I thoroughly enjoyed the first four books in Annette Blair's Vintage Magic Mystery series featuring Maddie Cutler who experiences psychic visions when she touches clothing (needless to say, owning a vintage clothing store introduces some interesting challenges). CLOAKED IN MALICE, though the fifth book in the series, is my favorite so far. The premise was intriguing, the mystery kept me guessing until the unexpected but logical conclusion, and the characters felt like old friends. While you can read this story as a standalone, the series is a must read for mystery fans.

Maddie is minding her store when a young woman walks in dressed in vintage clothing from head to toe. Oddly enough, she doesn't seem to realize she's wearing vintage clothing. It turns out Paisley Skye has recently escaped the small isolated island on which she was raised and is in town looking for clues to her identity. She knows there are gaps in her past and her only clues are an old photo and some vintage clothes. The shocked reactions of Dante, Maddie's resident ghost, and Dolly Sweet, Maddie's elderly friend and neighbor, suggest Paisley has unexpected ties to the community. Maddie's vision suggests that one or both of Paisley's parents may have been murdered. If that's the case, then who are the people who raised her? It's up to Maddie, her family, and her friends to help Paisley uncover her identity and solve a decades old mystery.

I don't want to say more for fear of giving too much away. Ms. Blair does a masterful job of releasing clues to Paisley's history bit by bit. The story that unfolds is fascinating and unexpected. I couldn't figure out how the pieces all went together until all was revealed; the uncertainty kept me reading late in to the night. I loved every minute of it!