Silence of the Lamps is the fifth book #5 in the Caprice De Luca mystery series but you can easily read this as a stand alone mystery. It is fun to read them all and find out about the previous mysteries she has solved. Caprice is a home stager and interior decorator who just happens to stumble upon dead bodies. Because they live in a relatively small town, the suspect usually includes a friend or relative of Caprice, so she can't help but get involved in solving the crime. In this book, her sister Nikki was not a friend of the victim and had recently had a public argument with him about stealing one of her recipes. They were both caterers in direct competition with one another. Caprice begins asking questions and nosing around. The more she finds out, the suspect list grows exponentially. Drew had a lot of enemies. Can she solve the crime before her sister is the prime suspect and gets arrested?

One of the things I love about this series is the relationship between the DeLuca family members. The interactions between Caprice and her sisters is so realistic you almost feel like part of the family. Their personal lives are a large part of the story as well. Their love lives, friendships, careers and experiences help make the story realistic. The mystery story line moved quickly although there were far too many suspects for me to keep track of. The ending was totally unexpected, but you could go back and see hints along the way. Another great addition to this series.

Caprice De Luca’s job as a house stager, often has her hiring sister Nikki to cater her open houses. At one such occasion while Nikki is catering, her former sou-chef and now biggest catering competition, Drew Pierson, shows up and creates a scene. He loudly and quite publicly announces that he will destroy Nikki’s business. When at food expo a few days later Nikki realizes he has stolen one of her recipes and is claiming it as his own creation, she feels that she must confront him for his underhanded ways and tell him to stop. When Nikki and Caprice arrive at his grandmother’s home where he also lives, they find him dead, his head bashed in by the base of an expensive Tiffany lamp. Soon it becomes obvious to Caprice that Nikki is a prime suspect and she will need to find out who really murdered the abrasive caterer. Motives and suspects are aplenty, but a need to protect her sister and a promise to Drew’s Grandmother to find his murderer, keeps Caprice hot on the trail.

There is a formula that most Cozies follow. They are usually quick fluff reads with just a touch of suspense. Really, just a way to pass a few minutes of time easily that doesn’t really register as the reader moves on to the next one on her list. Nothing wrong with that, but occasionally I like a bit of substance with my stories, and Silence of the Lamps delivers in a big way. This is my first experience with Caprice De Luca and her author Karen Rose Smith, and I am quite impressed. This story could easily have fallen into the typical pattern and been perfectly acceptable. Instead I found a wonderful story full of well developed, well written characters. Caprice and her close knit family are great examples. Instead of being cardboard filler, they are bright and vibrant with stories of their own. Interesting tid-bits like the circumstances of Nana living with Caprice’s parents, Uncle Dom’s search for a new and fulfilling career and the close, yet distinctly different relationships that Caprice has with each of her sisters, are wonderful touches to the story.

The plot is beyond engaging. This is a murder mystery that reads like straight fiction. Caprice is less a heroine and more just a great protagonist with a great story to tell. Her relationships with her family, friends and neighbors are where the real story is, and nothing is lost as she doggedly tracks down the clues that will solve the murder. Her involvement in the community, her fierce loyalty to rescue animals and her struggles with her boyfriend simply serve to make her a relate-able person. The mystery itself is beautifully laid out with abundant clues and red herrings. The story leading to Drew’s death is well thought out and perfectly written.

With more than 90 books, in some of my favorite genres, I can’t imagine how I have missed reading this author. It is a mistake I intend to correct. I most enjoyed my visit to Kismet and I hope to journey there again soon.

Silence of the Lamps (Caprice De Luca Home Staging Mystery #5)
by Karen Rose Smith (Goodreads Author)
Mass Market Paperback, 322 pages
Published April 26th 2016 by Kensington

Goodreads synopsis:
Business has never been better for home stager Caprice De Luca, but her personal life could stand a few renovations. Just when she thought things were getting serious with her boyfriend Grant, his pretty ex-wife swoops into town and nabs his attention. Uncle Dom is living with her parents and desperately needs a new job. And her sister Nikki's catering business is threatened when rival Drew Pierson starts eating away at her share of the market. Things could not possibly get more chaotic when Drew is found bludgeoned to death by one of his grandmother's antique Tiffany lamps--and Nikki is the number one suspect. Now, Caprice must act fast to illuminate the truth and clear her sister's name--before a cold-blooded killer puts her lights out next.

***

4 Stars

Let’s start out saying that this is a great book. The mystery kept me interested and I had quite a ride trying to figure out whodunit. But… this is my least favorite title for a book. If I saw this on a shelf I don’t think I would buy it. And that is sad since this is such a great read. I kept thinking it should be called something like Dueling Caterers, The Stained Glass Murder or The Secret of the Tiffany Lamps. But what do I know. I just read ‘em and don’t write ‘em.

Caprice DeLuca is a home stager whose sister, Nikki’s catering business is being tested by the underhanded Drew. Drew used to be an employee and frankly has a bit of a history of stealing from those who helped him up the ladder of success.

Then when said underhanded ex-employee dies a mysterious death, Nikki is suspect number one. Time for Caprice to dust off her sleuthing skills, much to the dismay of the police who tell her over and over to let them handle it. And that is what Caprice is afraid of. They will handle it and her sister will be in jail for life.

This is a great book. Good mystery. Entertaining characters but I am just not a fan of the title.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) from NetGalley in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.