Contesting the Wool by Diane Vallere

 

First Line: The reading of Reginald Villamere's will was the event of the season, and until last week, I didn't know the man existed.

It was a shock when Poly Monroe learned she was going to inherit something from millionaire Reginald Villamere. She never knew the man who preserved San Ladron's historic movie theater, but her relatives did. Since Villamere's thirty-year-old will named them and they were both dead, Poly inherited in their place. When she goes to the theater to see her inheritance, she finds one of Villamere's lawyers dead in a storage room.

Townspeople are more interested in "who got what" in Villamere's will than they are in the murder of a stranger, so it's up to Poly to unravel all the clues and button down the killer.

~

The more books I read by Diane Vallere, the more I find we have in common, like believing that one of life's great experiences is watching a movie in an empty theater. In Contesting the Wool, readers follow Poly in and out of a historic theater, and I enjoyed every minute.

One of the things I love about this Material Witness series is the creativity with which Vallere imbues her main character. In this sixth entry, Poly is inspired by her inheritance, and I loved watching her brainstorm a new idea to grow her business. 

I also admit I had to smile when I learned that the plot revolved around a thirty-year-old will that raised no questions, especially since the will was a millionaire's. You see, I recently had problems getting a thirteen-year-old will accepted by various businesses. ("There could be others floating around!" one person said.) I guess that's one of the perks of being a millionaire? But that will really keeps the plot hopping from named beneficiaries to those who thought they should have been included-- and weren't. 

No matter how strong the plots are, this series shines because of its cast of characters. Not just Poly, but her friend, Charlie, who has the best auto repair shop in San Ladron and relishes her reputation as the town's bad girl. Charlie lives life on her own terms, and her character grows with each book. By the way, so does Poly's. For one thing, she's learning that she can't keep expecting her parents to fill in whenever she needs help in her fabric shop. But it's not just Charlie and Poly. There's Sheriff Clark, Tiki Tom, Duke, Poly's old boss Giovanni... the list goes on. 

If you haven't given the Material Witness series a try, I hope you'll change that. A great cast, humor, good mysteries to solve, and watching creativity in action. What's not to like?

Contesting the Wool by Diane Vallere

eISBN: 9781954579231

Polyester Press © 2025

eBook, 277 pages

Cozy Mystery, #6 Material Witness

Rating: B+

Source: Net Galley

Tulle Death Do Us Part by Diane Vallere

 

First Line: My ten-fifteen appointment was twenty minutes late.

 

Polyester (Poly) Monroe's in for more excitement than she bargained for when she agrees to a private appointment with a bride-to-be. Their meeting ends with an order for a marvelous dress, and the wedding is to take place at the historic Waverly House there in town. When a guest is found dead in the chapel before the wedding, suspicion immediately falls on the bride-- Poly's private appointment. Poly's in for even more surprises when the bride's groom-to-be asks for her help. The groom? Poly's ex-boyfriend of ten years.

Poly's got a lot of work to do to untangle all the knots of clues if she's to find a killer and get that wedding dress put together.

~

Diane Vallere's Material Witness cozy series is one of my favorites. It reminds me of hours spent with my grandmother in fabric stores, listening to the rustle of paper patterns, and the sound of her shears slicing through colorful material. I was thrilled to see this fourth book appear after seven long years of silence, and I snapped it up. Tulle Death Do Us Part does not disappoint.

 

There's a good, twisty mystery in the pages of this book-- and more. I learned about the physical effects of a life spent in ballet, and good ways to promote a small business in a local community. Poly's creativity with fabric and design lights my own fires, and I find myself eyeing my yarn stash and looking through patterns for my next project. 

 

As with any mystery by Diane Vallere, the characters shine and really bring readers back for each new installment in her series. In Tulle Death Do Us Part, Poly shows a lot of emotional growth in being forced to deal with her ex-boyfriend. (It was a painful split after being together for ten years.) 

Now that Poly has returned, I'm looking forward to her next adventure. Bring it on!

Tulle Death Do Us Part by Diane Vallere

eISBN: 9781954579835

Polyester Press © 2023

eBook, 286 pages

Cozy Mystery, #4 Material Witness mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

Silk Stalkings by Diane Vallere

First Line: The clock would strike midnight in two minutes.

It's time for San Ladrón's annual Miss Tangorli beauty pageant, and Poly Monroe has agreed to use her shop's inventory of fabrics to create gowns fit for a queen. Just days before the event, the entire town is thrown for a loop when the pageant creator, millionaire Harvey Halliwell, is found dead. 

Things seem to be turning ugly in town, especially when Poly's friend, mechanic Charlie Brooks, is caught up in the crime simply for having been seen in the prime suspect's company. Poly can't sit idly by, no sirree. Now she's on a mission to find out the truth.

Diane Vallere's Material Witness cozy series continues to be one of my very favorites, due in part to Poly's ability to look at a bolt of fabric, find divine inspiration, and then whip up something fabulous. Poly is also strong, intelligent, funny, and kind, and she needs all the help she can get from her friends since her relationship with Vaughan isn't working out. (What can I say? Their backgrounds are just too dissimilar. Aren't they?)

As Poly tries to solve the crime, she learns even more about her friends and other residents there in San Ladrón-- especially the fact that several of them seem to have hidden agendas. 

Vallere has a good cast of characters as well as a good mystery, but there's always something more. This time readers get an inside look at beauty pageants; at how divisive they usually are, and what they really could be with some know-how and determination from the right people.  Also... remember how I told you that Poly is incredibly talented at the bolt-of-cloth-to-brilliant-designer-outfit thing? She's also great at thinking up great ideas for drumming up business-- especially in tandem with other business owners. 

Poly not only has an excellent head for solving mysteries, she's got a good head for business and for friendship, and that's why I'll keep coming back to her shop Material Girl over and over again.
  

Silk Stalkings by Diane Vallere

ISBN: 9780425270592

Berkley Prime Crime © 2016

Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages

Cozy Mystery, #3 Material Witness mystery

Rating: A

Source: Purchased at The Poisoned Pen.

Crushed Velvet by Diane Vallere

First Line: The crash was louder than I expected.

The opening day of Poly Monroe's fabric shop, Material Girl, is fast approaching, and she still has a few problems to sort out-- like the big sign above the door. She doesn't need any more stress, but that's exactly what she gets when she finds her friend's husband crushed beneath dozens of bolts of velvet. Somehow Poly has to get her store open on time and clear her friend Genevieve of a murder charge. The folks in town are missing their daily tea fix!

Diane Vallere's Material Witness series is probably my favorite new cozy series. In Crushed Velvet, you'll find a very good mystery with plenty of misdirection, although it's not Poly's fault. She keeps trying to shove Sheriff Clark in the right direction-- she knows that her shipment of velvet has something to do with the murder-- but the "something" turns out to be a total surprise.

Vallere has also assembled a first-rate cast. Poly is a perfect blend of smarts and sass, and it's a pleasure to follow her around while she's investigating. Genevieve (tea shop owner) and Charlie (resident mechanic) not only have interesting backgrounds of their own, they make the best kind of girlfriends for Poly. And the chemistry between Poly and Vaughn sizzles and pops as they stumble around getting to know one another. It's also wonderful to see the main character in a cozy series who actually has two loving parents. Too often one parent (or both) behave like escapees from a mental institution. I even have my eye on Poly's busybody next-door shop owner, although I don't know if I want her to be the dead body or just charged with murder. (Can you tell I'm enjoying these books?)

Another facet in this Material Witness series is the real estate developers and finance companies focused on this small California town. These folks are back deep in the shadows and remind me of vultures waiting for something to die. It can be easy to forget they're there-- but don't.

Like the first book, Suede to Rest, Vallere continues to lure me with fabrics, and I don't even like to sew. In that first book, I was disappointed that Poly didn't finish the transformation of Genevieve's tea shop. Well, she doesn't finish it here either, but the process is absolutely fascinating. Vallere makes me feel as though I've had a hand in it all.

I'm hoping that the opening of Material Girl will be a wild and unequivocal success because I can't wait for the next book in the series!
 

Crushed Velvet by Diane Vallere

ISBN: 9780425270585

Berkley Prime Crime © 2015

Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages

Cozy Mystery, #2 Material Witness mystery

Rating: A

Source: Purchased at The Poisoned Pen

Suede to Rest by Diane Vallere

First Line: A breeze rippled through the trees to the left and the right of the storefront.

 After her uncle's death, Poly Monroe takes some time off from her dress designing job at To the Nines to travel to San Ladrón. Thinking it's a simple matter of taking one last look at her family's textile store and signing some papers so she can get the place sold, Poly is surprised at how emotional she gets when she walks into Land of a Thousand Fabrics. She'd forgotten how many wonderful childhood memories are tied to this store.

When circumstances force her to stay in town, Poly quickly discovers that not everyone wants her there. Her store is the last piece of property on the street that a local developer needs to make his dream come true, and other San Ladrón residents haven't made her feel all that welcome either. When Poly finds the body of a member of the Senior Patrol dead behind her shop, she begins to get the feeling that the man's death is somehow linked to a mystery buried in her family's past. Poly wants to make a fresh start-- and she knows she has a murder and a mystery to solve before she can get to work.

Poly (short for Polyester, I kid you not) is a winning main character. Readers see her at a crossroads in her life. Up to this point, she's always settled for feeling and being safe, but now this talented woman with a sharp eye for design and a good sense of humor is ready to embark on something new. 

That something new seems to be bringing Land of a Thousand Fabrics back to life, and Poly is sharp enough to know that she won't be able to bring it back exactly the way it used to be. To survive, Poly is going to have to make changes, and I have to tell you that I'm really looking forward to seeing what they are. The hook in this Material Witness series is fabric, and in Diane Vallere's skillful hands it's a hook that excites yet doesn't overpower the mystery. Poly looks at fabric the same way I look at yarn, so I felt a strong kinship with the character on that point (and others).  To take her mind off all the things that had gone wrong, one night Poly got an idea to spruce up a new friend's business. She spent hours with fabrics and trims, and by the time she was finished, she had a treasure trove of goodies. I was downright disappointed when she never had a chance to deliver the things she made to her friend. I'm hoping to see her reaction in book two!

The secondary characters are also a strength in Suede to Rest. It's refreshing to have a main character whose parents aren't chock full of neuroses. San Ladrón is a small town filled with characters. The Senior Patrol is a group of retired citizens who patrol the streets at various times throughout the day to make sure no one's up to any hanky panky. In this first book, their role appears to be that of gossip mongers rather than crime busters because plenty happens that they don't seem to see. Yes, San Ladrón does have a bit of an edge. All the residents don't welcome Poly with open arms, but she does make friends like the Lopez family who own and operate a local bakery.

Although I did find the killer to be rather easily guessed, Vallere has laid a solid foundation for her series with a strong setting, a cast of fascinating characters-- and a fabric store I'd love to spend some money in once it's cleaned up. Bring on book two!
 

Suede to Rest by Diane Vallere

ISBN: 9780425270578

Berkley Prime Crime © 2014

Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages

Cozy Mystery, #1 Material Witness mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Purchased at The Poisoned Pen.