| Title | : | Button Holed (Button Box Mystery, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0425243761 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780425243763 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 264 |
| Publication | : | First published September 6, 2011 |
Button Holed (Button Box Mystery, #1) Reviews
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Y A W N
Jeesh this one was just so meh. I didn't really like the characters [seriously, you have a cop chasing you and you cannot just let him take care of your mooching ex-husband for you? Riiiiiiiigggghhhtttt], and I wasn't a huge fan of the story-line. I knew by chapter 5 maybe who did it[though not why - that came about chapter 15]. I may or may not read #2; we will see.
Meh. -
First Line: Here's the thing about walking into your button shop at five in the morning and running smack into a hulk of a guy wearing a black ski mask: it tends to catch a girl a little off guard.
Josie Giancola has become one of the country's leading experts on buttons, and she is now the proud owner of the Button Box-- her very own shop in a Chicago brownstone. Josie's reputation has attracted the notice of one of the biggest stars in Hollywood because the diva wants one-of-a-kind buttons for her custom made wedding gown. When the Button Box is ransacked and the actress found murdered in the shop, Josie has to stop thinking buttons... and start concentrating on murder.
As many other readers probably did, I picked up Button Holed because of the promise of a bit of history on buttons, that indispensable item on our clothing that is taken for granted every single day. What I found was a workmanlike effort that sets up a new series nicely but in a curiously bland way.
The mystery is a good one and should keep the reader guessing. Josie even gets to take a trip to West Virginia following a button clue that provides a bit of information about handmade buttons that I enjoyed. Unfortunately the trip and the information supplied the only real color in the entire book.
Josie herself is an interesting character with an intriguing background, but the most she really has to do with buttons in this book is to pick them up and sort them every time her shop's ransacked. She also repeatedly tells us that men find women button fanatics boring. I suppose this is a bit of humor, but after the second or third time I read it, it became boring-- especially since Josie has an ex-husband and a handsome policeman paying attention to her. Please don't tell me men find you boring, Josie; actually put me in the middle of a scene where you're waxing poetic about Bakelite. Let me listen to every word, and let me watch your date wind up snoring softly, face down in a plate of linguine.
As for that ex-husband paying attention to her, I found this to be a weakness in the book. Josie's ex-husband is a gambler. His refusal to admit that he's addicted and the fact that he'll say or do anything to get his hands on more money to either gamble or pay off loan sharks is what destroyed their marriage. Throughout the book, he's popping out of the woodwork, scaring the pudding out of Josie, and trying to persuade her to give him money-- and she does. Perhaps this is meant to show that Josie's a good sport and is a vulnerable woman. I know many more women besides myself who are inclined to think this is stupidity-- a trait that I don't care to have in the main character of any book that I read.
When Josie parted with some of her hard-earned cash, I almost closed the book right then and there, determined not to finish it, but I did. There's good to be found in Button Holed. Although none of the characters caught fire in my mind and only one or two enjoyable taste buds were tingling as I turned the pages, it is a solid beginning to this series with the premise of button-themed murder. It will be interesting to see how it continues. -
3.5 Stars. Good first book to the series. I loved the old gathering all the suspects at the end. Who knew there was so much to buttons. Looking forward to the next book. #readforkimberly
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I know this is a cozy mystery and therefore it's marketed toward readers wanting no-profanity, no-explicitness, wholesome-except-for-murder tone, so I assume the title is not intended to evoke the term "butt hole" at all (and probably is meant to evoke the phrase "to buttonhole," but ffs, if you style the title like that on the cover, emphasizing "butt" so prominently, I just don't know what to make of you. Are you trying to be a cutesy-but-"edgy"-for-a-cozy? IDK.
Anyway, I'm still working on understanding the cozy mystery subgenre, so here's what I liked about this one:
* The protagonist is asked by law enforcement to become further involved in the investigation (due to her button expertise), so there's a real sense of cooperation between her and the lead detective, rather than antagonism. Still not really realistic, but I liked the dynamic.
* The lead detective is still set up as the obligatory love interest, but he's not smoldering or overbearing or anywhere near alpha-asshole. (He is still portrayed as competent at his job, if not at fashion or dating.) The protagonist describes him as something like a disheveled puppy at one point, and they share awkward backstory of having once been set up on an awkward blind date, and the two of them seem to enjoy each other's company and are more or less endearing. I liked him, and I liked them together.
* The protagonist's ex-husband is a charming gambling addict who is constantly in trouble and involving the protagonist in his problems. Which is, on the surface, awful and not very cozy mystery-ish at all, and ideally, the protagonist needs to go no-contact with him (he's not abusive, he never cheated on her romantically/sexually, but they've divorced for a reason and she cannot trust him very far), but he's an active part of the investigation with her, and the dynamic was interesting to me, even if it didn't feel like it belonged in a cozy mystery. Normally, awful ex-husbands are absent in the first book of the series and show up a few books later, to throw a wrench into the protagonist's life, but it looks like the ex-husband in this series is set up to be an ongoing, reoccurring character.
* There were some good turns of phrase at times, and the dialogue was strong, so it was pleasant to read.
What I didn't like: the mystery and motivations of characters were so silly and often unbelievable , and I would have enjoyed reading more actual button nerdiness; buttons are not something I'm into myself, but I like the hobby angle of cozies a lot, and I would have loved to learn more, but honestly, there wasn't that much button-ness here. -
BUTTON HOLED is a terrific start to Kylie Logan's new cozy mystery series. Josie Giancola is a button expert with an extensive collection she showcases in her button shop in Chicago. A couple of disturbing events turn this quiet button dealer's world on end: (1) walking in on two thugs robbing the Button Box, and (2) finding a famous actress murdered in her shop who had come to her to buy buttons for her wedding gown. Could the events be related? Josie's interest in the case is piqued when she discovers a mysterious hand-carved button at the scene of the crime, one only a button nerd like herself would be fascinated by. When detective Nevin Riley requests her help in solving the case, Josie is happy to put her button expertise to work.
BUTTON HOLED was a fresh and enjoyable mystery. I loved Josie's character. She was funny, smart, quirky and very likable. She was surrounded by a cast of interesting characters, including Detective Riley, with whom she previously had one awkward first date, and her gambler ex-husband Kaz, who may or may not be trying to redeem himself. The mystery itself was well crafted, and there were several suspects who had the motive to kill the actress. The ending was terrific, and I did not see the final twist coming! I'm looking forward to the next book in A Button Box Mystery series. I give BUTTON HOLED 4.25 out of 5 stars!
I received my copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. -
I really wanted to like this series, but the more I think about it, it just didn't hit the bar of other cozy authors. Josie Giancola is surprised to find burglars in her shop ransacking the place, right before she is to show a super star button choices for her wedding gown. When the super star is later found dead in her shop, Josie has to do some digging concerning a strange button found with the body. Josie is still attracted to her ex-husband, who is always in trouble with money and gambling, but his character gets a bit annoying. I truly get aggravated by characters that cannot take a stand and stick with it, and Josie eventually gives in to his constant requests for money with unbelievable stories. She calls it a payment for services, but we all know better. She gets manipulated by a TV show host, Estelle, who wants her to be the Button Babe, a demeaning role that she eventually agrees to do. I was also disappointed that there wasn't more button lore in the book, there is only a website mention in the back. I'll read the next one just because I already have it, but if the characters don't grow, I'll likely not read the last two.
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I do love Kylie Logan, and have enjoyed each series I've read of hers. This one is a little different, as a fettish for buttons hasn't ever really even crossed my mind ... but we do see LOTS of buttons at auctions and antique malls. The mystery was fun ... AND there was a prince in it!
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well i loved our heroine enough to push aside that i guessed the murderer within the first 20 pages
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Josie Giancola is not sure what has her more upset – having two gigantic men in ski masks threatening her in her new button shop or the fact that they’ve dumped out several drawers of her collection of nearly 100,000 buttons! Luckily, Josie is able to slip away into a back room to call the police and manages to get her shop back in order before celebrity client Kate “The Great” Franciscus arrives to select antique buttons for her custom wedding gown. Josie gets some good publicity from having such as famous customer until Kate returns to the store to look at more buttons, but becomes a victim of murder, with an antique button hook as the weapon. Now Josie has the paparazzi hounding her for a story, as well as her ex-husband Kaz begging her for gambling money. Just when Josie thinks things can’t get worse, she find out the detective that has been assigned to Kate’s murder case is none other than Nevin Riley, a former blind date from hell.
"Button Holed" is a fantastic debut. It has an unusual setting, a shop called “The Button Box” that sells collectible buttons, located in a converted brownstone in Chicago. While the Chicago background doesn’t have a strong presence in most of the book, something related to the city’s sport teams provides a valuable clue to the solution of Kate’s murder.
The information about buttons in interesting and is included throughout the book and in a small section at the back of the book. Josie is brought into the investigation in a believable way – her knowledge of buttons is needed to help research a clue in the murder. So the buttons aren’t just a side ploy, but key to the main plot of the book.
Populating the great setting are several interesting supporting characters: Josie’s young assistant Brinna Martingale – full of tattoos and attitude -, friend, neighbor, and retired Chicago cop Stan Marzcak, and Ex-husband Mitchell “Kaz” Kazlowski. Josie is still attracted to him but knows he is a gambler and a liar. However, after the initial awkwardness, there is hope that Josie and Nevin can get past their disastrous first date and become friends, or even more.
Josie’s assistant Brinna is very aggravating in the beginning of the book, but I love the direction the author took in regard to that character as the story progresses. Kaz is annoying because of the way he tries to take advantage of Josie’s good nature and lingering attraction to him to try to get money out of her to cover his gambling debts. Although this is the first book in a new series, the narrative refers back to several instances that Josie was taken advantage of in the past. However, from her actions in this book, it’s clear Josie has matured and learned to stand up for herself and her ethics in her business and personal life.
The combination of interesting setting, memorable characters, believability, and possible love-interest in the character of Nevin result in an interesting mystery and a wonderful start to a new series. Mystery lovers who enjoy Laura Child’s scrapbooking series will feel right at home in “The Button Box”.
This review was originally written for the "Season for Romance" E-Zine. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review. -
Josie Giancola is known as a button expert for all kinds of buttons and has even worked in Hollywood. Today she is opening her new button shop, The Button Box, set up in a Chicago brownstone. She also has an appointment with a well known Hollywood starlet who wants to find the perfect buttons for her perfect wedding dress. Josie arrives extra early on her opening day to make sure everything is ready for her appointment only to find that her store has been broken into and ransacked. There are buttons everywhere. Buttons she had spent many days sorting and categorizing and displaying with flawless precision.
Things don't get any better when the next day the starlet is found dead right in the middle of The Button Box. The homicide detective seems to be looking for clues in all the wrong places and the murderer has now set his sights on Josie. She has no choice but to follow the clues she has and get this murderer all buttoned up before she finds herself "Button Holed"!
My Thoughts
This story could not have been more perfect. Wonderful characters, a delightful complex plot, and thoroughly engaging humor.
I fell for Josie on the very first page. I come from a family of seamstresses and they all had button bowls and boxes. As a child I spent hours sorting, stacking and separating my favorites. I have my own button box around here somewhere from my sewing days and I know there are some buttons in there from my ancestors as well. Button Holed (Button Box Mystery) and The Button Box brought back some wonderful memories. Thankfully none of my memories include a dead starlet.
There is also a very interesting thread throughout the story about some very special buttons that I really enjoyed.
I was truly entertained from the first page to the last! I am patiently waiting for Kill Button, the next book in The Button Box Mystery Series coming soon, but never soon enough!!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Berkley Prime Crime. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” -
Button Holed is the first in this series. The author also writes as Casey Daniels and Miranda Bliss. Both, also very good series.
Josie Giancola has recently opened her antique button in the Old Town section of Chicago.
She is excited to be opening the store today, as the starlet, Kate Francisous, is going to be coming to shop to look for some antique buttons for wedding gown. But instead Josie finds two thugs ransacking her shop. Josie and her assistant hastily put the shop is some kind of order as Kate will be returnng in a day or two to make her final selection. When that day comes, Kate arrives early and when Josie gets back to the shop, she finds Kate has been stabbed with a button hook. After the police have finished their initial investigation, Josie finds a button on the floor that Kate would have been laying on. This button was made from boxwood and is something that was not part of her inventory. She is sure that the button belongs to the murderer.
Kate's fiance is Prince Roland. Prince Roland has learned that Kate has not been faithful during their engagement. The Prince doesn't want this information getting back to his father who would probably disinherit him. The person who had this indescrection with is none other than the producer of the movie see is currently shooting. Estelle Marvin has a TV show that Kate had agrred to be on, and Marvin had gone to great expense to get the segment ready. But Kate decides that she is not going to do the show. In addition Kate had 3 assistants who she treated like nobodies.
So Josie set off to find the murderer, as she doesn't believe the person the police have arrested is the killer.
A fantastic story with a group of believable characters and a few chuckles thrown in for good measure.
I willl be looking for the next book in the series. -
This was a pleasant debut to a new series revolving around a 'button' collector/designer, and retailer. Josie Giancola, a divorcee has worked and saved up to open her own shop, named "The Button Box." Josie is an authority on buttons and even has worked on Movies in order to get the costuming authentic.
Through her professional connections, Josie is about to become famous to the 'Stars' since the famous actress, is seeking her wedding buttons from The Button Box. Then the unthinkable happens...murder! Why? Was the murder/burglary due to the precious button collections or, is there something about the Actresses past or future?
Josie's ex-husband, Kaz, filters in and out of her life still as a lovable loser that takes advantage of Josie's tender heart. It is frustrating at times, however, Josie is fully aware of being 'used' so I found little sympathy and accepted him as part of the on-going cast.
Josie is ready to begin dating again and is interested in a Detective.
I'm ready to read a bit more about buttons but this was a good beginning. -
Logan was a new author for me. Since I sort of have a button collection - I throw all the extra buttons into a box when the new clothes I buy come with replacements - the topic/theme sounded fun. Everything was quick and easy and entertaining in this book. The story was a little slow in spots but since I had no idea who the murderer was I kept plodding along. This was book one in the series, so I want to keep going and see what happens in the next one. And I even learned a little about buttons! This was the January author for my GR cozy mystery group. Thanks for the suggestion and book list guys.
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Just not for me. I got grabbed by the cover and was hoping for a fun, light read during a period of high stress. Apparently it was too light. I had to quit after several chapters because I found the characters boring and I was dying, DYING for any sort of facts about button collecting. None came. That's my reward for browsing and impulse buys. I hate to quit a series #1, hoping it will improve, but when I started referring to it as "Butt Holed" in conversation with my husband, I knew I had to move on without delay.
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Interesting mystery story, a button shop being the central character. Characters felt real, mystery was good and easy to read.
But I'm not sure how much mileage this author will get out of buttons. By the end of the story I had had enough of them. Not that she mentions them alot along the way, its just that unless you have an interest in button collecting, I'm not sure this series would hold up book after book.
On the fence whether I'll read the next or not. -
This is a cosy mystery about a button shop owner who finds a celebrity dead in her shop.
As cosy mysteries go I really enjoyed this one. The mystery itself was somewhat lacking in tension but there were enough twists to keep me reading.
I think, while I enjoy 'cosy' type stories I still need some plot elements that are gripping and so I am rating this as a 'cosy' rather than as an overall murder mystery. -
Fantastic start to a new series. Josie Giancola is a nationally recognized expert on buttons. She collect and sells buttons to movie companies, historical groups looking for buttons to match era specific clothing and to other collectors.
The cast of characters she is surrounded with is diverse and funny. I think this series is going to have a fairly long run. -
I liked this book. The author did literally everything she could to make the topic interesting and it worked. My one complaint was the main characters enabling ways with her ex husband, who she keeps giving money to. Hopefully she gets more of a spine by book #2 but aside from that this was a surprisingly fun read.
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Picked this one up solely because of the title. Totally enjoyed reading it. This book is a quick read and what I call a light mystery. The characters are likeable, and I will definitely read the next one in the series.
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Read for 01.2015
Cozy Mysteries BotM.
My Rating System:
* couldn't finish, ** wouldn't recommend, *** would recommend, **** would read again, ***** have read again. -
Who would have thought that owning a Button business could be so deadly?! LOL Not me! This was a great cozy mystery. It had me guessing until the very end. I can't wait to dive into the rest of the series!!
**I loved the cover too. So many interesting buttons!** -
Pretty good first in series.
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I really liked the main character in this book. The plot was great. That said, I just couldn't get into this book. I went in with such high hopes and I think it just wasn't the right book for me.
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Button Holed book 1 in the series Button Box Mystery Series is again a Collectors Mystery that will have you wanting to collect old buttons.
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Buttons are surprisingly thrilling!
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I've been wanting to start this older series for quite some time now, so I finally got the chance. Josie was a very likable main character, and I got a kick out of her constant ramblings and sense of humor as she first person narrated the story. I honestly didn't want to like Kaz, because of course, he's the no-good scum of an ex, right? But he was hilarious and just the perfect comic relief. By the time I got to know Josie more, I was pretty relieved that she wasn't going to do something stupid like go back to him or give him money he was asking for (unless it was payment for sleuthing or something like that). I have to admit, they made a decent team for sleuthing, and he surprised me a few times with what he could dig up. And oh I loved Stan! What a great neighbor to have, a retired police officer. He was like a dad to Josie and even watched the store for her sometimes.
On the other hand, I really liked Nevin for her a lot. Never mind her previous history of one disastrous date with him lol. He was very patient with Josie and her rambles as well as ideas of whodunit. I really had no idea who the killer was, but there was definitely a good twist, so I just enjoyed the story and watched the direction it took. I'm a huge fan of the suspect-gathering in cozies, since it usually makes for a less dangerous situation for the main character. I'll be reading on in the series next time I get a chance. -
A good book to start this series. I do like Josie (MC) as she's a realistic person not a Mary Jane. She has faults, just as anyone else. I had to smile whenever Josie described herself as a button nerd and how she doesn't have anything else to discuss except buttons.
This was a whodunit that kept me guessing through most of the book.
Kaz is endearing--he's definitely charming but forever a Peter Pan--he won't grow up.
The secondary character I liked the most was Stan, the retired cop. Trying to help as much as possible and being told by former colleagues that he's now a civilian...glad to see Nevile (the detective assigned to the case and Josie's potential love interest) give Stan his due.
