The Decoupage Mystery Series by Lucy Lawrence

Cover Illustration and Art
by Robert Crawford
Cover Design
by Rita Frangie

Berkley Prime Crime
A Division of Penguin Publishing
First in the Series

• ISBN-10: 0425230295
• ISBN-13: 978-0425230299

In this first story we are introduced to Brenna Miller, Vintage Papers and Morse Point and all it's wonderful residents.  Brenna has moved to the small New England town to leave her past behind and start over.  She teaches classes in Decoupage and works for her friend Tenley Morse at her specialty paper store.


This town doesn't really welcome "outsiders" like Brenna but the Mayor of the town expects her to convince her yummy landlord Nate Williams into selling his lake front property to the land developers to promote growth in the small town.  Nate refuses and Brenna thinks she is out of the middle of the issue until she discovers a trunk floating in Morse Point Lake and it is not an empty trunk. There's a body inside and Nate finds himself stuck facing murder charges.  Brenna has to find away to prove his innocence before the whole town comes unglued. 

It is a great debut to a series that you will want to read more of right away.  So I did!

Cover Illustration
by Robert Crawford
Cover Design
by Rita Frangie

Second in the Series

• ISBN-10: 0425233898
• ISBN-13: 978-0425233894

In the second book of the series, Brenna is starting to feel more at home in Morse Point and she is starting to hear more of the local gossip. She has never found gossip appealing but in this town it's best to know who's doing what with who or what's happening to someone well before you end up in the middle of the gossip yourself.


The latest gossip is that wealthy Tara Montgomery is engaged to Jake Haywood, the local mechanic.  Tara's mother doesn't think the marriage will last but goes all out in the planning of the big event. She even hires Brenna to make decoupage wedding favors.  By agreeing to create these trinkets Brenna becomes more wrapped up in the Montgomery's lives that she ever expected. She ends up going to the bridesmaid's party and tells Tara she will pick her up the next morning to go to the store to design the special souvenir for her special day.

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Let's just say what Brenna finds the next morning is pretty earth shattering and she finds herself yet again trying to clear someone of murder before their lives are ripped to shreds. 

I liked this one very much too and again I wanted more! Luckily my advance copy of Book 3 in this series arrived just in time.

Third Book in the Series

• ISBN-10: 0425240258
• ISBN-13: 978-0425240250

RELEASE DATE:  March 1, 2011


It's Autumn in New England and Morse Point has colors bursting out all over which draws the tourists to the little town.  The problem is the colors are not just bursting on the leaves on the trees, some of the wonderful people of Morse Point are showing their true colors as well.


Brenna is helping out a friend by acting as tour guide to a small group touring around Morse Point Lake.  One of the tourists thinks he spots a bird not native to the area, but upon closer investigation Brenna finds it is not a bird at all, but a hand sticking up out of a pile of leaves. Yes, another body in Morse Point, but this one has absolutely nothing to do with Brenna.  


No, but after the body is identified as the business partner of her best friend's father, Brenna finds herself stuck right in the middle of another sticky situation.

This author has a writing style that just draws you in and doesn't let go.  I enjoyed each one better than the last.  The characters develop more in each story as do their relationships to each other and the quaint little town. We also learn the past histories of the main characters in little snippets until the author trusts both us and the characters more and more.


Lucy Lawrence has created the perfect tempo to each of these stories, a nice relaxed pace as each plot evolves with impeccable timing. 


I haven't decoupaged anything in years so don't let the crafty side to these mysteries turn you away.  In fact, after reading them it has rekindled my crafty side just a little bit.  


These are well written, wonderfully created cozy mysteries and if that a genre you favor you may find yourself glued to these books from start to finish.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the third book free from Berkley Prime Crime, a Division of Penguin Publishing. The first two books were from my private collection. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”















Be sure to visit the Author's Web Page to find out more about Lucy and her alter-ego.