Samantha Kidd is back! Always cause for celebration. If, like me, you’ve gone through each of the twelve previous adventures with her you’ll be delighted to take this trip, #13 in the Samantha Kidd mystery series, too. Things are a little different this time around. There have been a lot of changes in Samantha’s life in the recent past and as Stark Raving Mod begins she is living an almost “normal” life: married, financially secure, working for a newspaper rather than a fashion house or running her own fashion-related business, no particular project in process or on the horizon – and not currently in danger. Of course this is Sam, so we already know some of those things will continue (certainly the marriage to the sexy Nick of the root-beer-barrel-colored eyes) but some, like the absence of danger, will not. Something complicated and tricky that Samantha absolutely must get involved in will pop up, most likely sooner rather than later. And away we’ll go.

Samantha’s winning bid on a mystery trunk from the estate of a sixties pop star is interesting but seems harmless. She’s going to open it and write an article for the paper. But there’s much more in that trunk besides mod fashions and the usual variety of shady, dangerous characters Samantha always ends up encountering – and running from and trying to outsmart – appear. Why do people keep trying to steal the trunk? Why are people dying? Was the owner of the trunk a spy – but wasn’t that too long ago to matter? Do the people in her office know more than they are telling?

In Stark Raving Mod Samantha is out of her element, having trouble getting her bearings and deciding what to do next. She’s experienced a lot of personal growth since we first met her, but this Samantha reminded me a little of the one that jumped to too many conclusions, didn’t think things through enough, didn’t anticipate consequences. It’s kind of appealing (if scary worrying about her). Is it part of adapting to all the changes in her life, to not being quite as directly involved in the fashion world as before, or did the spy thing throw her off kilter? She’s always been a pretty good detective due to her curiosity, dedication, loyalty, ability to think outside the box – and to her stubbornness. But the sleuthing has always kind of just dropped on her. When in Stark Raving Mod she thinks she just might be a spy, the results are hilarious if not always effective. Her usual “lie on the fly” solution doesn’t work so well for her in Secret Agent mode.

There’s a lot going on in this book: old friends, new enemies, cranky co-workers, multiple suspects, possible motives, red herrings, blackmail, secret spy gimmicks, sketchy locations fraught with danger. Author Diane Vallere, as always, masterfully ties them all together in a fast-paced story laced with intrigue, lots and lots of humor and the always welcome fashion tidbits. A story that draws you in, makes you turn pages faster and faster, and keeps you guessing until the satisfying (and with a surprise!) ending. And the more you read author Vallere’s books (and not just the Samantha Kidd series but all the others, too) the more you realize that she knows a lot of stuff. Very interesting stuff. Not just a little bit about everything but a lot about a lot of things. And it shows. I know that research can dig up a lot of these facts and fascinating tidbits, but Vallere’s past career and expertise in the fashion world comes through in each and every book. Small, subtle things but if you pay attention you can pick up on them. And they serve to make her books that much more enjoyable.

Nick is off on a business trip while Samantha is a spy-in-training, but the little we see and hear of him is enough to keep that Sexy Nick vibe intact – those eyes, and the curly brown hair, now shot through with enough silvery threads to give him that distinguished-but-still-sexy older man look – and to keep the swoons coming, and every interaction reinforces just how right they are for each other. Best friend Eddie plays a part in helping both with the fashion and the sleuthing, Detective Loncar is once again almost a mentor, whether he wants to be or not, Senior bumbles around, and there are enough other familiar faces to make Stark Raving Mod feel like coming home.

Thanks to author Diane Vallere for providing an advance copy of Stark Raving Mod in exchange for my honest review. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: everything she writes is fabulous. Read all the series, go back to the beginning to see the history, the growth, the friendships. And right now read Stark Raving Mod. All opinions are my own. ( )