Decoupage Can Be Deadly

An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 4

By: Lois Winston

Narrated by: Alexandra Bitton-Bailey

Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

Anastasia and her fellow American Woman editors are steaming mad when minutes before the opening of a consumer show, they discover half their booth usurped by Bling!, their publisher’s newest magazine. CEO Alfred Gruenwald is sporting new arm candy—rapper-turned-entrepreneur and Bling! executive editor, the first-name-only Philomena. During the consumer show, Gruenwald’s wife serves Philomena with an alienation of affection lawsuit, but Philomena doesn’t live long enough to make an appearance in court. She’s found dead days later, stuffed in the shipping case that held Anastasia’s decoupage crafts.

When Gruenwald makes cash-strapped Anastasia an offer she can’t refuse, she wonders whether he really wants to find Philomena’s killer, or is he harboring a hidden agenda?

©2013 Lois Winston (P)2023 Lois Winston

Making murder from a craft activity.

I listened to the audio book for this story and loved it. The reader, Alexandra Bitton-Bailey has made the characters her own since she’s been reading the series. Her voices for Anastasia’s mother and her MIL crack me up; spot on.

The main character, Anastasia, is a fantastic character in the world of cozy mysteries. She’s realistic, has mother and MIL issues, she’s trying to raise two boys on her own, deal with a BIL she’s not fond of and recently, she has added a boyfriend to the mix. Zach, the boyfriend is a calming and loving influence on Anastasia. Her mother and MIL fight like cats and dogs and they are totally hilarious as they degrade and battle each other.

Anastasia’s publishing group CEO’s girlfriend is murdered, and he hires her to find out who killed her. In the process, he has Tino, guarding/helping her solve the murder. An interesting mystery made fun by having Anastasia’s mother getting married for the fifth time though she has actually been engaged six times. We learn more about Ira (brother in law) in this book. He has obnoxious, spoiled children and something seems off to Anastasia about him. The solution to the murder was not a surprise, but different scenarios involving that solution caught me completely off guard.

The main thing I like about Ms. Winston’s writing is that Anastasia is so relatable. There are moments of humor and real life scenarios through out the book. She’s fabulous at making murder from a craft activity.

My review is voluntary and all comments and opinions are my own.

Crafty Cozy

I enjoyed book 4 of the "An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery" series. I liked this book a lot as Anastasia took an active role in solving the mystery rather than just being dragged into it. Anastasia was hired by the company's CEO to determine who killed Philomena, the executive director of the newest magazine. I appreciated that Anastasia as a character had growth and was starting to appreciate more of what she had rather than living with the bitterness of what her late husband had done to her. I liked the twists, and I enjoyed trying to solve the mystery myself. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. Alexandra Bitton-Bailey's narration was entertaining, and her performance enhanced the story's entertainment. I was given a free copy of the audiobook, and I have voluntarily posted this review.