There's a lot of weird stuff happening in Madison Knight's life. This book brings together past secrets, an unidentified body, and a creepy $5000 bill. There's also the local police detective, who ends up being the love interest. Madison runs a mid-century modern design business/store, and she refurbishes peoples' houses to reflect that aesthetic. While I would have no desire to make my house look like the Brady Bunch house, apparently some people like that. Madison is obsessed with Doris Day. Also, very much not my thing, but I still enjoyed this mystery. Counterfeiting is a topic I always enjoy in mysteries, probably because it's a complicated thing to pull off. In general, I found the book well-written and entertaining, and want to read more in the series. ( )

Who but Madison would get a five thousand dollar bill in the mail and know it's a message? Naturally, instead of going to the police Madison heads out to a local numismatist to find out if the bill is authentic and ends up getting involved in a murder. This one deals with a blast from her past, betrayals of trust, and some scary secrets coming to light. As usual, all the different threads are woven together to give the reader a nice, pat, and sense-making ending.

And how cute are these book covers?

(Provided by publisher) ( )

Diane Vallere's Madison Night series continues to be my Find of the Year. Normally I do not let myself read more than one book in a series per year. This works well because there are dozens of series that I follow closely. But when I fall for a series as hard as I did this one, that rule can go out the window. I began by reading the most recent book, The Decorator Who Knew Too Much, then I bought the rest of the books. I've only got one left to be completely caught up, and the question is-- will I be able to hold off reading it until next year?

The main reason why I kept ignoring these books is due to the covers, even though they do remind me of all the patterns my grandmother the seamstress had when I was growing up. These covers have a tendency to make the books appear to be-- there's really no nice way to put it-- nothing but fluff. If you go so far as to read the synopses and realize the titles are based on old Doris Day movies and that Doris Day is the main character's role model, you might be excused for shaking your head and walking away. Except-- you're reading this review, and now you know better.

Like the other books in the series, That Touch of Ink has a strong mystery, full of twists and turns and suspense galore. They have Style, just like Madison's clothes and interior design business. The cliffhanger from Madison's personal life is resolved from book one (Pillow Stalk), and there are three men attracted to this woman, which may (or may not) shock younger readers because Madison is forty-seven, single, has never been engaged or married, and has a bum knee (so she knows she's not Wonder Woman). I was very pleasantly surprised at how well Doris Day translates into twenty-first-century life.

Even if you're not familiar with Doris Day, you're going to like Madison and sympathize with how hard she's had to work to live the life she wants. If you are familiar with the versatile actress/singer, like I am, you just might find yourself watching some of her films. Whether you do or not, the one thing you must do is read these books! They are a delight. ( )

That Touch of Ink by Diane Vallere is the second book in a series featuring Madison Night, a Doris Day wannabee with a Shih Tzu named Rocky. Madison is a mid-century modern interior decorator who owns her own business, Mad for Mod. She's also owner/landlord of her own apartment building. In this outing Madison has an old flame, Brad, send her a $5000 dollar bill, something she knows sends a message specifically for her. Meanwhile Tex, her police detective friend is watching her closely for a number of reasons.

The big hook on this series is the connection to old Doris Day movies. From Madison's job to every little thing she wears, aficionados and fans of Doris Day movies will recognize the many references and picture her various outfits, modeled after clothes Doris Day wore in her movies. The question really becomes twofold: is the Doris Day connection a help or hindrance to propel the series forward; and is the plot strong enough to overcome the forced connections?

I love Doris Day movies. I am already a fan. I own almost every movie she was in, so I get this part of the hook.
I am also a fan of mysteries. There is something about a good mystery that leaves you breathless, trying to not bite your nails, as you read as fast as you can trying to follow the clues and wondering what will happen next.

So, seemingly this should have been a great fit, but, alas, it wasn't. The Doris Day connection rang false and kind of got a little weird for me. After all, she is a well known woman beyond her acting career and is much more than a star of comedies. Her care and compassion for animals is well-known, as is the fact that she would consider herself a tomboy. I grew very weary of reading about what outfit Madison was changing into or what set of period silk pajamas Madison would don next. Madison was starting to annoy me.

Well, did the mystery part of the novel pan out? It did. It was good. There was plenty of madcap action, a few twists and turns, and a satisfying conclusion.

In the end, this is a satisfying mystery novel. For some readers the Doris Day movie connection is going to be a fun addition and will add to their enjoyment of solving the mystery. Recommended


Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Polyester Press via Netgalley for review purposes. ( )

I very much enjoy this series. I love the characters, even though the love triangle (or square) can be frustrating. Who is Madison really interested in? There's something with Hudson, with Tex and with Brad. And BTW, is Brad the good guy or the bad guy?

So many questions, so many twists and turns. This book is even better than the first one. Very cute and so much fun to read. Can't wait for the next one.
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