5-STAR REVIEW: PLEATS AND POISON by Lucinda Race

The Description

A Dress Designer Cozy Mystery Series: Book 3
Publication Date: August 6, 2025

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!

The Review

Thanksgiving is a time for friends, family, food, and, for Claudia Grant, fashion. In Pleats and Poison, the third book in Author Lucinda Race’s Dress Designer Cozy Mystery Series, a spilled glass of orange juice leads to a dead body and starts the murder mystery.

Claudia has a wonderful relationship with her mom and grandma, and I truly enjoyed their interactions. Claudia also has a ghost sidekick who adds whimsy and fun to the story. I like that Claudia has a special gift and can see ghosts and communicate with them.

Though Claudia would rather be sewing the latest fashions, she can’t leave others to discover the clues and must find the killer. The story is a tangled mystery, but with Claudia’s ghost friend, they wade through the clues and solve the whodunit.

Pleats and Poison highlights community, friends, fashion, and a friendly ghost in this amusing read. Buy Links

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.