Title: Losing the Thread
(A Gingham & Velvet Mystery)
Author: Lynda Florence Hughes
Published: March 2023
Genre: Mystery, Murder, Detective

Blurb:

Has fashion become deadly business?

Cutting edge designers, Paulette Fredericks and Nicole Saunders, are summoned to Starlington Hall to create a bespoke wardrobe for Lady Philippa Soames.

Quickly drawn into the family and its dramas, they are present when a fellow guest is violently murdered at a shooting party.

These two unconventional women, who are both inquisitive by nature and observant at all times, begin their own investigations.

With a cast of intriguing potential suspects they have their work cut out.

How long can secrets from the past remain hidden?

And can they save the day before the killer strikes again?

In Losing the Thread Lynda Florence Hughes has created two colourful amateur sleuths in a debut novel that will keep you guessing to the very end.

My Review:

What an unexpected mystery! I was totally blown away by this debut novel!

It begins when Paula and Nicky are ordered to make a collection of clothes for Lady Philippa Soames who lives in The Starlington Hall. As the professional dress makers, they need to meet Philippa to understand her so that they could make the right clothes for her. While being properly introduced to Soames family and relatives, both Nicky and Paula have tendency for giving amusing nickname.

I didn’t expect these two dress makers, Paula and Nicky, could be the genius who unveiled the murder. At first I was getting acquainted with all the characters within the story. Each character reveals their true nature and one of the most infuriating characters is the lady Soames because she is so demanding and irritating. With the little intrigue and mystery as the opening, it made me wonder who was going to be murdered until the shooting party.

Despite my curiosity and hypothesis, I was unable to figure out who the murder was until it was revealed by these two genius sleuths albeit amateur. The personal life of Nicky and Paula did work as a distraction for me because when I calculated who the murder was, the drama and their romance life stopped me from thinking more deeply. Even though it is mystery book, Miss Lynda Florence didn’t drop Paula and Nicky’s true identity as designers through their value of fashion as well as their complicated life. After all, the book has an appealing plot twist which blows me away and it is also richly detailed with compelling characters. I also loved its heart-warming ending. Thank you, Lynda Florence Hughes, for the digital ARC which I voluntary reviewed.

Rate: 5 of 5

About the Author:

Lynda Florence Hughes is retired, and lives in a market town in Dorset about ten miles from the ocean. She is the proud mother of two sons and a grandson. Lynda has spent a lot of time in the Far East, travelling, making new friends and embracing new cultures. This is where she re-discovered her love of writing. One of her stories was shortlisted for a literary prize. This is her debut novel. You could follow her on her Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lyndaflorencehughes/