Ellen Byerrum writes the popular Crime of Fashion mysteries set in bustling Washington, D.C., The City That Fashion Forgot. These action-and-fashion-packed books feature style scribe Lacey Smithsonian, who wears vintage clothing and solves crimes with fashion clues. While she's always looking for a little respect and a better beat, Lacey examines and comments on style snafus in her Crimes of Fashion columns and Fashion BITES, which are included in the books. The latest addition to Ellen's Crime of Fashion mysteries is LETHAL BLACK DRESS(September 2014), which takes a peek at one of the more exclusive parties in Washington, D.C.When does a little black dress become a lethal black dress? When it becomes unexpectedly weaponized at the most security-conscious event in Washington, D.C.--the fabled White House Correspondents' Dinner. Fashion reporter Lacey Smithsonian is delighted to finally take her place at the legendary D.C. insider bash, but she senses something is amiss with shoddy TV reporter Courtney Wallace's vintage Madame X gown with its stunning emerald lining. When the woman dies the next day, Lacey is on the hunt with her ExtraFashionary Perception to discover what that Lethal Black Dress is really made of . . In addition to the Lacey Smithsonian series, Ellen has branched out with THE CHILDREN DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING, a middle grade novella with a completely original cast of characters is now available only on Kindle (November 2012). The novella introduces the Bresette twins, precocious twelve-year-old Evangeline and her twin brother, Raphael, who are enjoying just another summer vacation of swimming, squabbling, and coping with their lawyer parents--until a woman dies at their grandparent's country club. Convinced that someone stole a pair of diamond earrings from the body, Evangeline begins an investigation into the theft. But her search for justice proves far more dangerous than she ever expected. And by the way, this story was inspired by a day in Ellen's youth, when she saw a dead woman at her grandparent's country club. You can read more about that back story in this e-book.VEILED REVENGE (February 2013) Lacey Smithsonian always believed clothes could be magical, but she never thought they could be cursed. Until now. What do a haunted Russian shawl and a fainting psychic's cryptic warning have to do with a dead party crasher at her friend Stella's fabulously pink bachelorette bash? When a villain vows that nobody at these nuptials will live happily ever after, a walk down the aisle becomes a race against time. Cars crash, bullets fly, and ancient curses come to life as maid-of-honor Lacey scrambles for vital fashion clues. Can her EFP (Extra-Fashionary Perception) prevent the promise of more bloodshed at this cherry blossom wedding?DEATH ON HEELS (February 2012) brings Lacey back to Sagebrush, Colorado, the scruffy hard-luck boom town where she earned her reporter's spurs. When an old boyfriend is accused of murder, she grabs her cowboy boots and heads West to prove he's innocent in the death of three women, all left barefoot on lonely country roads. The trip also tests whether Lacey has resolved her past romantic feelings. SHOT THROUGH VELVET(February 2011) takes Lacey to a velvet factory in southern Virginia on its last day of operation where she finds a blue corpse in a vat of dye. Ellen's series started with KILLER HAIR (2003), followed by DESIGNER KNOCKOFF (2004), HOSTILE MAKEOVER (2005), RAIDERS OF THE LOST CORSET (2006), GRAVE APPAREL (2007), AND ARMED AND GLAMOROUS (2008). Two of Ellen's books, KILLER HAIR and HOSTILE MAKEOVER, were filmed as Crime of Fashion TV movies and aired on the Lifetime Movie Network in June and July 2009. They are available for download on Amazon. While researching vintage fashions for her mysteries books, Ellen has collected her own assortment of dresses and suits from the 1940s, but laments her lack of closet space. Ellen has worked in Washington as a reporter, and she holds a private investigator's registration in Virginia. She also writes plays under the pen name "Eliot Byerrum." A CHRISTMAS CACTUS and GUMSHOE RENDEZVOUS are published by and available from Samuel French Inc.You can find more about Ellen and her books on her website at http://www.ellenbyerrum.com/. Her blog is located at You can also follow Ellen on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/EllenByerrum and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/EllenByerrum. Thanks for visiting.