Murders by Design series by Jean Harrington (01-04)

In an earlier life,Jean Harrington taught English lit and writing at Becker College in Worcester, Mass. She loved her work and the chance it gave her to meet and mingle with a lot of terrific people. Now that she's alone with her computer most days--and some nights--she's enjoying that too, and meeting all kinds of new and quirky people--of her own imagining.

Jean writes the tongue-in-cheek Murders by Design Mystery Series for Carina Press. Her novels are published in e-book, audio and paperback format.
Jean's amateur sleuth heroine is an interior designer--a crime-fighting redhead who can see the devil in the details.

And when a devil has his pitchfork aimed at her! As she likes to say, "A woman always knows."
Titles in the series include Designed for Death, The Monet Murders, Killer Kitchens, and the latest Deva romp, Rooms To Die For.

Genre: Mystery


Designed for Death (Murders by Design, #1)
An Eye for Detail, a Nose for Trouble
Interior designer Deva Dunne's latest project comes to a screeching halt when blood on the carpet leads her to the body of her client, an exotic dancer with a mysterious past. But the murdered woman is not the only resident of the posh beachfront condominium with secrets, and investigating officer Lieutenant Victor Rossi considers them all suspects.
Though wary of working in the killer's midst, Deva continues decorating the unit for the new owner. When she stumbles upon clues that might help crack the case, she can't resist doing a little digging of her own, despite Rossi's orders to quit meddling. Now, she's juggling the investigation, her career and sexy neighbor Simon Yaeger, who seems interested in more than her etchings.
Deva can't help but be flattered by all the male attentionΓÇöthat is, until she realizes the killer has designs on her, too...

The Monet Murders (Murders by Design, #2)
Interior decorator Deva Dunne never dreamed she'd see a Monet hanging on someone's dining room wall. Then she snags a client with two Monet seascapes. Her thrill lasts until she finds one of the paintings missing, cut from its frame, and the cook shot dead.
Rough-around-the-edges, but gorgeous all-around police lieutenant Victor Rossi insists Deva leave the sleuthing to the police. But what could it hurt to come up with a list of suspects that doesn't include herself? Like the owners of the Monets, a rich man and his trophy wife, and their frequent guests. Even the cook's husband is suspect. Then Deva finds another victim, clutching a very strange set of clues.
Desperate to save her business amid the negative publicity, Deva helps Rossi investigate. And when he needs advice decorating his bedroom, she just might find a client for life. Unless a killer gets to her first.

Killer Kitchen (Murders by Design, #3)
Interior designer Deva Dunne just may have hit the jackpot. Sure, her new client Francesco Grandese talks tough and has shady friends, but he has the eye of a connoisseur, and a huge, empty mansion he wants her to decorate.
Deva's boyfriend, police lieutenant Victor Rossi, has misgivings about her promising jobΓÇöespecially when he accompanies her to one of Francesco's dinner parties. After Francesco returns a dish to the kitchen untasted, the chauffeur promptly scarfs it down and drops dead from cyanide poisoning.
Has the killer made a terrible mistake and murdered the wrong person? Or was the dead man the intended victim? The only thing Deva knows for certain is someone present that night committed murder. And it seems everyoneΓÇöfrom the dinner guests to the kitchen helpΓÇöhas a motive.

Rooms to Die for (Murders by Design, #4)
Interior designer Deva Dunne finds more than fabulous furnishings on her trip to the design mall; she and her client come upon the body of one of Deva's favorite shop owners, swinging from the atrium railing. It looks like suicide, but Deva feels sure that the purveyor of Florida's finest antiques would never leap to his death from a tacky blue stool.
Deva's boyfriend, studly and stoic police lieutenant Victor Rossi, looks into it, but there's not much to go on. He's focusing on their future these days, and he wishes Deva would steer clear of danger.
But everyone around Deva seems to be keeping secrets, and she's getting some strange reactions to the designs she's doing for a big charity event. When she experiences a mysterious attack, she knows she's at the center of something hugeΓÇöand if she doesn't outwit this killer fast, her only future will be six feet under.