It begins as a girls' night out for interior designer Erin
Gilbert, owner of Interiors by Gilbert, and her friend,
Laura Smith. While leaving a neighborhood bar and heading
toward Paprika's to listen to a presentation by Erin's
landlady, Audrey Munroe, host of a local Martha Stewart-
like show, they notice a man with dreadlocks following
them. Feeling confident that he won't be interested in a
store such as Paprika's, which sells kitchen and dining
room items, they go on about their evening. Well, how wrong
they are. He comes inside and makes a scene about the cheap
chairs, gets into a confrontation with Laura and then
claims to be a law enforcement officer. Ok, why would
someone who makes a point of looking undercover blow his
cover? He also seems to know Laura, and Hannah, the manager
of Paprika's, says he's been protesting about where many of
her items come from. The girls' night out ends with the
vanishing of Mr. Dreadlocks and Laura.
Concerned about Laura, Erin goes to her house. She finds at
her home, the same home that Laura hired Erin to decorate
and furnish with antiques, a deceit that would shock any
designer who takes pride in their work. Erin discovers that
all of the very precious and rare antiques she
painstakingly found have been replaced by replicas. Laura
explains that she's speculating on selling them eventually
and is keeping them safe in storage until the time comes.
Disturbed by this revelation, Erin shares this information
with her boyfriend, John Norton.
John tells Erin that Laura is the same woman who dumped his
friend, Steve Sullivan, owner of Sullivan Designs, and ran
off with his business partner, Evan Cambridge, along with
his money. Erin and John inform Steve, and Steve and Erin
go to confront Laura about the whereabouts of Evan. After
an angry exchange, they stake out her house to see if she
can lead them to Evan. While waiting outside for any sign
of Evan, Steve and Erin see a car leave and follow it to a
storage unit that many designers use. After almost being
run over by someone speeding away, they discover a fire and
Laura's body.
Why did Laura replace the antiques, who killed her and why?
What Erin soon discovers is that Laura was not what she
seemed. She had some connection with Hannah, John and the
dreadlock guy. And from here on out, practically everyone
Erin comes in contact with knew Laura. Steve and Erin put
their competition aside and work together to find the
answers.
FALSE PREMISES is a great mystery that puts you on the edge
of your chair until the end. The first book in the series,
DEATH BY INFERIOR DESIGN, introduced the Gilbert and
Sullivan rivals while they were involved in a designing job
and, of course, murder. Erin and Steve, although in
constant competition, share a mutual attraction and respect
for one another. Let's not forget John, who's working
overtime to win Erin's heart. Will he succeed? Maybe MANOR
OF MURDER, the next installment in the Domestic Bliss
series will reveal the results. What's appealing about
these characters is that they focus on solving the mystery,
while the relationship tangles accessorize the story nicely.
Interior designer Erin Gilbert was dazzled by her
beautiful, free-spending client and new friend, Laura
Smith. Dazzled, that is, until she visits Laura’s
magnificent house and finds that the priceless antiques she
painstakingly acquired at Laura’s behest have been
completely replaced with fakes! When Laura’s explanations
ring as false as the erstwhile Louis XVI foyer mirror, Erin
begins investigating her friend’s colorful life and times–
and then gets interrupted by a murder.
As fate would have it, Erin has uncovered the same world-
class scam artist who all but destroyed her handsome-but-
embittered archrival, Steve Sullivan. While Sullivan aches
for revenge, Erin wants answers–even while she juggles a
sputtering romance, a burgeoning business, and one very
boorish client. For Erin, it’s bad enough that bodies are
being strewn in all the wrong places. It’s even worse that
one suspect perfectly fits each crime: Sullivan himself!