Elaine Viets

This was a book I really enjoyed reading. So much so, that I ended up adding a bunch of other books by Elaine Viets to my list of 'books to be read' (or TBR ;) )

The story, which is the second one in a series, follows Angela Richman, who's a death investigator. Which sounds a lot more ominous than it is, because basically, what a DI does, is go out to the scene of a death and record every detail about the corpse. So expect a couple of gory scenes, although I must admit, the author handled show more some gruesome scenes really tasteful.
Add to that the fact that Angela is recovering from a series of strokes and brain surgery, is a recent widow and usually investigates deaths in an community that's isn't very accepting of outsiders, it all makes for a rather interesting character. She's not all doom and gloom, or totally reckless, or 'look at how bravely I'm living on'. No, she's a nice, believable balance of all these factors.

When one of Chouteau Forest's (a gated, rich folks community) more illustrious figures's house goes up in flames, with him inside, and his Mexican American mistress barely escaping, all hell brakes loose for the poor girl.
Angela, knowing the girl, and noticing how she's getting railroaded by the uptight community, takes it upon herself to start looking for the real culprit.
And (thank god!) she doesn't do it in the clueless cozy mystery style of walking straight into danger. She handles herself rather well, and spurns on the professionals to dig deeper, as well as assisting in the investigation.
Besides the unfortunate death, and the outcasting of hardworking people, there's also an arsonist active in the neighbourhood...

I don't want to reveal too much, because it really is a nice read, not very shocking, but the story meanders along at a pleasant pace, there's a few nice twists and the climax is fairly exciting.

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in return for an honest review. This has had no influence on my opinion of the book. show less

As much as I really like the author's characters and plots, there comes a point when it reaches complete idiocy. I think I found that point. This book (although better than the mystery shopper series) could've been decent if the foreshadowing and maladies were toned down. Every chapter ends with some cliche about how things were going to go wrong. The main character has too much baggage and none of it unique. Terrible tragedy as a kid? Check. Dysfunctional relationship? Check. Crappy job show more with an unbearable boss and annoying co-workers? Check. Hunky cop? Check. It's like a chicklit whodunit checklist. Instead of being something readers can relate to, it feels contrived and annoying. I figured out the murderer and the motive within the first 100 pages, but kept reading to see how the rest of it turned out. Overall, not a terrible book (God knows I've read worse) but not great either. Just ok. show less

Mysteries within mysteries and secrets inside secrets. It's fun when even the sleuth has a major secret. Dead-end job is more then a double entendre'... it's just the plain truth for Helen Hawthorne, our reluctant heroine. Her characters are anything but flat. While the story arch, at least in this installment, might be predictably in it's time line, all that seems to do is give her more creativity to spend on her wide assortment of characters. The key word here being characters. And why are show more some of them so dang familiar? (Think...neighbors and co-workers). Soooo glad I bought two of her works at once. Can't wait to read the next one . . . with no "reservations". show less

This is a great cozy mystery. It has all the right elements-a strong and funny female protagonist who refuses to give up, an intriguing mystery, a cast of unique supporting characters, well-done subplots, and some out-there drama that makes total sense in the world the book has created.

Helen is a telemarketer, the latest in a string of jobs that will pay her cash under the table and not ask questions. She may not love having insults hurled at her through the phone, but she is on the run from show more her ex-husband and needs the work.

On one of her calls though, she hears a murder. The police don't believe her, and so she must investigate on her own. She goes undercover among a group of wealthy men and women with strange underground parties that may be at the root of the murder that occurred.

I just found out this is part of a 15 book series the author is still writing, and I/'m so excited. This is a series I will definitely be returning to! show less