Books in series
#1
Staged to Death
2013
Cozy mystery, Book 1 in the Caprice DeLuca home-stager mystery series
Caprice DeLuca stages houses for high-end clients. When she discovers a body in the castle-mansion she staged to sell and starts asking questions, she finds herself in danger. On the way to solving the murder, Caprice's large Italian family helps and hinders. She also finds romance with Dr. Seth Randolph. But does her brother's partner, attorney Grant Weatherford, care about her, too? Or is he just worried she'll get herself killed and her family will blame him?
#2
Deadly Decor
2014
Quiet Kismet, Pennsylvania, may look like any other small town, but as a home stager, Caprice De Luca can see behind closed doors—and it seems someone has designs on murder. . .Life is a full house for Caprice these days. She's dating, she's rescuing adorable cocker spaniels, and she's decorating the roomy interiors of Kismet's most well-heeled residents with fun fantasy themes. But she's worried about her pregnant sister. Bella's marriage is coming apart like a bad wallpaper job, and to make matters worse, she's decided to meet up with a former flame Bob Preston, a house painter Caprice frequently employs. When he's found dead in a pool of green paint swirling with blood, it's time for Caprice to stage an investigation. With all eyes trained on Bella's husband, Caprice shifts her attention from finding the perfect curtains to finding the perfect culprit. . .
Praise for Staged to Death
"A fascinating inside look at the art of home-staging—but did I mention it's also an elegantly crafted murder mystery featuring an irresistible sleuth?" —Leslie Meier
#3
Gilt by Association
2015
Caprice De Luca Home Staging Mystery Series, Book 3Caprice De Luca's latest house staging is all about hearts, flowers, lace and chintz since Valentine's Day is around the corner. She never expects her client to be murdered in the greenhouse the day of the open house. With her six-month-old pup Lady by her side and her own love life in disarray, Caprice ferrets out clues from the victim's best friend, Caprice's mother, the housekeeper and a special male friend who insists his relationship with the victim was platonic. However, as Caprice digs deeper, she finds the victim's past is filled with secrets that she kept from her husband for thirty years. The past isn't merely history. The present isn't always what it seems. When hearts are involved, passion and even murder aren't far behind.Caprice De Luca Home Staging MysteriesSTAGED TO DEATH, Book 1, December 2013DEADLY DECOR, Book 2, June 2014GILT BY ASSOCIATION, Book 3, February 2015DRAPE EXPECTATIONS, Book 4, August 2015SILENCE OF THE LAMPS, Book 5, March 2016
#4
Drape Expectations
2015
Caprice De Luca Home Staging Mystery Series, Book 4 Caprice De Luca's former client and now friend Ace Richland—an 80's rock star—asks her for a favor. Can she quickly stage his girlfriend's house to sell? Widow Alanna Goodwin, a transplanted Southern beauty, will be moving in with him! Immediately Caprice realizes Alanna's southern charm can be turned on and off at will. Caprice agrees to stage Alanna's Kismet antebellum-styled mansion for Ace's sake. But she soon learns Alanna doesn't have a genuine love for her cat Mirabelle and also uncovers a plot her new client is hatching to sabotage Ace's comeback. However, before she can tell Ace, Alanna is murdered and Ace is the prime suspect.
As Caprice investigates, she learns Alanna had more secrets than pie safes. With her Cocker Spaniel Lady by her side, she tracks down clues and adopts Alanna's cat. In the midst of some of her own family upheaval—her uncle has moved in with her parents—she finds herself with a dilemma. Grant Weatherford, her brother's law partner, advises Ace and reveals more of his past to her. Seth Randolph, the doctor she dates, wants her to meet his family. She must choose between them.
Danger stalks Caprice. Will her refresher self-defense course save her life? Only if she keeps her wits about her and Lady by her side.
STAGED TO DEATH, Book 1DEADLY DECOR, Book 2GILT BY ASSOCIATION, Book 3 February 2015DRAPE EXPECTATIONS, Book 4 August 2015SILENCE OF THE LAMPS, Book 5 May 2016
#5
Silence of the Lamps
2016
Business has never been better for home stager Caprice De Luca, but her personal life could stand a few renovations. Just when she thought things were getting serious with her boyfriend Grant, his pretty ex-wife swoops into town and nabs his attention. Uncle Dom is living with her parents and desperately needs a new job. And her sister Nikki's catering business is threatened when rival Drew Pierson starts eating away at her share of the market. Things could not possibly get more chaotic when Drew is found bludgeoned to death by one of his grandmother's antique Tiffany lamps—and Nikki is the number one suspect. Now, Caprice must act fast to illuminate the truth and clear her sister's name—before a cold-blooded killer puts her lights out next
Praise for Deadly Decor "The perfect combination of animals, a delightful cozy town and a suspenseful mystery." —Cozy Mystery Book Reviews.net"
#6
Shades of Wrath
2016
SHADES OF WRATH is book 6 in Karen Rose Smith's Caprice De Luca Home Staging cozy mystery series. Between her booming business, her family, and her work rescuing stray animals, home stager Caprice De Luca's life is packed. But when a murder unsettles peaceful Kismet, Pennsylvania, she adds amateur sleuth to her resume.
Thanks to a wealthy patron, Kismet's women's shelter, Sunshine Tomorrow, has inherited a run-down mansion. Now the shelter's director, Wendy Newcomb, wants Caprice's decorating expertise. Caprice is happy to help, but when she glimpses a few heated encounters between Wendy and some locals, she fears that Wendy may be in need of protection herself.
When Wendy is found dead inside the old house, Caprice is compelled to poke around in her affairs—and discovers she had her share of enemies. Now, with countless clients, a TV gig that could make her a household name, and rumors of a marriage proposal on its way, Caprice must find time to design an investigation that will lure a crafty killer into the wide open—before someone else winds up in a state of permanent disrepair...
#7
Slay Bells Ring
2017
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, especially now that Caprice De Luca has wrapped up her holiday-themed staging gig at a stunning historic home in downtown Kismit, Pennsylvania. Behind all the red ribbon and glowing string lights, homeowners Chris and Sara Merriweather have it all. But Chris, a Vietnam vet who plays Santa every year at the community park, has been displaying strange behavior after a recent trip to Washington, D.C.
The joy of the season vanishes entirely when Chris is found murdered on Santa Lane, leaving behind his loyal malamute and lots of unfinished business. As Caprice uncovers hidden secrets in Santa's workshop, the pressure is on to catch the candy cane-wielding culprit—before she's next on a killer's deadly wish list . . .
#8
Cut to the Chaise
2018
From USA TODAY Bestselling author KAREN ROSE SMITH... Blood red is the season's hottest color .
With her wedding day mere weeks away, home stager Caprice De Luca is busy arranging every last detail for the reception at Rambling Vines Winery—a stylish venue she redecorated two years earlier. But the closer the bride-to-be gets to saying, "I do," the more a celebration at Rambling Vines seems like a terrible mistake. As financial mishaps and unhappy customers put the winery in the red, an unidentified criminal plots to sour the business' already ailing reputation. Worst of all, a romance from co-owner Michelle Dodd's past could leave a permanent stain on Caprice's best friend's current love life. When Michelle's aloof husband is found stabbed to death on a chaise lounge in the tasting room, Caprice vows to name the calculating culprit and set things right before her dream nuptials dissolve into a deadly nightmare . . .
Author
Karen Rose Smith
Author · 87 books
Award-winning author Karen Rose Smith was born in Pennsylvania. Although she was an only child, she remembers the bonds of an extended family. Family is a strong theme in her books and she suspects her childhood memories are the reason. In college, Karen began writing poetry and also met her husband to be. They both began married life as teachers, but when their son was born, Karen decided to try her hand at a home-decorating business. She returned to teaching for a while but changes in her life led her to writing relationship novels. Now she writes romances as well as mysteries full time. Her first book was published in 1992; her 80th novel will be published in 2013. A winner of New Jersey's Golden Leaf Award in Short Contemporary Romance, Colorado Romance Writers Award Of Excellence for short contemporary, as well as the Phoenix Desert Rose Chapter's Golden Quill for Traditional Romance, she has also been honored with Cataromance.com's award for Best Special Edition and Washington Romance Writers Career Achievement Award. Her romances have made both the USA TODAY list and the Amazon Romance and Contemporary Romance Bestseller lists. She has written for Meteor/Kismet, Kensington, Silhouette and Harlequin. Readers can contact Karen through her website, on Facebook (Karen Rose Smith Author) and on Twitter @ Karenrosesmith. They can also follow her monthly e-zine IN TOUCH with KAREN ROSE SMITH which has the latest news about her books, recipes and contests.
