Silence of the Lamps (A Caprice De Luca Mystery Book 5)

Silence of the Lamps is the fifth book in the Caprice De Luca Home Staging Mystery series penned by Karen Rose Smith. I believe this is the best book in this series to date! The main character, Caprice De Luca, is an interior designer turned home stager, with an uncanny ability to help solve whodunits. This series is set in the small town of Kismet, PA. With Caprice’s sister, Nikki, catering themed foods to accompany each home showing, Caprice's staging business is thriving. Her relationship with lawyer, Grant Weatherford, has grown into one of true companionship. To complete her “family”, Caprice has several pets; a cocker spaniel, Lady, and two cats, Mirabelle and Sophia.When Nikki founded her catering company, Nikki's Catered Caper's, she hired a sous chef, Drew Pierson. Although Drew was initially charming, that business relationship failed. Drew established his own competing catering company, and outbid Nikki on an upcoming wedding reception. He, also, made a grand appearance at the wedding expo they both are attending. Before long Nikki realized Drew is passing off one of her recipes (and other individuals) as his own at the expo. Nikki decided to confront Drew but, Caprice and Nikki found is his dead body at his grandmother's house, Nikki quickly becomes the primary suspect. Caprice is determined to prove Nikki’s innocence. In the midst of this mess, Grant’s ex-wife enters the picture. Will Caprice put the pieces together and determine whodunit? Will her relationship with Grant survive the turmoil? Will Caprice become the next victim? Will Vince and Roz and/or Dulcina and Rod further their individual relationships? Will Caprice and Uncle Dom find a loving home for a cat named Halo? You will have to read the book to learn the answers to these questions. All of the characters are fully developed in this superbly written plot and subplots. Ms. Smith has skillfully integrated mystery, suspense, and romance.I’ve had the opportunity to read all of the books in this series. This series take has grown and the characters and plots have continually developed. Each book can be read as a stand-alone, but I suggest that you read them in order. That makes it much easier to follow the family relationships that are referenced in the books and to keep track of the other characters. This installment has intrigue, suspense, suspects, humor, family values, cute animals, forgiveness, romance, great food with delicious recipes that complement the story and an introduction to the next book in the series. I highly recommend this, along with the other books in this series, you will not be disappointed. I’m delighted to know there will be another addition to this series titled Shades of Wrath and eagerly await its release.Full Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed in this review are my own.

The storyline in this book involved Caprice trying to help her sister, Nikki, who had become the prime suspect in the death of a business rival she had recently argued with in public, thus leaving her with a perfect motive for murder in the eyes of the police. I find the details and vivid descriptions of the home staging Caprice does as well as her retro fashion sense very interesting and something different from the usual cozy mystery genre . I am also happy to see Caprice's relationship with Grant evolving, though the little twist in this story was unexpected! I like my cozies with a dash of romance and the little romantic breaks in the story do not detract from it in any way - in fact, they refresh you to tackle the mystery again which I needed because I sure didn't figure out the murderer in this one!

Caprice DeLuca is in the middle of an open house when her sister Nikki's nemesis and business rival, Drew Pierson, shows up and interrupts the event with some taunting words to Nikki and threatening her business before several guests. Drew use to work for Nikki and when she refused to go into partnership with him, Drew did all he could to undermine Nikki. Now it seems both are going to be in the Wedding Expo to advertise their wares and hopefully grow their business. It seems many of his recipes may not be his own as he shows up at the expo with the same dish as Nikki, which was her original recipe. When she and Caprice find Drew's body in his grandmother's house, an apparent victim of a homicide, Nikki is high on the suspect list . Caprice is busy trying to find the killer before her sister, Nikki, gets charged with it and at the same time, has to deal with her new boyfriend, Grant, and the fact his ex-wife has showed up and Grant is spending time with her. Will Caprice be able to solve this mystery and settle things with Grant,or will she another victim?This is another well written and entertaining read from Karen Rose Smith. The characters are well drawn and the mystery was great. There were a few possible suspects to choose from and I didn't know until the end who it was. I love this series not to mention the mouth watering recipes by the author that are included at the end of each of the books. If you are a fan of cozy mysteries, then I recommend this series.**Please note: I was given a copy of this book by the publisher through Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

I have been an avid reader of this series since the very first book, Staged to Death, so I was stoked to get my hands on an ARC of this book to review! Like all of the plots in this series, this story is well written and well developed. Even if you haven’t read a book in this series you can pick up this book and read it as a standalone, as there are many mentions of past mysteries and it is easy to follow along the story line. I can guarantee though that you will be hooked and dive into the other books as soon as you finish this one, if you haven’t already. The ending had a great twist and I didn’t see it coming at all! And can we just chat for a second on character development? The whole cast of characters in this series is awesome! The De Luca family is a tight-knit clan that I would be honored to call my own family. And I love to see the development of Caprice and Grant’s relationship! As always, I was ever so happy to find the recipes for many of the yummy and tempting foods mentioned throughout the book. I can’t wait to try them out in my own kitchen.Overall, Silence of the Lamps was another amazing add to this series packed with laughable moments and truly lovable characters, making this a fast-paced, fun read. I actually think this is my favorite in the series, which is really saying something as the previous four books have been awesome cozy mystery reads! I can’t wait until December to get my hands on Shades of Wrath!