About The Women of Wynton’s
Via Amazon
Mid-Century Glam Meets Murder Mayhem
Get swept away to the glamor of a 1950’s department store where four women’s loyalties, vanity, friendship, and detective skills are put to the test.
Audrey Penault once led a glamorous life as a model but now works as devoted secretary to Mr. Wynton. To her fellow employees, she is too vain and uppity.
Mary Jo Johnson, a wife and mother, longs to find her worth in the cosmetics department, but it may take a while for the shy housewife to discover her voice.
Vivian Sheffield owns and runs the bridal salon within Wynton’s. She is proud of her accomplishments and won’t let anyone take them away.
Gigi Woodard dislikes her job as waitress in the store’s lunchroom, but she is determined not to let her secret shortcomings cause her to lose the position.
These four women have much to dislike about each other, but they unanimously agree that Mr. Wynton is the best of employers and must be protected at all costs from someone who seems determined to see him gone for good. When other employee deaths occur, can the women band together to solve the murders, or will they discover it is one of their own bent on destroying Wynton’s from within?
Release Date:
Publisher: Barbour Fiction
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(As a copyeditor, I’m compelled to say I know about the extra apostrophes in these images … LOL! But they’re from the Amazon page, so–what can ya do?)
My Review
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.
The ’40s and ’50s have always been particular favorite decades of mine, so I was excited to dive into this read! I learned a lot about department stores’ heyday, and how one, at least, might have looked/felt/operated back then. We had a few gems of our own in Washington state–Nordstrom, the Bon Marche, and Frederick & Nelson come to mind–and those provided mental fodder for me as I read The Women of Wynton’s.
Though the writing style frustrated me at times (allllllllll the similes–let the reader infer sometimes, too!), and I clued into the villain’s identity semi-early in the read, the plot and character development were compelling enough to keep me reading. I enjoyed finding out the motive and seeing various loose ends tied up, and the world building was perhaps my favorite part. It reminded me of Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, The Devil Wears Prada (but much cleaner, thank goodness), and other fashion-themed books and movies.
I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
About the Author
Via Amazon
Donna Mumma is an award-winning author, a native Floridian, farm kid and dreamer. She was blessed with two wonderful parents who taught her how stories enable readers to learn, escape, connect, and be inspired.
Her writing inspiration comes from the folks she knew growing up in rural Florida. She hails from a small town that was filled with storytellers who spun yarns of hunting trips gone awry, flipped airboats, eccentric relatives, and beloved hunting dogs. These seasoned her childhood and she learned to love a good story filled with twists, turns, and a dash of suspense. Donna now weaves each of these elements into her works of southern fiction.
Growing up on a dairy farm in Florida taught her two important lessons. First, life comes with sunshine and hurricanes. Second, with God’s help, we can flourish in both. She has always been drawn to characters who are bruised and broken but keep pushing forward. These same folks inhabit her story worlds. Before she started writing, she earned her degree in teaching and honed her story-telling skills as a first-grade teacher working to keep antsy six-year-olds enthralled. She believes the best stories grab a reader’s heart and mind and nudge them into discovering something about themselves.
Her debut novel, Fresh Scars, released June of 2021.
She Reads Wherever She Goes 