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    That Touch of Ink
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    That Touch of Ink
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    That Touch of Ink
    Ebook295 pages4 hours

    That Touch of Ink

    By Diane Vallere

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    Madison Night returns with another twisty page-turner. "The suspense is intense, the plot is hot, and the style is to die for," so says mystery entertainment giant Catriona McPherson, winner of multiple Agatha Awards.

    When a rare five thousand dollar bill arrives in the mail, interior decorator Madison Night knows it's a message from her past. In happier times, she once joked that she could be bought for $5000—how could she deny a bill with her name on it?

    Suspecting the bill indicates trouble, she consults a numismatist. They set up a meet, but upon arrival she finds an abandoned office, a scared dog…and a dead body in the kitchen.

    The twist? The victim isn't the numismatist; it’s a John Doe.

    The police—led by Lt. Tex Allen—are on the case, but it’s Madison who discovers the victim’s identity. But where’s the numismatist? Before long, she uncovers a kidnapping plot, a unique counterfeit operation, and the true price of her own independence.

    - - - - - - - - - - - - -

    THAT TOUCH OF INK by Diane Vallere - A Henery Press Mystery. If you like one, you’ll probably like them all.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHenery Press
    Release dateApr 1, 2014
    ISBN9781940976105
    Author

    Diane Vallere

    Diane Vallere is a fashion-industry veteran with a taste for murder. She writes several series, including the Style & Error Mysteries, the Madison Night Mysteries, the Costume Shop Cozy Mysteries, the Material Witness Mysteries, and the Outer Space Mysteries. She started her own detective agency at the age of ten, and she has maintained a passion for shoes, clues, and clothes ever since.

    Read more from Diane Vallere

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    Reviews for That Touch of Ink

    4/5

    27 ratings11 reviews

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    • 4/5
      There's a lot of weird stuff happening in Madison Knight's life. This book brings together past secrets, an unidentified body, and a creepy $5000 bill. There's also the local police detective, who ends up being the love interest. Madison runs a mid-century modern design business/store, and she refurbishes peoples' houses to reflect that aesthetic. While I would have no desire to make my house look like the Brady Bunch house, apparently some people like that. Madison is obsessed with Doris Day. Also, very much not my thing, but I still enjoyed this mystery. Counterfeiting is a topic I always enjoy in mysteries, probably because it's a complicated thing to pull off. In general, I found the book well-written and entertaining, and want to read more in the series.
    • 4/5
      Who but Madison would get a five thousand dollar bill in the mail and know it's a message? Naturally, instead of going to the police Madison heads out to a local numismatist to find out if the bill is authentic and ends up getting involved in a murder. This one deals with a blast from her past, betrayals of trust, and some scary secrets coming to light. As usual, all the different threads are woven together to give the reader a nice, pat, and sense-making ending.

      And how cute are these book covers?

      (Provided by publisher)
    • 4/5
      That Touch of Ink is a fun and quite well written murder mystery. Counterfeiting, a Doris Day look-a-like, multiple suitors, and a dog named after Rock Hudson, are all parts of what make this a rollicking fun mystery. It perhaps is a lighter version of detective tale, but this book still has a storyline that will keep you guessing until the very end. I found it to be enjoyable and entertaining. It is recommended for people who don't take their mysteries too seriously. I thank the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review this title.
    • 4/5
      I received this book as an arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is the second book in the Mad for Mod series, and I was quite pleased to see it scheduled for publishing so soon after the first one, Pillow Stalk, and I wanted to read more about Madison Night. I wanted to see if the character evolved from that almost bitter woman to someone more relaxed and approachable. Nope, not much. But then, she has cause in this book. As foreshadowed at the end of Pillow Stalk, the love of her life, Brad Turlington - also the man who announced to Madison he was married and had no intention of leaving his wife - comes to Dallas looking for Mad. As we learned in the last book, he wasn't married (never had been) but he was up to his eyeballs in shady dealings and told Mad the one thing he knew would make her walk away. Or, as the case may be, ski away down a mountain and into a tree, blowing out her knee. Whatever works. In Pillow Stalk, which takes place a year and a bit after this confrontation, Mad does even more damage to her knee and That Touch of Ink picks up several months afterward, with Mad recovering from more knee surgery, and glory be! she's using a cane. Sometimes. Not often. I think the author finds this bad knee to be more of a pain than Mad does, as she sort of forgets about it when throwing Mad into adventures. A $5000 dollar note arrives in the mail as a portent to Brad's re-appearance in Mad's life. She ignores the message inherent in the receipt of this note; Brad's collecting on a comment she made years ago, that she could be bought for $5000 - because her name is on the note (James Madison being the man in the portrait). But then the discovery of a fragment of another $5000 note found by a couple of kids makes the news and Madison knows something isn't kosher. These notes have been out of circulation for decades and there are only a few hundred known to exist. She drops everything to go have the bill appraised, only to find the numismatist dead on the floor of his home. But is it really him? And should she let Brad back into her life? And we're off on a rousing ride to find the truth about who was killed, who is killing and why there are suddenly such a plethora of $5000 notes everywhere Madison looks. The most important question of all to Madison: how deeply is Brad involved? I was hoping Madison would have softened more in this book, but having to face Brad all over again keeps her from really letting go of her rage and truly moving on. That Touch of Ink has her working her stuff out and I did see evidence of growth in her personality throughout. I'm also tentatively relieved to see that the author doesn't intend to string out a love triangle (or square) in this series; it appears to be resolving itself in ways both sweet and dramatic. I like Tex quite a bit; he's showing flashes of unexpected depth and strength, although there are times when I just think he's acting like a horse's ass, "just doing his job" or not. Those moments, I think, could have been handled with more subtlety. Hudson doesn't play a large role in this book, but he does have a few scenes and they are written well; you can almost feel the level of comfort he provides to Mad. All in all, I still have some of the same issues with the MC - I feel like she's reactive while pretending to be proactive. I also still had issues with the editing, but I'm not going to expound on that here as the copy I had was an arc, and I expect those issues to be resolved before final publication. (I certainly hope they are, cuz there are some doozies!) These two factors did cost the story 1/2 star in my final reckoning, however. But I couldn't put the story down. It hooked me, in spite of my MC issues, my complete lack of interest in 50's/60's culture (I'm more of a 30's/40's girl myself) and my apathy towards Doris Day's life and career. I still really wanted to know what happened at the end. And I really want to see what happens next.
    • 5/5
      I very much enjoy this series. I love the characters, even though the love triangle (or square) can be frustrating. Who is Madison really interested in? There's something with Hudson, with Tex and with Brad. And BTW, is Brad the good guy or the bad guy?

      So many questions, so many twists and turns. This book is even better than the first one. Very cute and so much fun to read. Can't wait for the next one.
    • 4/5
      4 STARS That Touch of Ink is the second book of A Mad for Mod Mystery. It picks up 6 months after Pillow Stalk ended. A new mystery starts when Madison receives a $5,000 dollar bill in the mail. Then her old boyfriend Brad shows up after 2 years wants to get back together. He is the one who sent her the bill. I like Madison Night. She is a strong fun character. She dresses like Doris Day of films and her hole business is to decorate from that age. Madison has a hard time trusting people since her breakup from Brad. Plus the things that happened in Pillow Stalk. Madison calls on a place of business so she can find out about the $5000 dollar bill. She that things are not right inside and a dog is acting really weird. So Madison breaks into rescue dog and finds a dead guy. Madison calls Tex the police detective she met in Pillow stalk. Brad is a decorator and Madison's old boyfriend two years ago. He told her that he was married and would not leave his wife for her. Madison quit her job and moved to Dallas to start over. Brad had lied about being married. He did it so she would break it off from him and would be safe from his bad friends. Now he sent her the $5000 bill to let her know he was in trouble and now he wants to get back with her. Tex is a police detective and a playboy. After Pillow stalk case was solved he disappeared from Madison's life. When she calls about finding the dead guy he shows back into her life. Now he is showing up all the time again. The $5,000 bill is really rare. Now they are showing up in Dallas. Three have come to Madison's attention. She wonders if they are fake. Madison is not sure she can trust Brad. She wonders what he is up too now and what was the trouble he was in before? Did they follow him. That Touch of Ink is a good clean cozy mystery. I keep hoping for Madison and Hudson get closer. I enjoyed this book and will continue to read Diane Vallere's books. I was given this ebook to read and in return agreed to give honest review of it by Harlequin and Henrey Press
    • 5/5
      Diane Vallere's Madison Night series continues to be my Find of the Year. Normally I do not let myself read more than one book in a series per year. This works well because there are dozens of series that I follow closely. But when I fall for a series as hard as I did this one, that rule can go out the window. I began by reading the most recent book, The Decorator Who Knew Too Much, then I bought the rest of the books. I've only got one left to be completely caught up, and the question is-- will I be able to hold off reading it until next year? The main reason why I kept ignoring these books is due to the covers, even though they do remind me of all the patterns my grandmother the seamstress had when I was growing up. These covers have a tendency to make the books appear to be-- there's really no nice way to put it-- nothing but fluff. If you go so far as to read the synopses and realize the titles are based on old Doris Day movies and that Doris Day is the main character's role model, you might be excused for shaking your head and walking away. Except-- you're reading this review, and now you know better.Like the other books in the series, That Touch of Ink has a strong mystery, full of twists and turns and suspense galore. They have Style, just like Madison's clothes and interior design business. The cliffhanger from Madison's personal life is resolved from book one (Pillow Stalk), and there are three men attracted to this woman, which may (or may not) shock younger readers because Madison is forty-seven, single, has never been engaged or married, and has a bum knee (so she knows she's not Wonder Woman). I was very pleasantly surprised at how well Doris Day translates into twenty-first-century life. Even if you're not familiar with Doris Day, you're going to like Madison and sympathize with how hard she's had to work to live the life she wants. If you are familiar with the versatile actress/singer, like I am, you just might find yourself watching some of her films. Whether you do or not, the one thing you must do is read these books! They are a delight.
    • 3/5


      That Touch of Ink by Diane Vallere is the second book in a series featuring Madison Night, a Doris Day wannabee with a Shih Tzu named Rocky. Madison is a mid-century modern interior decorator who owns her own business, Mad for Mod. She's also owner/landlord of her own apartment building. In this outing Madison has an old flame, Brad, send her a $5000 dollar bill, something she knows sends a message specifically for her. Meanwhile Tex, her police detective friend is watching her closely for a number of reasons.

      The big hook on this series is the connection to old Doris Day movies. From Madison's job to every little thing she wears, aficionados and fans of Doris Day movies will recognize the many references and picture her various outfits, modeled after clothes Doris Day wore in her movies. The question really becomes twofold: is the Doris Day connection a help or hindrance to propel the series forward; and is the plot strong enough to overcome the forced connections?

      I love Doris Day movies. I am already a fan. I own almost every movie she was in, so I get this part of the hook.
      I am also a fan of mysteries. There is something about a good mystery that leaves you breathless, trying to not bite your nails, as you read as fast as you can trying to follow the clues and wondering what will happen next.

      So, seemingly this should have been a great fit, but, alas, it wasn't. The Doris Day connection rang false and kind of got a little weird for me. After all, she is a well known woman beyond her acting career and is much more than a star of comedies. Her care and compassion for animals is well-known, as is the fact that she would consider herself a tomboy. I grew very weary of reading about what outfit Madison was changing into or what set of period silk pajamas Madison would don next. Madison was starting to annoy me.

      Well, did the mystery part of the novel pan out? It did. It was good. There was plenty of madcap action, a few twists and turns, and a satisfying conclusion.

      In the end, this is a satisfying mystery novel. For some readers the Doris Day movie connection is going to be a fun addition and will add to their enjoyment of solving the mystery. Recommended


      Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Polyester Press via Netgalley for review purposes.
    • 1/5
      Not for me.
    • 5/5
      I was completely engrossed in Vallere’s follow up to Madison Night’s debut, Pillow Stalk. In That Touch of Ink, Madison has had a few months to recover from the excitement a dead body and a snippet of film with a message from her ex, brought to her life. When she receives a $5000 bill in the mail, a whole new mystery emerges from Madison’s past. I liked the more tightly written story this time, we already know about Madison’s retro business and bum knee and don’t have to go over that ground as much as in the first novel. However, I still appreciated Vallere’s clever nods to the Doris Day movies Madison loves so much, tucked into the names of characters and the planning of an atomic kitchen for new clients that have become some of the new friends Madison sorely needs in Dallas. Madison proves to be a very strong heroine. That makes the series exceed the parameters of a regular cozy and into a very complex story that involves a mystery and how one woman is able to truly begin again. I am looking forward to the next Madison Night novel!
    • 4/5
      This book is fun! It's a quick, fun read with a likeable heroine and a cast of interesting characters. It's the best kind of chick lit/mystery combination.

      Madison has left a troubled past to start her mid-century modern decorating business in Dallas but her past comes back to haunt her. Just when her new life seems to be going really well, a past boyfriend shows up to wreak havoc on that new life. Murder and mayhem! The story has a lot of twists and turns and action. Quite satisfying.

      As a huge fan of mid-century modern styles, this book is a real treat. I love the descriptions of the furniture and styles. I also love the descriptions of the vintage clothes that Madison wears.

      While I read this without having read the first one in the series, I think it would probably be easier to follow if one read them in order. Anyway you read it, it's a really fun book.

      I received this as a ARC from Netgalley and I appreciated the opportunity to read and review it.