellent addition to the series, a series that I hope continues beyond this third book. Vallere, her characters, and her Costume Shop are doing great work.

Dressed to Confess is probably one of the most fun books that I've read lately! The characters are very entertaining and you can actually visualize them as you read the story. Although this is the 3rd book in the series, it can certainly be read as a stand alone, I have not read the previous two and had no trouble at following along. It is laugh out loud good, has a great plot with twists and surprises and a great unpredictable ending. Diane has a certain winner here and I can't wait to visit this fun town again very soon! I

This the third book in the Costume Shop Mystery series. And it's just as great as the first two. I enjoy reading about Margo, her Dad, Tak and the rest of the residents from Proper City, Nevada. The story is full of quirkiness, and the twists and turns in the plot keep you guessing until the very end. I didn't figure it out until the end. There were more than a few times I found myself chuckling as I wound my way through the book. I love how Margo dresses in costumes from the shop, can just picture her, and how she talks things over with Soot the cat. Diane does a great job of filling you in on the people of Proper City, and past events, so you don't have to have read the rest of the series. And if you haven't, I would suggest you do because you'll enjoy them.

Soot, the cat is the confidant of Margo Tamblyn.
Margo is the co-owner of Disguise DeLimit costume
shop with her father. She lives above the shop in
Proper City, Nevada.
It is Proper City's Sagebrush Festival time. Margo
is helping both Ebony, the festival Manager and
Bobbie, who is her best friend, running a booth
both selling and giving away Teddy Bears.
Margo has made costumes for the big attraction
of the Festival....the Domino Divas. This dance
group broke up 50 some years ago because of then
scandal now all in their sixties they are reuniting
for the Festival.
That is until Margo finds one of the Divas dead in the
Diva's trailer.
Murder, an robbery 50 years ago, dark secrets, affairs,
an unexpected relative, a Festival with a Game board
theme with costumes, a food, teddy bears, dancing ,
A birthday bash and danger in disguise make this is
good read.
The characters are well defined, very realistic and very
interesting. The tension was thick with plenty of suspense
mixed with great chills, thrills with unexpected twists and
turns.
It was a page turner.
This is book # 3 in the Costume Shop Mystery series. It
can be read as a stand alone. This is first book I read in
the series and will be reading the rest.
A highly recommended humorous cozy read!!!
I volunteered to read Dressed to Confess. Thanks to the
author via Net Gallery for the opportunity. My opinion
is my own.

Margo, the co-owner of Disguise DeLimit . She is also goes around and investigates things around Proper City, which doesn't make the police exactly big fans of hers. When the annual Sagebrush Festival brings back the Domino Divas, a dance group, things get messed up really fast! Ronnie Cass, the leader of the Divas is found dead in her trailer,just before the first show! Who would want to kill an aging 60 plus dancer? The more Margo looks into this murder, the more things from the past come out, like the bank robbery 50 years ago, a child no one knew Ronnie had. A lot of things have to do with Ronnie and her past. Can Margo figure out what happened before she was even born? Read the book to find out. I received a copy of this book from Net Galley.

I would very much like to visit Proper City, Nevada where dressing up is the norm for the town festivals. I think that the costumes that Margo helps to provide would really lend to the small town atmosphere, and it would make for a great visit, except for the murder. I really enjoy the characters and think that running across them in real life would make a trip very memorable. I liked trying to figure out what would happen next and what Margo would find out next. Sometimes I beat her to figuring something out and quite often I was wrong with what I guessed. A great read.
I received a copy of the book from the author, the review is entirely my own.

CLEVER!

This is the first book in this series that I have read. I had no trouble reading it as a stand alone. Vallere is a wonderfully descriptive writer and makes you feel as though you are in the scenes with characters. The characters were a lively bunch led by Margo Tamblyn who owns the costume shop Disguise DeLimit. The setting is a small town Proper City, NV and there is murder and unsolved mysteries aplenty. Can Margo help solve the murder? Who can be trusted? This is a nice, entertaining read.

I liked the costume shop and teddy bear theme. I thought that made it unique. A nice enjoyable cozy. Spicy Acorn (conspiracy) was clever and fun. I liked the characters and would read more books in the series. There was even a costume idea at the end!

I love this series. Margo is a great character. She is very down to earth. She moved back to her hometown after her dad had a heart attack. Now she runs the costume shop. It's always an adventure.
She has a knack for figuring it out.

DRESSED TO CONFESS, the third book in the delightful Costume Shop Mystery series, is a fun whodunit with a heavy dose of whimsy. And costumes…lots and lots of costumes.

It is time for the town’s annual Sagebrush Festival, and this year’s theme is board games, inspired by the headlining group, The Domino Divas. The group has not performed in fifty years, and they disbanded when the local bank was robbed during one of their performances. Rumor has it that a member of the DD pulled off the theft. Everything with the festival is going okay until DD member Ronnie is late to rehearsal then a no-show when it comes time for the first performance. Margo Tamblyn, the local costume shop proprietor, goes to Ronnie’s trailer only to find her deceased, obviously the victim of foul play. Margo quickly has her hands full when her father’s closest friend Don is arrested for the crime. Don, who is into conspiracy theories, finds himself the center of his own conspiracy, and Margo finds herself in the thick of things trying to clear Don’s name and solve two mysteries. Who really robbed the bank all those years ago, and who killed Ronnie?

I really want to go to the Sagebrush Festival. Life size board games and costumes sound like so much fun. Well, minus the murder, it sounds like a great time. The Nevada setting is unique in the cozy mystery world, and the town and its residents are quaint and quirky. I really like Margo, and all of the other characters, too, especially Margo’s dad and Ebony. Everybody is just a little over-the-top but still relatable. I would be remiss if I failed to mention Margo’s cat Soot. He is a great listener.

The mystery is well paced with several viable suspects for Ronnie’s murder. I admit that I had the suspect pool narrowed down to a couple of people, but the “why” was questionable up to near the end. The bank robbery’s resolution is a little trickier, and I like how both mystery threads tied nicely in to one another making a satisfactory read indeed.

I really enjoyed DRESSED TO CONFESS and hope there are many more visits with Margo and crew. Recommended to any cozy mystery fan.

Dressed to Confess is the first book that I have read in Vallere's costume shop series, but it definitely won't be the last. Despite being book three in the series, I was able to jump right into the thick of things making this an excellent stand alone read for a newbie like myself or another great adventure for a previous reader. Margo is helping out with costumes for Proper City's Sagebrush Festival and ends up finding the body of a member of the Festival's headlining act. When her dad's best friend becomes the prime suspect, Margo decides to find out what happened herself.

Being a fan of Vallere's Style and Error series, I found that I loved the secondary characters in this series as well. With Margo's dad, Don, Bobbie, Tak, Ebony, and others, the secondary characters in this book really added to the reading experience. I loved how each character brought out a different side of Margo who is really well developed in the book. Margo is at a cross roads with her relationship with Tak, and this book's mystery and events makes it so that Margo has to face this challenge head on. Also with Don being a suspect, the case hits close to home making its Margo's mission to saved a loved one from being accused of a crime they didn't commit. I also love how Vallere adds in some humor, and of course who knew costumes could be this much fun. The book's mystery was full of enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing.

Overall Dressed to Confess proved to be a great read that I would most definitely recommend. I have already added the first book to my to be read pile because I can't wait to check out another adventure with Margo and company.

Received a copy of Dressed to Confess from the author in exchange for my honest review.

Dressed to Confess is the third entry in author Diane Vallere’s Costume Shop Mystery series. Margo Tamblyn is back. Her costume shop, Disguise DeLimit, is to provide a set of costumes for the Proper City Sagebrush Festival's Board Game theme headliner act, the Domino Divas. Sounds pretty simple. But once you meet this quirky cast of characters you’ll realize nothing is simple and you’ll be on a non-stop ride involving scandal, secrecy, an old bank robbery and murder. Nobody is who they seem to be and you won’t be able to put this book down until you’ve found out just who’s who and what’s what.

The Domino Divas were a teen dance group in the 1960’s, back together for a one-time only reunion act, and they weren’t named Divas for nothing. Naturally it’s Margo who discovers Diva Ronnie dead just before the show is to start. Margo is trying to stay out of the murder investigation business, but when she learns Ronnie was believed to be responsible for that old bank robbery and her father's best friend, Don, has a past connection to Ronnie and is now the main suspect in the murder, she has no choice but to find out who did it and clear Don’s name.

The mystery is fast-paced and unpredictable. The cast of characters is fascinating, and tangled together from the past to the present like a spider’s web. Margo is always dressed in just the right costume. Pay close attention to her outfit for the day because it will bring a smile to your face. Margo’s father and his best friend Don’s conspiracy theories and "Spicy Acorns" newspaper articles will have you bouncing between laughing and wondering just how much of the news is really true (like that moon landing?).

The book has depth and the plot is solid, with the perfect balance of humor and danger. No one will believe Margo at first, but as she keeps digging the conspiracy becomes real and the list of potential suspects grows. You’ll be guessing right up until the end.

A very satisfying read. I can’t wait to see what is in store for Margo next. Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I think that this series: A Costume Shop Mystery, keeps getting better each new book. Isn’t that how a series is suppose to grow? Margo is one of my favorite characters with her charming costume shop and ideas, and her flair for solving mysteries.

The latest has Margo counting dominoes and it isn’t looking good. Though her dad are certainly a laugh relief for the book with the Spicy Acorn it is a book filled with great twists, turns and cast of characters. Margo is certainly on top of the event in Proper City and she is bringing new ventures to Disguise DeLimit (isn’t this the coolest name?!). Margo is fashionable to say the least, she has really embraced being a costume shop owner. I loved each outfit that she donned on and was thrilled at her ideas in this book, I am so keeping the list of costume ideas in the back of the book!

The annual Sagebrush Festival is gearing up and everyone in Proper City, NV is involved. This year's theme is Family Game Night and inspired by boardgames from Candy Land to Monopoly. A local group from back in the day, the Domino Divas, have reunited for the event and Margo from Disguise DeLimit has been contracted to making their costumes.

The Festival is off to a decent start when tragedy strikes - Margo finds one of the Dominoes dead in her trailer. When clues start piling up, Margo tries to put them all together into something that doesn't implicate her father's best friend, Don. It doesn't seem like she's being very successful, especially since it appears her clues incriminate Don even more. Attempting to find the real killer puts Margo in danger and in the not so friendly sights of the local police department. Can Margo figure out who killed the Domino Diva before she finds herself in the same predicament?

I absolutely love this series. Actually, I have absolutely loved everything by Diane Vallere that I've gotten my hands on. Her writing style is conversational and smooth. The characteristics she's given each character in the novel, especially Margo, are great. Margo is complex and hides behind costumes in an effort to shield herself. I love her quirkiness though.

The author goes a fantastic job taking readers on several wild goose chases throughout the novel. Many characters, new and familiar, are developed in ways that certainly could point toward being the murderer. The characters have the means and motives to want Ronnie Cass removed from the Domino Divas permanently. With the police honed in only on Don, Margo fears that he'll end up in jail, leaving the real murderer free to roam the streets. So, our amateur sleuth does what she must to clear Don's name and reveal the real killer. Her amateur sleuthing does cause tensions to run high. She's smart and doesn't intentionally put herself in harm's way.

Diane Vallere continues the world building in the third Costume Shop Mystery. I was able to picture each scene in my head including Margo's costumes, the layout of the festival, and other scenes. The book has depth and the plot is solid. The dialogue between the characters is fluid and the story is fast paced. The murderer(s) is hidden among a myriad of potential suspects and isn't easily figured out. I was actually a bit surprised in who the murderer ended up being. Dressed to Confess is a fantastic 3rd book in the Costume Shop Mystery series by Diane Vallere.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided to me through NetGalley.

“Dressed to Confess” earns 5/5 Dancing Diva Drama!

The town of Proper City, Nevada, is dressing up for the Sagebrush Festival, and everyone is getting into the game-themed festivities. Margo Tamblyn, co-owner of the local shop Disguise DeLimit, has been busy providing delightful costumes for the volunteers and the top act the “Domino Divas,” a dance troupe once the talk of the town. The group hadn’t performed since 1968, and their break-up curiously coincided with a local bank robbery. No one had been caught and the block of gold originally owned by prospector and town’s namesake Pete Proper was never recovered, but the rumors had the Double Ds somehow connected. They went their separate ways. The mayor asked them to reunite and perform at the festival, but emotions seem very high, including less than a stellar rehearsal, a slap in the face, and one of them dead in her trailer. Margo finds herself having to investigate since a ‘person of interest’ is found too close to home.

I am familiar with Diane Vallere’s Costume Shop Mystery series having read many 5-star reviews touting it as engaging and entertaining, and despite having book 1 “A Disguise to Die For,” I’ve not jumped in…until now! I had an opportunity to read book 3 “Dressed to Confess,” and I am thrilled: Game-themed festival? Cold case bank robbery? Dead ‘Domino Diva’? What a great story! There is more than enough information about the back story and character connections that I never felt out of the loop. The current events and close-to-home suspects entwined with an unsolved robbery make for a clever page turner experience ending with an “Oh, my!” solution. The characters are well developed, Margo is a delight to follow, and I enjoy the fun dynamic between Margo and her ‘conspiracy theorist’ dad. The setting of Proper, Nevada, and small town quirks, ins and outs of costuming, and issues with Margo’s dad’s conspiracy newspaper using the anagram “Spicy Acorns” play out in the background along with treating us to some easy-to-follow recipes for Spicy Acorn Treats, Spicy Acorn Salsa and Costume Ideas for a Conspiracy-themed Party (Secret Service Agent). So, invite you favorite “Men in Black” and enjoy this adventure! I highly recommend this book!

Proper City, Nevada is a dream come true to anyone who likes to dress up in costumes. I have to confess I am one of those people and my children have inherited the desire! Lucky Margo Tamblyn is running the family business, Disguise DeLimit, and every day she dresses in stock from the store. As much fun as the story line is learning what she is wearing each day!
This book is about the town Sagebrush Festival which is in Proper City Park (PCP) and is a family oriented festival. The theme is board games. Friend of the family and pseudo mother to Margo, Ebony is running the multi week festival. She makes board games life sized and continually changes things throughout the event. Margo makes the costumes. What fun! When the proverbial fly in the ointment (a murder) interferes with a friend's freedom from jail, Margo sets out to figure out who really done it!
It is a fun and wild ride to the end of the book. Costumes and masks hiding identities. Hidden relationships, past crimes, conspiracy theories, and lovestruck people all add to the complex fun. The characters are like old friends and fun to spend time with once again. The story is not a cliffhanger, and totally resolved in the book. HOWEVER...you will enjoy this book more if you have read the series in order. That way you not only understand references to past crimes, but you will "know" many of the characters in this book. Good to the last sentence, I am already thinking about what will happen next in Proper City!

“Dressed to Confess” is the latest installment in Diane Vallere’s Costume Shop Mysteries series. It is NOT necessary to have read the other books before enjoying this one. There are quick summaries of events from previous books embedded when needed to advance the plot, but pages and pages are not wasted summarizing what happened previously. However, if you have not read the previous books, after you read this one you may want to go back and catch the others in the series.

Proper City, Nevada lies about forty miles from the glamour and excitement of “Sin City.” Many of Proper City’s residents moved there to avoid the high taxes of California or the frantic pace of near-by Las Vegas.

However, all is not proper in Proper City, Nevada.

Proper City has the usual mix of residents. That assortment includes corrupt politicians, busy bodies, people out to make a buck, old lovers carrying a grudge, new friends looking to become lovers, double crossed thieves waiting for revenge, and seemingly ordinary people with hidden pasts. There are secrets, secrets, and more secrets, and gossip, gossip, and more gossip. Proper City is a small town with big mysteries.

Margo Tamblyn, owner of Disguise DeLimit costume shop and party planner Ebony Welles are getting ready for Proper’s annual Sagebrush Festival. The theme this year is games but the “games” turn out to be more like classic “Clue” than anyone could have imagined. Festivalgoers are arriving, booths are in place, reporters from neighboring cities have arrived, and entertainers are rehearsing, when the unthinkable happens – one of the performers is found murdered.

If murder, betrayal, and danger could be fun, Proper City would be the place to find it. Mix in conspiracy theorists, teddy bears, stolen gold, and people dressed in costumes, and you have Proper City. Of course, the book is full of suspense and crime, but it is also incredibly funny.“ Dressed to Confess, “is an enjoyable, relaxing mystery despite the obvious crime and murder theme. It is quick to read, and the characters are likable. Most of all it is funny and enjoyable. It will not give you a stress headache from tension, blood, or mayhem.

I received a copy of “Dressed to Confess” from Diane Vallere, Berkley Prime Crime, and NetGalley in exchange for my review. This is an entertaining book to read, but be careful; you might just laugh right out loud as you read and find yourself looking into the back of closets for pieces of clothing that can be thrown together for a costume.