About the Book

Book: The Women of Wynton’s

Author: Donna Mumma

Genre: Mystery/Christian Fiction

Release date: July, 2024

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?

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My Thoughts:

What a fun and different read this story was and that cover was something else. It got lots of compliments.

This was a story of four women who work at different departments at Wynton's department store. I like that it took place during the 1950's. I haven't read a lot of books during that time period, and this was a neat one. Even though this mostly takes place in the store, we certainly get a feeling of the times and how certain people groups still did not have the freedom that we all enjoy today in America.

We get all four of these women's viewpoints. I like how the story was set up; we get a picture and the name of the woman whose point of view we are reading at the beginning of each chapter. I felt like I was getting a panoramic view. There was a lot going on and some twists I was shocked at. It was interesting to see that even within this store, a smaller atmosphere than say a town, there was so much gossip, a hierarchy, and plenty of workplace politics. This was a fun and different read by a new to me author.

I was provided a copy of this novel from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review, and all views and opinions are my own.

About the Author

Donna Mumma perfected storytelling in her first grade classroom, spinning tales exciting enough to settle a roomful of antsy six-year-olds. She is an award winning author who loves to blend history, mystery, and a dash of hope in stories that explore ordinary people who learn extraordinary life lessons. Donna is an active member of Word Weavers International, serving as president for the Tampa chapter as well as a mentor for chapters around the country. She was recognized as the Word Weavers traditional groups president and mentor of the year in 2022. She also serves as a line editor and contributor for Inskpirationsonline.com, a site featuring devotions written for writers by writers. An avid believer in education, Donna earned her M. Ed in elementary education and writes educational blogs and articles to assist teachers overseas for the International School Project. A native Floridian, she loves sharing life with her husband and her energetic collie, Duke.

More from Donna

Two models posed in red, flowy iconic 50’s dresses, white gloves, and classy hats. Perfect makeup and hair. Years ago, this picture hung in the dressing rooms of my favorite clothing store.

I was hooked.

Every time I entered the store, I’d walk to the dressing rooms to stare at the picture whether I had something to try on or not. There was something about that image that drew me in.

A few years later, I happened upon the same picture from the store on a social media page I’d joined featuring fashions from the 1950’s. I discovered my beloved photo came from a cover of Vogue magazine issued in 1955.

Then my imagination started churning. Every movie I’d watched with Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, and Kim Novak came to mind. I pictured four women, wearing the classy, tailored suits, full-skirted dresses, and the beautiful gowns from the 50’s. They were going to work in a department store because I grew up on a dairy farm, way out in the country of central Florida, and the big department stores like Burdines, Maas Brothers, and Robinsons were the most glamourous, luxurious places I’d ever seen.

These women were going to have to deal with a few murders. And the fact they don’t care much for each other.

As I researched, departments stores, history, fashion, and life in Florida in the 1950’s these characters came alive. First was Audrey, a former fashion model and the personal secretary to the owner of Wynton’s Department Store who may be the most hated woman around town. Miss Vivien, the owner and designer for Wynton’s bridal salon, who fights being set aside because she’s growing older. Mary Jo, a young wife and mother who longs to be at home but must take a job at Wynton’s to save her family. Lastly, Gigi, a girl who’s tired of the tough breaks in her life and hopes a new job at Wynton’s will bring her better fortune.

I wanted their experiences in the story to be true-to-life for that period and drew from stories and memories my own mother shared with me when I was growing up. I had so much fun writing about The Women of Wynton’s as they worked their way through mayhem, murders, and a Christmas parade, but also learned much about the women in this period of history. It is my hope my readers will too.