Accessory to Murder by Elaine Viets

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Josie Marcus is a mystery shopper. While that sounds glamorous—who wouldn’t love to get paid to shop or eat?—the reality is quite different.  Not only is there a mountain of paperwork to do, but the shopping can be very limited and as for the eating. . . well, let’s just say that Josie carries a purse full of antacids.  There’s also the problem of being honest in a review, especially when your boss’s relative is a surly shop clerk.  You could end up with the worst jobs ever, including some for which there are no antacids strong enough.

That’s exactly the situation Josie finds herself in after visiting an upscale shop where the only thing she can afford to buy is a scarf ring and the clerk is rude and insulting. Her report lands her in fast food purgatory, having to sample Gristle, er, Greta Burgers—all twenty-four locations.

As if that weren’t stomach-churning enough, Josie’s best friend Alyce’s husband Jake is accused of murdering an up and coming designer in a mall parking lot.  In fact, it’s the very mall Josie went to for the mystery shopper gig.  Something doesn’t set right with Josie and it’s not just the awful Greta Burgers.  Besides, friends like Alyce are few and far between, and Josie is determined to help clear Jake—even if he can’t be bothered to remember Josie’s name.

Elaine Viets is the author of several series.  I’ve read and enjoyed several, but people kept mentioned the Josie Marcus series as a favorite, even though the last book came out over a decade ago.  I picked up Accessory to Murder and found it to be delightful.  Josie is a struggling single mother whose mystery shopper gig allows her to almost pay the bills while giving her time flexibility.  Josie can be both cynical and naïve, which had me rooting for her all the way.  Her daughter is at the age where she thinks her mom is lame, while Josie’s mother disapproves of the way Josie does just about everything.  I like Viets’ sense of humor and the little tips she throws in on various subjects. 

I’ll definitely be reading more in this series while I wait for Viets’ new book to come out this June.  It’s the first in the new Florida Beach series.