Designer Dirty Laundry: A Killer Fashion Mystery

Diane Vallere

Jun 2012 · The Samantha Kidd Mysteries Book 1 · Polyester Press

About this ebook

National bestselling author Diane Vallere delivers a not-quite-cozy series with a hilarious amateur sleuth! Join Samantha Kidd as she trades high fashion for dirty laundry and learns a great wardrobe isn't enough to turn her life around, let alone catch a killer.

Designer Dirty Laundry is the first book in the humorous Samantha Kidd mystery series. If you like witty protagonists, clever dialogue, and fashion-forward drama, then you'll love Diane Vallere's chic story.

She expected the fashion industry to be ruthless. She wasn't prepared for it to turn deadly.

​Ready to redesign her life, style expert Samantha Kidd accepts a job in her Pennsylvania hometown as a trend specialist. But her first day goes completely A-line when she stumbles across her legendary boss dead in the elevator. And after the body disappears, she can't help but pull on the mystery's thread and unravel an entire wardrobe of suspects.

​Supervising her deceased employer's vogue competition, Samantha tries to hem in a sexy shoe designer and countless ego-driven creatives to stitch together the clues. But when her own name appears on the police's suspect list, the sleuthing fashionista's days on the catwalk could be numbered.

Can Samantha put a killer in the spotlight before she's sewn up for a crime she didn't commit?

​Buy Designer Dirty Laundry for this season's murder couture today!

Designer Dirty Laundry is a humorous mystery set in a fictional eastern Pennsylvania town. It has a cozy mystery feel and features a determined and loyal amateur sleuth and a fresh-start storyline. Designer Dirty Laundry is the first book in the Samantha Kidd mystery series and appeals to fans of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich.

What people are saying:

"...the book is enriched by the author's cleverly phrased prose and convincing characterization. The surprise ending will satisfy and delight many mystery fans. A diverting mystery that offers laughs and chills." ~Kirkus Reviews

"an impressive cozy mystery from a promising author." ~Mystery Tribune

​"A really funny mystery with a chicklit feel." ~Susan M. Boyer, USA Today Bestselling Author of the Liz Talbot Mystery Series

"Designer Dirty Laundry shows that even the toughest crime is no match for a sleuth in fishnet stockings who knows her way around the designer department. A delightful debut." ~Kris Neri, Lefty Award-Nominated author of Revenge For Old Times' Sake

​"Combining fashion and fatalities, Diane Vallere pens a winning debut mystery...a sleek and stylish read." ~Ellen Byerrum, National Bestselling author of the Crime of Fashion mysteries

​"Vallere once again brings her knowledgeable fashion skills to the forefront, along with comedy, mystery, and a saucy romance. Buyer, Beware did not disappoint!" ~Chick Lit Plus

"Fashion is always at the forefront, but never at the cost of excellent writing, humorous dialogue, or a compelling story." ~Kings River Life

"A captivating new mystery voice, Vallere has stitched together haute couture and murder in a stylish mystery. Dirty Laundry has never been so engrossing!" ~Krista Davis, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Diva Runs Out of Thyme

"In Designer Dirty Laundry , author Diane Vallere stitches together a seamless mystery. Samantha Kidd is a witty heroine that you will root for as she fashions a fresh stylish start in her hometown of Ribbon, Pennsylvania." ~Avery Aames, Agatha Award-Winning Author of The Long Quiche Goodbye

"Samantha Kidd is an engaging amateur sleuth." -Mysterious Reviews

"It keeps you at the edge of your seat. I love the description of clothes in this book...if you love fashion, pick this up!" -Los Angeles Mamma Blog

"Diane Vallere takes the reader through this cozy mystery with her signature wit and humor." -Mary Marks, NY Journal of Books

"Maybe your handbag holds only a phone and a wallet, but if you're Samantha Kidd, from Diane Vallere's Style & Error series, there may be something deadlier in the bag.​"~Sheila Connolly, New York Times Bestselling Author of Murder at the Mansion

For readers who like humorous character-driven cozy mysteries with a dash of fashion and a dollop of fun!

Keywords: humorous mysteries, cozy mysteries, amateur sleuths, women sleuths, mystery with humor, fashionable fiction, fashionable mysteries, friendship fiction, traditional mysteries, Pennsylvania fiction, stylish sleuths, funny mysteries, personal growth mysteries, mysteries set in Pennsylvania, funny cozy mysteries, humorous cozy mysteries, traditional mystery, free mystery, freebie, free first in series, free series starter, series starter, designer mystery, starting over mystery, fish out of water mystery, fresh start, starting over, new job, cozy hobby mystery, animal mystery, cat, black cat, determined sleuth, female sleuth, women sleuth, fearless sleuth, crime, crime fiction, murder mystery, amateur detective, sleuthing in style, stylish sleuthing, suspense, thriller

Previously published under the series title "Style & Error" and "Style in a Small Town" mysteries.

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National bestselling author Diane Vallere writes funny and fashionable character-based mysteries. After two decades working for a top luxury retailer, she traded fashion accessories for accessories to murder. A past president of Sisters in Crime, Diane started her own detective agency at age ten and has maintained a passion for shoes, clues, and clothes ever since.

 

Diane-Fans describe “her vintage Vallere goodness,” and say she is a “great storyteller” with “a way with creating strong female characters and intrigue” who is “a superb and very humorous writer.” Her gift of creating “spunky sleuths in fun settings” take readers to Dallas, Palm Springs, Los Angeles, Pennsylvania, and outer space.

 

Drop in on Diane!

Website: www.dianevallere.com

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/dianevallereauthor

Instagram: www.instagram.com/dianevallere

 

ADDITIONAL BOOKS BY DIANE:

Samantha Kidd Mysteries (funny, fashion-y mysteries with many mentions of pretzels)

Designer Dirty Laundry

Buyer, Beware

The Brim Reaper

Some Like It Haute

Grand Theft Retro

Pearls Gone Wild

Cement Stilettos

Panty Raid

Union Jacked

Slay Ride

Tough Luxe

Fahrenheit 501

Stark Raving Mod

Madison Night Mad for Mod Mysteries (cozy/traditional mysteries winking at Doris Day movies)

Midnight Ice (Prequel)

Pillow Stalk

That Touch of Ink

With Vics you get Eggroll

The Decorator Who Knew Too Much

The Pajama Frame

Lover Come Hack

Apprehend Me No Flowers

Teacher's Threat

The Kill of it All

Love Me or Grieve Me (Oct 2022)

 

Material Witness Mysteries (cozy)

Suede to Rest

Crushed Velvet

Silk Stalkings

 

Costume Shop Mysteries (cozy)

A Disguise to Die For

Masking for Trouble

Dressed to Confess

 

Mermaid Sister Mysteries (cozy mysteries in the ocean)

Tails from the Deep

Murky Waters

Sleeping with the Fishes

 

Non-fiction

Bonbons for your Brain

 

Ratings and reviews

Frustrating. sorry. Honestly I went back to this book after leaving it at chapter 2 and finished it and the plot line is good. it's just that it's too hokey for me. eg. main character is in dangerous building but asks friend to leave just before she is attacked, now alone. Asked a question, she answers in her mind and what she says never helps.

Poorly developed main character whose main purpose was to drag the reader to the end so that the book didn't conclude too soon. Character was so absurd and was used to block plot/mystery progression rather than help mystery to progress along. Very frustrating to read.

I guess I would say each chapter was captivating

About the author

National bestselling author Diane Vallere writes smart, funny, and fashionable character-based mysteries. After two decades working for a top luxury retailer, she traded fashion accessories for accessories to murder. A past president of Sisters in Crime, Diane started her own detective agency at age ten and has maintained a passion for shoes, clues, and clothes ever since.