Dead is the New Black by Christine DeMaio-Rice

A garment show in a week, late hours, working on the weekends, and then a dead body shows up.  Oh no…..a very unwelcome setback.

Jeremy was the one who was standing over Gracie when Laura walked into the office that Sunday morning.   Could he have killed her or just found her on the floor with a scarf wrapped around her neck?  Hmmmmm.....with material fragments on his hands and clothes, and his being the only one in the office, who else could they suspect? No one for now, but Laura couldn't believe Jeremy killed Gracie, and since Laura was in love with him she tried to find out who really did strangle Gracie.  

Regardless, the police arrested Jeremy, and their investigation continued while he was in jail.  Laura also was conducting her own investigation, but it wasn't going very well for her.  She kept trying to figure out who besides Jeremy would have a reason to kill Gracie.  Perhaps Carmella killed him and not Jeremy for no other motive than a good old-fashioned garment district reason? Or how about her husband who found out about her affair.  Or more likely what about Mario who may have done it out of sheer jealousy.  And....there definitely was a lot of jealousy and competition in the office and throughout the entire garment industry from what I could see.  

The book allows a glimpse into what goes into the preparation for a garment show and the mindset of the garment industry’s men and women.  If you are a "fashionista" you will definitely enjoy this book. The clothes sound marvelous.  There are also funny scenes...one particular one was when Laura and her sister were trying to get into an upscale restaurant without reservations. 

Miss Demaio-Rice is a talented story teller.  She will make you laugh, have you sympathizing with the characters, make you wonder  about some of them and what they are thinking, make you believe that you have the mystery solved, and then she throws something in to get you off track. 

She will definitely make you want to be part of the craziness and fun going on in her book and make you want to be friends with all of characters or at least work with them. 

The book was first-rate in terms of humor, characters, and plot.   DEAD IS THE NEW BLACK is a witty, entertaining book you won't want to miss.  5/5