Accessories to Die For

On a beautiful sunny day in Santa Fe, the grounds of the Palace of the Governors are covered with Native Americans selling jewelry and handcrafted items. Irene Seligman meanders to her friend Juanita Calabrasa's display and coaxes a tourist into buying an exquisite necklace, handcrafted by the Kewa woman.

Later in the day, Juanita stops into Irene's Closet, the elite resale shop Irene owns to thank her. Juanita's son Danny, a talented musician, is still missing and she has a bad feeling about him. She doesn't believe the police are really looking for him because of his previous drug connection. Juanita does believe his spirit has not gone to the ancestors because the local tribal medicine man Tony did a ceremony saying he was with the Frenchman. This puzzles Irene too.

In spite of Juanita's efforts to coax Danny out of the drug culture, he seems to have fallen in with some very undesirable people. Irene fears for Danny as well as her shop

assistant Angel. She is also puzzled by the implication that the "Frenchman" is stealing Native American artifacts. When Juanita confesses that Danny is the one who stole the sacred necklace and gave it to the Frenchman, Irene is stunned by the news. When Juanita says "Now I think the Frenchman must die," Irene is chilled.

Later that evening she sees Danny, stoned, and being lead away by a friend. She wants to let Juanita know he is alive, but has no way to reach her. The next morning the body of the director of a Paris arts auction house is found on land belonging to the Kewa tribe. Irene wonders what Juanita could have done. When she is arrested the next day, Irene hates to think the worst.

Along with her irascible mother Adelle and P.J. Bailey, Santa Fe's most high profile criminal lawyer, they try find the killer, locate Danny and retrieve the sacred necklace.

Another fun book in this series by Paula Paul. For my review of A Closet Can Be A Killer click here.