The owner of the Button Box, Josie Giancola, is invited by artist Forbis Parmenter to the opening of his latest exhibit, which has been inspired by voodoo. The centerpiece of the exhibit is completely covered in buttons, and his grand plan is to place the last button, which he's purchased from Josie, on the statue during the exhibit. The big moment arrives, Josie hands Forbis the button, he gets a panicked look on his face and he runs out of the building! He's known for being quite eccentric, so people aren't sure if this is another one of his attention-getting stunts or if he's truly frightened by something.

The answer comes soon enough when Josie has the misfortune of finding Forbis's body in a statue with buttons over his eyes and mouth. Known for having played an instrumental part in solving murders before, Josie can't help but want to try to investigate. She and her boyfriend Nev, who is a detective on the local police force, usually join forces, but things between them are tense as Josie has recently discovered new information about Nev -- namely that he was engaged to Evangeline, an expert in vudon, who will likely now be consulting on this case.

Josie is mostly left to her own devices, but figuring out the culprit is going to be tricky when Forbis was not an easy person to like. He had alienated many people in both his personal and professional life, which isn't making Josie's life any easier. However, while Josie has lost an ally in Nev, she gains one in Gabriel, a journalist who covers the art beat. While suspicious of him at first, Gabriel gains Josie's trust over time as they begin to work together to piece together viable suspects.

This is hands-down my favourite book in the Button Box Mystery series. They mystery itself is superbly done, balancing a mix of suspects with a topic that most readers won't know anything about. I enjoyed that Josie is forced to think on her own, independent of assistance from both her boyfriend and the resources of the local police. I also like the tension between Josie and Nev; it stricks just the right note of romantic tension, but it didn't overtake the mystery. As always, BUTTONED UP educates about buttons without being boring, and Josie is as plucky and humourous as ever.

Book Summary

For Josie Giancola, owner of the Button Box shop, every button is a tiny work of art with its own story to tell—a story that just might end in murder…

Artist Forbis Parmenter has invited Josie to the opening of his latest exhibit of voodoo-inspired works. He plans to make a show of completing the centerpiece—a button- encrusted statue—when Josie arrives with the final button. But just as the big moment comes, Forbis bolts out of the gallery in panic. Is it another of his publicity stunts, or is something more sinister afoot?

Josie gets her answer when the eccentric artist is found dead—his lifeless body in the arms of a statue and his eyes and lips sealed with buttons. Now she’s using her expert eye to solve the mystery before a crafty killer slips through her fingers.

Includes tips on antique-button collecting!