Book Review: A Passion for Haunted Fashion (Haunted Vintage Mystery) by Rose Pressey

A Passion for Haunted Fashion is the sixth book in the Haunted Vintage Mystery series by Rose Pressey. I have not read the books from this series before, but I have read other books by the author. I think return readers to the series will get more out of it than newcomers, but I felt like I was able to get into the story and setting easily despite my lack of prior knowledge.

Folks say the Sugar Creek Theater is haunted, but that doesn’t scare off Cookie Chanel. She is the owner of Georgia’s chicest vintage clothing store, It’s Vintage Y’All, and just so happens to talk to the ghost of her grandmother every day through her cat Wind Song and a ghostly sidekick named Charlotte. Still, after she agrees to be in charge of costumes for a production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, she’s surprised to find the specter of a young woman in the theater, keeping watch over a trunk of 1950s dresses. And when Cookie's best friend Heather is found standing over a stabbed actor, she has two mysteries to solve. This is not a dress rehearsal. A desperate killer is waiting in the wings. If Cookie doesn't tread the boards lightly, it'll be curtains for her as well.

A Passion for Haunted Fashion is a well paced cozy mystery that had a couple surprises and some fun distractions. I liked the characters, I thought that Cookie was smart and independent- with her own insecurities and flaws. He ghost companion, friends, and boyfriend were all interesting characters. I do think return readers will get more significance and have more invested in their interactions than I was. I will admit the hints at changing up the romance or adding a bit of a love triangle annoyed me a bit, but that is because I am have seen it too much- not because it was overt or badly bone. I enjoyed the unraveling of the dual mysteries and the crazy conversations ad situations Cookie gets herself in along the way. I do think she made a decision or two that made me want to kick her, because they were not all that smart, but they were needed to get to the final scenes. 

A Passion for Haunted Fashion is a fun cozy mystery with some quirky characters and plenty of twists. I enjoyed the read, and think that fans of the series will enjoy it even more than I.