Jane Ferguson has dropped out of law school and is in desperate need of a job to support herself and her ten year old daughter, Sarah. A native Californian, she relocated to a small Alabama town when she married Jim Ed Ferguson. She's still there now despite the fact that he recently dumped her for a twenty-four year old former beauty queen. Although she is a disaster in the kitchen, Jane applies for the job of assistant to Hillary Scarborough, a local version of Martha Stewart who has a weekly television cooking show and a decorating/catering business.

During her interview, Jane exaggerates her non-existent cooking skills and embellishes her administrative experience. Hillary is running late, so she asks Jane to accompany her to meet with Sylvia Davis, a local television talk show host who is seeking Hillary's expert decorating advice.

Unfortunately, when Jane and Hillary arrive they find that Sylvia has been murdered. Hillary is more concerned about the fact that Sylvia's cushions don't match her drapes than about the brutal crime until Jane realizes that the police consider Hillary to be a prime suspect. Her alleged motive: Sylvia's talk show was cutting into Hillary's ratings. A despondent Hillary begs Jane to help find the real murderer and hires her on the spot.

Jane's ineptitude in the kitchen becomes obvious to Hillary pretty quickly, but by then Hillary is too dependent on Jane's detective skills to complain. Sylvia Davis liked to dig up dirt on the people she interviewed, and several individuals become prime suspects to Jane. But the answer isn't quite as obvious as she thinks.

Leading an Elegant Death features some sly humor and entertaining characters. The most successful character is Buddy, a petty thief who becomes Jane's loyal helper because her ex-husband once successfully defended him. Less successful is Hillary Scarborough; it felt as if the author couldn't make up her mind if she was supposed to be a totally unredeemable, selfish ditz or a charming, eccentric employer with a heart of gold.

Jane Ferguson is a capable, intelligent and loyal heroine. However, she hit my "pet peeve" button when she directly confronts a prime suspect and asks about his/her whereabouts on the night of the murder. Okay, she's an amateur, but surely she can think of a more clever and less dangerous strategy than that! There's a hint of a possible romance between Jane and the chief of police, which seems a cliched waste of time. I don't need to read about one more relationship between a law enforcement officer and a meddlesome but lovable civilian!

The bottom line is that I would probably read one more "Mysteries by Design" novel to see where Paula Carter goes next with her characters. The series could develop into something enjoyable but could just as easily go nowhere. At this point, your guess is as good as mine.

--Susan Scribner