The author set the stage in this multi-plot drama where what you see is not truly what you see. With a comfortable tone, protagonists Cindy and Jay are aptly suitable to this story that takes these Hollywood memorabilia dealer to famed actress Yana Tosh and her collection of costumes. Who knew selling these items would lead to murder? Who knew because of their interest in said items, they would become a suspect? The only thing left to do is solve the case and save their business and reputation, and that they did with great aplomb thanks to the author’s visually descriptive narrative, engaging and witty repartee, and bonus to this reader, snippets of movies and music from days gone by.

I loved how the author told this story keeping me intrigued and immersed throughout with bits and pieces here and there and a few red herring thrown in that kept me in the game. When I thought I had figured it out, the author changed direction all to enhance my reading pleasure and boy did I not see that one twist coming, especially when the killer’s identity was revealed. Good job! Good job! This was a delightfully entertaining tale and I look forward to more actions with Cindy, Jay, and their friends in this great debut cozy.

If you are a fan of cozy mysteries I think you will really like this one. It is also LGBTQ+ positive. I am not really a big fan of these kind of books. I am more of a fan of suspense books. This was just not my style of book. I know that this is the type of book that some people would be into. But not my type.

This was an absolutely delightful book.
The premise was a fresh one for a mystery and had me hooked.
The lively characters and the Hollywood memorabilia were a winning combination.
I really hope there are future books featuring these characters.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. A Killing in Costumes by Zac Bissonnette is a fun cozy mystery filled to the brim with camp. Red herrings mixed with tons of pop culture references and nostalgia make this a hard to predict mystery. The two main characters seamlessly bring great queer representation to the story. A must read for fans of camp, hollywood's golden age, and cozy mystery fans.

This is my first book by Zac Bissonnette, but it won't be my last! The writing style was smooth, the plot was interesting, and the reader really didn't know who the bad guy was...

This book captivated me with its characters, knowledge of Hollywood celebrity memorabilia, and mystery! In this book, the author made the reader feel like they were in Palm Springs, CA and part of the characters' lives. It was a ride (and a picture) in the Jurassic park SUV...it was sitting at the horror table, and maybe even spending time with Cindy, Mary and Jay!

The reader alternates between thinking they know who did it and thinking they don't know and that maybe it wasn't a character they had met...The banter between the characters and the funny back and forth made the story part mystery, part comedy, but it was still a lot of fun to read! This is one of those books that you will laugh out loud while reading, so be careful where you are.

Debut cozy by Zac Bissonnette, A Killing in Costumes is the tale of a closeted married couple who were soap stars and best friends until they came out and ended their careers with the reveal. Years later Jay is suffering from a failed love affair and Cindy has lost the love of her life to cancer
Cindy suggests Jay join her in her new business venture , a movie memorabilia store named Hooray for Hollywood. Looking for much needed influx of new cash the duo jump at the chance to get first dibs on the enormous collection of 90 yr old b-movie star Yana Tosh. Things seem to be looking up until their main competition for the deal is murdered and Jay and Cindy seem to have the best motive. Now it becomes their mission to not only close the deal and save the store but to keep themselves for going down for a crime they didn't commit.

It took me a bit to become invested in this book. I found Cindy hiding the business woes from her partner a bit off-putting. As the story continued I found myself liking the 'Stars' of the tale more and more. I especially enjoyed the bits of Hollywood lore and trivia interspersed throughout this tale. I look forward to a second installment , hopefully soon.

I received this book free from #netgalley for a fair and honest review.

Cindy and Jay been together for a long time. At first they were married, both of tehm being performers, before they became business partners, selling Hollywood memorabilia. Their busiess is slw, but when they are invited to sell an old actresses memorabilia, it might be just the thing to get them going.But then the representative of another auctioning house that was also invited is found dead, after Cindy and Jay had met with him and they become the main suspects in his murder. Now the two of them find themselves searching for the real murderer to prove their innocence.

This story was really good. The characters are well developed, their relationship was great. It also only got better over time. And the plot was great as well. The murder mystery is full of false hints and red herrings. Plus there was a lot of old Hollywood and movie trivia which i loved.
The writing was also very good and made it easy to visualize the characters, the store, the homes, and the Palm Springs setting.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book!

Great start to a new series! I especially love the queer representation in our protagonists and the Palm Springs setting; just enough camp and cliche. The mystery was zippy with plenty of twists, and it was nice to see the hint of sadness; I’m sure we’ll see the moving on and finding new love!

This was a decent mystery that kept me interested. Definitely did not expect who the "bad guy" turned out to be. However, one particular aspect of the story is not something I care to read about, so probably won't be reading any other books if this continues as a series.

this is a well plotted mystery with old Hollywood nostalgia and very interesting characters. A fun and entertaining read. If you enjoy cozy mysteries, you will like this one.

antiques, memorabilia, ephemera, auctions, situational-humor, verbal-humor, Hollywood, amateur-sleuth, friendship, family-dynamics, cozy-mystery, LGBT, pets, murder, murder-investigation, gambling-addiction, grief, grieving*****

The publisher's blurb is a good intro, so I won't repeat it. From that interesting beginning the story kicks into gear with a pair of amateurs sleuthing their way through a murder investigation, becoming suspects themselves, an attraction between Jay and the Homicide Detective, and occasional wallows in grief by Cindy who lost her beloved wife of almost twenty years to recurrent cancer. Lots of interesting characters, both supportive as well as fellow suspects. The underlying theme is the mad world of Hollywood memorabilia and the people who pay exorbitant amounts of money to be part of the dream. Great first in series! And, unlike TV, books only get better as the series unfolds!
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

A Killing in Costumes is the promising debut novel in the Hollywood Treasures Mystery series. Two aspects of the book especially appealed to me. The first is that the protagonists are a formerly married couple who played a married couple in a soap opera until they both discovered they were gay and their careers took a dive. Surprise--they are still best friends and business partners who are devoted to each other and live together, even as they search for romance separately. The second is the description of the fabulous movie memorabilia they sell in their Palm Springs store, Hurray for Hollywood.

Jay and Cindy make a great team. He's accomplished at making personal connections, while she (a former financial advisor) is better at the business end of things. But their business is in danger of collapse unless they convince a 90-year-old former actress, Yana Tosh, to allow them to sell her vast collection of movie costumes. When the representative of a prominent auction house that is also seeking Yana's collection turns up dead, Jay and Cindy might be the prime suspects.

It's a fun story with a cast of characters that keep things lively, including a police detective who seems to have eyes for Jay, even as he pursues the murder investigation. I enjoyed the twist toward the end of the story. With a little more fleshing out of the major characters and a bit more nuance to the storytelling, this could be an addictive series.

My thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for affording me the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

A KILLING IN COSTUMES, is the first book in the brand-new Hollywood Treasures Mysteries by Zac Bissonnette. With over-the-top (in a good way!) entertaining protagonists, former spouses Cindy Cooper and Jay Allen, gives this book a solid start to what I hope is an enduring series. My only quibble is that I wasn’t always sure whose POV was in charge since it swaps back and forth. I greatly enjoyed that they are older than most cozy mystery sleuths and with their life experiences, the pair convey relatability and authenticity. Their witty banter brought humor to the story and their references to classic movies and actors (I loved their pets named Mae West and Bob Hope) brought a sense of nostalgia. I also appreciated the positive portrayal of the LBGTQ+ community throughout the book. It was deftly woven into the story without distracting from the well-plotted mystery. With enough suspects to keep me guessing, I didn’t figure out the perpetrator until Cindy and Jay did. Looking back on the clues provided, they were there but I was so immersed in the fun read, I missed their importance… which is the sign of an entertaining book!

I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Killing in Costumes follows the actions of two former soap opera stars. Jay and Cindy were previously married and quite the item. But they are gay. After a divorce, they each found their respective partners. Jay has been less successful in finding his permanent soul mate. Cindy found hers, but Esther passed away, leading to a time of grieving.

But Jay and Cindy found each other again as business partners and now have started a store specializing in selling movie memorabilia. Business, it turns out, can be rough and tough. The store is struggling financially. And a massive corporation is giving them a battle for the impressive memorabilia collection of an aging movie star.

And then their competitor is found dead. Jay and Cindy are the prime suspects. To complicate matters, the police detective is a "hunk" and Jay is interested.

Well written, this snappy mystery is a joy to read. In addition to the mystery itself and it's surprising ending, the movie memorabilia angle offers an enjoyable experience. Trivia buffs will enjoy the frequent references to particular items that appeared in their favorite movies. I highly recommend this book.

I love cozy mystery books. They have nice plots, cute, simple, relatable characters. They give a sense of mild comfort and entertainment. This book was no exception.

A Killing In Costumes is a Hollywood Memorabilia based debut mystery. It is not extremely serious or dark, like normal mystery books. I love the characters. The queer representation in the book felt positive. The friendship between the MCs were beautiful. I did not like the way the mystery were revealed, but the twist was surprising. It is a really good book to uplift mood, with a hint of suspense.

Stardom fades fast when you’re on the line for murder.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane for the e-arc !!!!

With old hollywood nostalgia and relatable and funny characters, “A Killing In Costumes” may be one of my favorite new releases this year.

Firstly, I need to talk about the characters, because THE characters oh dear god.

Cindy and Jay were so funny and the best set of best friends I’ve ever read and their relationship was UGHHHHH so precious, they trusted each other really deeply and I liked their relationship as a whole throughout the book, how in some parts Cindy was in the wrong, but with the intention to protect Jay, and JAY UNDERSTOOD THAT, he didn’t drag her in the mud or got annoyingly upset with her, their dynamic was ugh perfect, I loved it.

Something that I also really appreciated about the characters was that they all had their own backgrounds and they weren’t overlooked, to some parts they felt like real people, I even had to look up Yana to see if she existed (she doesn’t) because she read so real.

I liked everyone but Simon, sorry sorry, I KNOW he was cute and everything but he never did ANYTHING like, he’s the one that’s supposed to be the detective, later on we find out that it’s his first murder case but that doesn’t excuse him, I’m sorry.

Moving on, the plot, I’m going to be fully honest in some parts I found myself to just be not interested at all, there was a lot of filling in the middle of the book, and that was just idk. BUT on some parts specifically in the last third of the book, I was fully glued to the screen, so that was great.

In the begging the murder kind of took me out because it was really early on the book, I felt like I needed to know a little bit more about the characters, but that’s okay, it’s fine.

Now, THE MURDERER CHOICE WAS GENIUS, OH MY GOD, everything that sort of bugged me from the book was completely eliminated from my brain when I got to when the murder gets solved. NEVER SAW IT COMING and that’s major for someone who reads a lot of murder mysteries.

I’ll recommend this book everywhere and to everyone, uffff did I enjoy it? YES a thousand times yes.

Do I recommend it? Yes, it’s a great switch from the normal murder mystery adding LGBTQ+ representation and beautifully written characters.

An exceptionally well written debut! Every element of a good mystery was there, along with delightful characters, and queer rep that felt real and honest. The choice to write this as a dual POV was a good one, as it helped my own indulgence and theories to have the respective of two different people!
A little slow at first, the story picked up quickly once we had our first murder victim, and I found myself unable to stop thinking and theorising until the final reveal.
I’m definitely excited to see what comes next!

This book is a delight. Bissonnette gives us not only fully fleshed out and interesting characters, both MC’s and side characters, but one heck of a twisty, turny whodunit plot. Not only do we get a sleuthing duo but the premise is unique and if you’re a film buff like me all the movie/tv references will be delightful. Last but so not the least if you are looking to diversify your reading, run don’t walk to, pick up this book as both MC’s identify as LGBTQIA+ and are wonderfully characterized. This is the first in the Hollywood Treasures Mystery series and I look forward to reading what comes next.

I gave this debut cozy mystery 3.5 stars.

It was a fun read and I loved reading about all the old Hollywood memorabilia. I could tell the author had done their research on this topic.

It was both enjoyable and interesting and I could not figure out the killer until the characters did.

I think I will read the second book in this series.

I want to thank the author/publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced review copy of Zac Bissonnette's new novel, <i>A Killing in Costumes (A Hollywood Treasures Mystery #1)</i>. Although I am thankful for their generosity, the following review reflects my personal views.

As a whole, I thought this was a really fun first book in a new cozy mystery series. As a whole, I think the two main characters Jay Allan and Cindy Cooper were relatable and a lot of fun. Jay and Cindy were former soap opera stars who were married. Yet, both of them held a secret. Jay was gay and Cindy was a lesbian. When they came out publicly, it sort of destroyed their career. Over the years, they ended up going in different directions. Jay had lounge show in Vegas and Cindy became a financial planner. With the death of Cindy's wife, Jay moves to Palm Springs to help Cindy open a dream store selling Hollywood memorabilia, Hooray for Hollywood.

One of my biggest complaints with this cozy, was that it did take a bit of building before we actually had the first victim. Once we had the first victim, the story definitely picked up steam as the dynamic duo became suspects. As suspects, they were determined to clear their names and save their store, which was on the verge of financial ruin as it was.

As with any good cozy mystery, the author does a good job establishing the setting and creating a litany of quirky and interesting characters from the knitting assistant, Mary, to the gay police detective, who may have a thing for Jay.

From a cozy mystery perspective, I do wish there had been a bit more about Palm Springs. As someone who has never ventured to Palm Springs, I don't feel like I got a complete picture of what Palm Springs is like. I hope the author shows us more about the quirky side of Palm Springs as he writes the second book in this series. Half the fun of a good cozy mystery is getting lost in the world. Admittedly, I think it's harder to establish the quirky side of a community when you're dealing with an actual location versus a fabricated town.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and definitely recommend it to fans of cozy mysteries.