Wednesday, January 21, 2009

A Veiled Deception

Annette Blair's A Veiled Deception introduces Madeira Cutler, better known as Maddie. Maddie is a young woman with a taste for fashion, especially anything vintage. While home in Mystick Falls, Connecticut, to help her sister, Sherry, with wedding plans, Maggie realizes that these vintage pieces magically speak their histories to her. Not long after arriving in New England, Maddie finds Sherry's fiance's former girlfriend strangled to death with Sherry's veil around her neck. Determined to prove her sister's innocence, Maddie conducts her own investigation. Along the way, Maddie enlists the help of a certain FBI agent who happens to be her on-again-off-again boyfriend and a resentful local police detective who she nicknamed Wiener as a child.

A Veiled Deception is one of the best mysteries I've read in a while. This novel is a quick read, filled with romance, history, magic, and cute fashion references. I especially appreciated the way Blair gave her characters depth, especially Maddie and Mr. Vancortland, by including meaningful family history plots to support the main mystery. Blair's new series incorporates magic wonderfully, blending Maddie's newfound psychic powers into the mystery through ghosts and visions that add an element of supernatural to the story without taking away from A Veiled Deception's clear storyline. This book is a sure hit for any fan of Blair's Accidental Witch Trilogy, Laurie's Psychic Eye Series, or Alt's Bewitching Mysteries.

Reviewer Age:19

Reviewer City, State and Country: Farmington, CT USA