review: shoulder bags and shootings by dorothy howell

Haley is 24 and a bit scattered. She’s in college, but doesn’t enjoy her classes; she works a minimum wage job at a department store she’d never actually purchase from (and this girl lives to shop); and her “official” boyfriend hasn’t really gotten in touch since their vacation. Regardless, Haley has her mind on only one thing—obtaining the new Sinful handbag. That’s what prompts her to “borrow” her boyfriend’s grandma’s Mercedes (so much nicer than her Honda) and that’s what leads to her once again stumbling upon a murder. As usual things don’t look good for Haley; this time the victim is someone whose purse party business was far more successful than Haley’s. But the cops quickly discover the victim had connections to someone far more likely than Haley to want her dead. Even though she’s been cleared, Haley can’t help but try to investigate on her own while still pursuing the elusive Sinful bag.

Shoulder Bags and Shootings is a cute, quick read. Although dealing with murder, Haley remains quite comedic from her first nearly launching herself out of her airplane seat at glimpsing the Sinful bag in Elle to the final pages setting up a potentially tumultuous future. However, Haley can also be a bit annoying at times. It’s one thing to be fashion-obsessed; it’s another to pursue fashion above all else, including paying the rent and figuring out what you really want to do with your life.
4/5
Review copy provided by FSB Associates.