Genre: Mystery, Romance
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: January 2024
Widow Carly Harris barely scrapes a living for herself and her infant son on her unpredictable career as an antique dealer. When her grandmother suggests that she and her sisters renovate the family’s large home and convert it into a bed and breakfast, she moves to Beaufort and begins the task of cleaning out the house. As she works, she finds a secret her late husband Eric hid — one that points toward her family’s unknown history and a possible connection to Eric’s enigmatic murder.
With the help of Lucas Bennet, her next door neighbor and a homicide detective, Carly embarks on the hunt for the provenance of a family heirloom she believes to be a lost Fabergé egg. However, the quest for the truth can come at a high price, including the cost of those she loves.
Fragile Designs delivers a tangled mystery that scales from small-town USA to Russian Mafia. Having heard great things about Colleen Coble’s books, I excitedly delved into this book. The plot, however, felt a bit too implausible. I enjoyed the antique heirloom angle, the few glimpses we got of the B and B remodeling, and the complicated family dynamics. But as the scope widened to incorporate mobsters and international crime, it became too farfetched.
Nonetheless, it provided an entertaining read that suspense and mystery fans can enjoy. I definitely want to give another one of her books a try, especially one that sticks with small-town issues and family/community relationships since I did enjoy those parts.
Review copy provided by publisher via NetGalley. Thanks!
Eli's Novel Reviews 