The Trouble with a Bad Fit: A NOVEL OF FOOD, FASHION, AND MYSTERY - Tapa blanda

New York Fashion Week is only days away and Simona's new client and friend is desperate to finish the collection she hopes will bring her back to fame. Then her fitting model and muse is found murdered in the ladies room. Simona's live-in detective boyfriend, in charge of the case, warns her to stay away, but Simona isn't about to lose a client or let down a friend. Except her boyfriend isn't the only one who wants her off the case. On the way home one evening, Simona is attacked. Dmitri, a Russian cabdriver, arrives on the scene just in time and Simona hires him to be her bodyguard, which doesn't do her much good. Attacked a second time, she ends up in the hospital more determined than ever to find the murderer.

Ambitious new partner, angry tailor, overly-protective sample maker, grateful seamstress, jealous competitor--the suspects are many. Only when Simona delves into the past does she arrive at the truth, but not before risking her life again, this time on the runway of Bryant Park.

Fashion Footnotes and a recipe for Schmatta pasta are included.

"A fast-paced thriller with a convincing fashion background and a cast of characters big enough to fill...a Prada bag."
--Suzy Menkes, The New York Times Book Review

"This is a clever little novel with lots of insider bits about high fashion and snappy characters."
--Margaret Cannon, Toronto Globe and Mail

"Sprightly, sunny and gossipy: a welcome return."
--Kirkus Reviews

"Griffo is an engaging personality: determined, charming and willing to go the extra mile. She might be bloody and bruised, but she is unbowed. I met a heroine whose new adventures I'll seek out."
--Roberta Alexander, Contra Costa Times

Camilla Crespi first came to the U.S. as a teenager and returned to Italy after graduation from Barnard College. In 1990 she got an MFA from Columbia University in creative writing. She has since become an American citizen and published seven mystery novels. She lives in Manhattan with her husband.