Not a totally bad book, but some of the story did seem a little unlikely. However, i carried on reading to the end, and was sufficiently interested to do so.

A Killer Closet (An Irene’s Closet Mystery) by Paula Paul

179 Pages
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Alibi, Alibi
Release Date: October 11, 2016

Fiction, Mystery, Amateur Detective, Haute Couture

Irene Seligman was an assistant district attorney in New York. When her mother, Adelle’s, fifth (or sixth) husband passes away, Irene up ends her life and moves back to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Since she does not have a license to practice law in that state, she decides to open a consignment store for high end clothing, Irene’s Closet. On the day the store is supposed to open, a dead body is found in the closet. Not long after, a second body shows up in the same closet. Is no one safe?

The book has a fast pace, and it is written in the third person point of view. The characters are somewhat developed and flawed individuals. The only likable character is Angel. Adelle is shallow and self-absorbed. Irene is rude beyond belief to someone she just met. Who acts like that? The author has a very descriptive writing style so the reader sees and feels the landscape of New Mexico. I have enjoyed her reading her other books. This one is just a miss for me.

You may take the prosecutor out of the big city, but you can't take the investigator out of the woman.

What a fascinating book. I was impressed by the storyline and the characters were all well written and complex. Where there are complex storylines combined with intriguing characters the reader experience is magnified tremendously. To have a book that is well written as well as entertaining is a delight. Reading is about escaping your world and entering another one. The word building was phenomenal in this book. Here I forgot about my own life and was immersed in the world created by the author. I would recommend this book.

Irene Seligman leaves her job as an assistant DA in Manhattan to move back home to Santa Fe to take care of her mother. She decides to open a consignment store for designer clothes, but the day of the opening, she finds a dead woman in the closet of her shop. Then another of her mother’s friends is murdered, and Irene is worried her mother might be in danger. She begins investigating and uncovers some secrets that she shouldn’t...

This was an intriguing mystery. Good pacing, good writing. Irene was an enjoyable main character, and the supporting cast was fun, too. Some interesting twists and turns along the way, although they were a tad predictable (but I read a lot of mysteries). This was a 3 1/2 but it got bumped down to a 3 because when the confrontation with the bad guys began, the frequency and severity of the swearing increased dramatically, and it was way too much for me. Too bad, because the book had been pretty clean up until that point.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free ebook.

Great idea for a book and really well executed. A thoroughly good read. Highly recommended. .

This was a fun read. I love characters who go from big city life to the smaller town. In this cute mystery, there is family, fashion, and fatality. Ms. Paula Paul creates reat characters with a twisty mystery. A fun introduction to a series I look forward to reading.

The first of the Irene's Closet series. I guess people like these type of mystery stories. It is fun to follow along and try to figure out what is happening. Characters are alright.

Irene is a former Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan. She has moved back to Santa Fe to help her mother, Adelle, who just lost her husband. Irene sets up an upscale consignment store for women’s fashions and on her opening day finds a murdered woman in her storage closet. She calls the police and the chief of police answers her call. Now she is a person of interest in the murder.

Being taken to the police station, she asks for an attorney. P.J. Bailey is at the counter and offers to help. Being new to town, she doesn’t know who to trust – the chief of police or the lawyer who offers her help.

In the next few days, Irene finds another body in her store. With all the snooping, Irene needs help in the store and Harriet send Angel (Ahn-hell is how it is pronounced) to help her. She thinks a gal will be coming but finds out it is a guy. He has an innate talent for getting customers to buy. What a great help he becomes.

Her mother has a friend who taught school, Harriet, and between the three of them, they get into all sorts of trouble trying to figure out “who done it”.

This book has all sorts of twists and turns and it was hard to put down. If you love a good murder mystery, you need a copy of this book.

Irene Seligman has moved back to Santa Fe from New York at the request of her mother, Adele. In order to make ends meet, Irene, a former assistant district attorney, is opening a clothing consignment shop called Irene's Closet.
Things do not get off to an auspicious start: a dead body turns up in the store the morning of the grand opening and Irene becomes a person of interest in the murder.
Before it's all over, another body turns up and Irene must find out who is behind this to save her store as well as her mothemr's life.

Don't really remember much of this as I read it last year and it was at a time where I was toying with the idea of not writing notes when reading, as you can probably tell, that was a mistake.

What I do remember though is that it was a quick and fun cozy read, the characters are well written with humour and it's setting is lovely.

I'm looking forward to reading more from this series to see the ongoing development of the relationship between Irene and her mum Adelle.

*Huge thanks to Paula Paul, Random House Publishing Group - Alibi, and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own*

Everyone knows I love a great cozy!! This was brilliant. I just love characters who go from big city life to the smaller town feel. In this cute novel, there is family, fashion, and fatality. Ms. Paula Paul thrills us with great characters, a twisty mystery, and a perfect new step into a series I hope continues!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was kept guessing throughout as to who the killer was and how they did it. The ending was a complete surprise and was tied together very well. I hope to read many more books by this author!

A delightful little mystery filled with a good plot and engaging characters. This book is a real page turner and was an absolute delight until the very end.

Review was declined. Thank you for the opportunity.

This was a fun start to a cozy series. Irene leaves her job as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan to return to her hometown in New Mexico, where she opens up a consignment store. She is soon embroiled in a murder when the body of one of her mother's friends is found in Irene's back storeroom. When another friend of her mother's is murdered, Irene starts to fear for her mother's safety and knows she has to track down the killer.

I enjoyed this entertaining book. It had great characters and an interesting storyline. I look forward to more in the series.

The author has a winning series here with this short but delightfully fun cozy mystery. Irene had a fabulous successful life in New York as a District Attorney. She receives a phone call from her Mother in New Mexico and has to instantly return home to care for her feisty Mom. Her life changes on a dime with a new role as caretaker. She and her Mother are constantly at odds which sets the tone for the book in a fun way.
To make a living Irene comes up with the idea for a consignment shop which her Mother disapproves of. Her Mother Adele, disapproves of anything Irene wishes to do. The witty repartee between the two is humorous and heartfelt .
On opening day Irene finds a dead body in her store with no idea what happened.. With her legal background and need to have her name cleared by the local police, she begins to investigate.
I enjoy the wit and humor in this book. It truly has all the required elements of a good cozy, great characters. enjoyable location and a fun mystery. The sleuth was well crafted and had enough twists and turns with clues to keep this reader guessing. I look forward to the next in series. Well Done

Nice stand alone story but also the start of a great series. Irene leaves the hustle and bustle of Manhattan for the warmth of the southwest, specifically Santa Fe Mexico to help out her Mom who apparently has no idea how to be alone and not catered to. So not only is Irene trying not to lose to her cool with an ultra dependent mother who manages to get herself embroiled in a murder mystery but also to get her new boutique established. What is an only child to do when maternal guilt comes calling?

I haven't read Paula Paul before and this was a nice short introductory read to Irene's boutique. Finding two bodies in the closet of the boutique in consecutive days must have been very daunting for Irene and wondered what was going on and who was out to get her!!
I enjoyed this book and will look out for the next in the series.

My Thoughts

A Killer Closet by Paula Paul

This is a mystery book that had quite a few surprises in store. Irene moves home to Santa Fe to help her mother, Adelle. Adelle is used to being taken care of by one of her many husbands. After the death of her last husband, she realizes she needs her daughter. Irene leaves her job as a DA in Manhattan to open an upscale consignment shop. Things take a turn for the worst when not one, but two bodies turn up in her store after hours.

The beginning of the story caught my attention; it has a great first line. I continued reading the book because I wanted to know what was going to happen. Some of the story was a bit unbelievable. Some of the characters’ actions just didn’t seem plausible. But overall, the mystery was one that I wanted to finish. The author was able to tell a decent story in less than 200 pages. The mystery didn’t feel too heavy and there were even some humorous parts.

Note: There is some cursing in this book. I don’t expect that in a book marketed as a cozy mystery.