mtbat's Full Review: Ellen Byerrum - Raiders of the Lost Corset: A Crim...
Raiders of the lost Corset by Ellen Byerrum is a cute, lighthearted mystery. It’s part of a series, one I’d never read but I picked up a copy (used and cheap) because it looked like it might be good. While there are some weaker parts-overall, it’s a decent book-creative and just different enough to be really interesting. It’s not the first in the “Crimes of Fashion” series, so there were some blank spots for me-but for the most part, not knowing all the history of the characters didn’t really matter.
Lacy Smithstonian (yes really) is a fashion reporter for a Washington DC paper called The Eye. She’s doing a human interest piece on a woman named Magda who is a corset maker. One of the last true corset makers(or maybe one of the last makers of true corsets). Magda is also a Latvian/French immigrant who’s father allegedly was one of the soldiers who guarded, then murdered the Romanoff family at the end of the Russian revolution. Well not really, He apparently refused to shoot any of the family members, but he did steal a corset stuffed with Russian jewels off of one of the Romanoff princesses bloody corpses. Nice to know he had SOME values right?
Lacy finds Magda dying-she tells Lacy she’s been poisoned. But the police tell Lacy Magda was stabbed. Regardless, someone murdered the woman (she was in fact, both stabbed and poisoned) and Lacy makes the dying woman a promise that she-Lacy-will try to find the lost Romanoff corset.
Lacy and Magda had been planning a trip to France, where Magda had grown up believing the corset was hidden in a coal bin at a cousin’s house. Now that Magda is dead, Lacy has to convince her editor Mac to let her take the trip. Then she has to pick a buddy to go with her- she chooses her lawyer friend Brooke, who is also a conspiracy freak, Brook’s boyfriend is an even bigger freak and runs a website that explores theories about aliens, spies and other fun conspiracy themed stuff.
Once in France Lacy finds herself threatened by ex-KGB agents, a“jewel recovery agent” (named Nigel Griffin of all things) who believe Magda’s father stole a Fabergé egg. There’s also a possible ghost. Lacy doesn’t want to reveal that she is actually looking for a lost corset stuffed with Russian jewels so she doesn’t try to convince Nigel, or his possible partner in crime (the ex-KGB agent) that she isn’t looking for an egg. She does however find a ghost in the hotel room, maybe.
Lacy’s search eventually takes her back to the US and to New Orleans in the Pre-Katrina days. She’s partnered either by her boyfriend Vic (who is apparently some sort of cop who is also a rich kid, who went to school with Nigel Griffin) her hair stylist Stacy-who got her into this whole mess by introducing her to the corset-and to Magda to begin with.
The story is a bit silly, but interesting enough to make it worth the read. Some of it is based on real history-some of it on fantasy. The mix, for the most part despite some really silly parts-works. Throughout the book are sprinkled “columns” about fashion that Lacy’s written for The Eye. Those are pretty cute-and help carry the story when otherwise it might get stuck
I would recommend the book, and hopefully I can find others by her and enjoy them as much as I enjoyed this one.
General Fiction - Lacey can't wait to see France for the first time with friend Magda Rousseau, corset creator for D.C.'s wealthiest and kinkiest. Lac...More at Barnes and Noble
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