Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Pleats & Poison: A Craft and Ghost Cozy Mystery (A Dress Designer Cozy Mystery Series) by Lucinda Race! Today we are featuring a review of the third book in this enjoyable cozy mystery series. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews, and more! There is also a Giveaway for a print copy of the book and swag! ENTER HERE! ⬅️

Pleats & Poison: A Craft and Ghost Cozy Mystery (A Dress Designer Cozy Mystery Series)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting – Coastal Town of Drakes Bay
Publisher ‏ : ‎ MC Two Press
Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 6, 2025
Digital
Print length ‏ : ‎ 222 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1966424376
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0FBX7PJKS

About the Book:

Enjoy this humorous, small-town, psychic, cozy mystery by best-selling and award-winning Lucinda Race.

A fashion-savvy psychic, one haunted Thanksgiving, and a pleated skirt that’s dressed to kill.

Hosting Thanksgiving dinner for seven guests—and one ghost—is all in a day’s work for Claudia Grant. Between whipping up her famous mac and cheese and debuting her boutique’s latest fall fashion, Claudia’s ready to impress her visiting mom and stylish grandmother. Her cozy coastal town of Drakes Bay is the perfect backdrop for family, food, and fresh starts—especially when Gram falls in love with a pleated skirt and sweater ensemble from Claudia’s shop.

But when a spilled glass of orange juice leads to a shocking discovery—a guest at the neighboring Whistlers Inn is found dead, and the very same pleated skirt wrapped around her neck—Claudia’s holiday cheer unravels fast.

Now, with her best friend Beth and a ghostly sidekick in tow, Claudia must piece together a tangled mystery before the killer skips town… and before the secrets hidden in the folds come back to haunt them all.

She’d rather be sewing hemlines than following clues—but if Claudia can’t stitch together the truth in time, someone else might be the next to check out… permanently.

Pleats & Poison is the third book in the A Dress Designer Cozy Mystery series from award-winning author Lucinda Race. Cozy up, settle in, and prepare to be haunted… in the best possible way!

 My Review:

This was my first entry into the Dress Designer cozy mystery series and it certainly won’t be my last! While book three reads perfectly as a standalone, I am looking forward to getting my hands on books one and two so I can get some additional character background. This entry is perfect fall reading as it is set over Thanksgiving. I loved seeing Claudia in action preparing for the big meal and her family coming in tow. It’s clear that while Claudia has made a lovely home for herself in Drakes Bay with many friends that feel like family, she is also so excited to welcome her mom and grandma. 

It’s not long into the story that a guest at the inn next door is found murdered and Claudia is determined to help. Claudia is a brave character, not one to be easily scared! What I love most are the ghostly sidekicks, especially Claudia’s uncle Herman. I wish I had a friendly ghost in my house I could chat with. 

A wonderful mystery, with lots of action, made this a page-turning read, on top of a great setting with fully drawn characters that I loved hanging out with. This was such an enjoyable read! Three cheers for a new to me series! Five stars! 

About the Author:

Award-winning and best-selling author Lucinda Race is a lifelong fan of fiction who fell in love with cozy mysteries and romance novels as a young girl. While her childhood friends dreamed of becoming doctors and engineers, Lucinda was already dreaming of crafting captivating novels filled with heart, hope, and happily ever afters.

Though her writing journey began with nonfiction, her passion for storytelling never wavered. She returned to her true calling—creating the beloved McKenna Family Romance series and the Paranormal Cozy Nook Bookstore Series—writing the kinds of stories she loves to read. Whether she’s weaving a heartwarming romance or a cozy mystery, her fingers practically fly across the keyboard.

Lucinda lives in the rolling hills of western Massachusetts with her little dog— a shih tzu mix rescue—who is always by her side. When she’s not immersed in writing mystery, suspense, or romance, she’s curled up with a book, devouring everything she can get her hands on.

Author Links:

Twitter

Website

Facebook 

Instagram 

Goodreads 

YouTube

Pintrest 

BlueSky 

Universal Link  

Bookbub Lucinda Race 

Amazon Author Page  

Lucinda’s Heart Racers Reader Group 

LinkedIn 

Purchase Links:

Amazon     Kobo    Barnes & Noble Smashwords     Google Play    Goodreads    BookBub

TOUR PARTICIPANTS:

• August 26 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
• August 26 – Hall Ways Blog – SPOTLIGHT
• August 27 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER GUEST POST
• August 27 – Books1987 – SPOTLIGHT
• August 28 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
• August 28 – Deal Sharing Aunt– AUTHOR INTERVIEW
• August 29 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
• August 29 – Angel’s Book Nook – SPOTLIGHT
• August 30 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT
• August 31 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT
• September 1 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT  
• September 2 – Cozy Up With Kathy – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
• September 2 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
• September 3 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR GUEST POST
• September 3 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books – REVIEW
• September 4 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
• September 5 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
• September 6 – Salty Inspirations – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
• September 7 – Sarandipity’s – AUTHOR GUEST POST
• September 7 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
• September 8 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
• September 8 – Novels Alive – REVIEW

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