Reviewed by Jeanne
Helen Hawthorne had it all: great job, lovely home, money, status,
and a cheating husband. It was the latter that got her into trouble and caused
her to lose everything else. Now she’s
on the run, keeping a low profile, and working low-paying jobs where she can be
paid in cash in order to avoid being found by aforementioned cheating
husband. Currently she’s working at a
bookstore, Page Turners, named after its founder—Page Turner-- and run by his
namesake. Unfortunately, this Page
Turner is a real scummy character so it’s not a total surprise when he turns up
dead.
The surprise is that a friend of Helen’s is picked up for the
murder. Even if it may blow her cover,
Helen is determined to prove her friend innocent.
This is the second in Viets’ Dead-End Job Mystery series.
I’d read one other and liked it, but I have to say this one is even
better. I enjoyed the Fort Lauderdale
setting and I loved the cast of characters.
I’d like to hang out with some of them at the run-down apartment
building and meet Thumbs, Helen’s cat. I also like that Helen has a sense of
humor and a sharp eye for details. I
have to say too that it’s refreshing to have a heroine who isn’t so tied up in
her own troubles—and Helen has more than her share—that she spends all her time
bemoaning her fate. Helen is
compassionate, but no patsy, and she’s a staunch friend. I like that in a person.
Most of all, I appreciate the details that show up in the
various jobs. Elaine Viets worked jobs
like these so she knows all the nitty gritty details behind each one, from
telemarketer to working at a bridal salon to clerking at a hotel. It’s like having a peek behind the
curtain.
I’ll definitely be reading more in this series.
These don’t need to be read in order, but there are some life
changes that take place for some of the characters.
The books in the series are:
Shop Till You Drop
Murder Between the Covers
Dying to Call You
Just Murdered
Murder Unleashed
Murder with Reservations
Clubbed to Death
Killer Cuts
Half-Price Homicide
Pumped for Murder
Final Sail
Board Stiff
Catnapped!
Checked Out
The Art of Murder
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