Glossed and Found

Venus Envy is a beauty parlour, Persia Vanderbilt is one of the resident experts. The store hires a new makeup artist, Lisa, who disappears on the night of the Thanksgiving Gala. Her car is found near a pier and the police conclude that she drowned. Lisa had been looking into some missing inheritance money. Persia decides to help investigate while also avoiding her troublesome ex.

As a cosy mystery it works, I enjoyed the read. ( )

Persia Vanderbilt has an excellent sense of smell and makes custom blends for the shop she co-owns with her Aunt, Venus Envy. Business is booming and they have expanded their offerings to include hair styling and make up consultations taking on new staff. Lisa is their make up artist who is struggling to make ends meet with her sister after the death of their father and inheriting his large house. Much of their inheritance money seems to have disappeared and Lisa thinks someone stole it.

Lisa is acting strangely and one evening disappears following a lead on the missing money. Local police chief Kyle thinks she has drowned, but both her sister and Persia know there is no chance as she had a terrible phobia of water and could barely walk around a swimming pool. Persia decides to investigate as police funding is low and they were friends, but her ex boyfriend is still in town and getting more desperate. He has nowmanaged to get himself a gun and with enough alcohol in him, who knows what he is capable of...

Sadly I think this is the last in the series with no more planned. India Ink is the pseudonym of Yasmine Galenorn who is now concentrating her writing on urban fantasy rather than murder mysteries. Persia makes a great heronine and this was definitely better than the second book which took far too long to get going. Sexy, cheeky and with lots of great references to things like Nine Inch Nails (one of my favourite bands) etc. ( )