Cryptic Paisley

When gallerist Celeste meets an old friend at an art show, the artist explains that someone has jacked one of her fashion designs, and soon Celeste's bestie, Truman, is on the case, diving headlong into LA's fashion industry to investigate. Truman and Celeste soon get entangled with a hinky company run by a trio of enigmatic lowlifes who produce a very unusual fashion line. Are they full-on grifters, or just not that competent? Truman goes undercover with an industry supplier, and Celeste agrees to work for the trashy fashion folks, digging deeper into their secrets and getting way too close to the blustery Flavio and his cryptocurrency scheme. As Truman tracks down other victims of the fashion scam, he finds himself drawn to a talented swimwear designer.

In this installment of the Truman and Celeste books, the duo uses their smarts and cunning to confront the crooks head-on, never hesitating to ask the next relevant question or to slam that cocktail.