Fitness Kills
A Nora Franke Mystery
Helen Barer
Thomson Gale Five Star (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-59414-585-7 (1594145857)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59414-585-8 (9781594145858)
Publication Date: July 2007
List Price: $25.95
Synopsis (from the publisher): Nora Franke is a New York food writer stuck in a rut. Hoping to get rid of a broken heart (and the extra pounds that came with it), she accepts a job as a menu consultant at an elite fitness ranch in Baja. With any luck she'll shed the weight, make some friends, and maybe even find a way to get over her ex-lover. But Nora soon finds there's more than just yoga classes, morning hikes and liquid fasts among the flowers and herbs - someone's put murder on the menu, and unless she can solve the mystery of who's behind the death of two of the guests, Nora may just be the next victim.
Review: Helen Barer introduces culinary journalist Nora Franke in Fitness Kills, an agreeable if somewhat ordinary mystery set at a luxurious spa located along the northwestern Mexican coast.
Nora, recently dumped by her high-powered lawyer boyfriend, lands a job
as a temporary menu consultant at Rancho de las Flores, a resort in
Baja California. This position gives her the opportunity to interact
with both the guests and the staff. Many of the guests have been coming
to the spa on an annual basis and know each other from previous visits,
and when one member fails to show up a general concern is raised. He's
found at the base of a cliff, dead of an apparent accidental fall. But
when another guest is poisoned just a short time later, Nora realizes
the two deaths are connected and assumes the role of investigative
journalist to discover what the connection was and why someone at the
resort wanted them dead.
Fitness Kills
is written largely in the style of an Agatha Christie Miss Marple
mystery. The setting and characters are well drawn and the plot
comfortably, if predictably, familiar. At one point, Nora states, after
writing an article about her stay at the resort, "I'd given a clear,
personal, and if I dare say so, richly textured picture of the ranch
and its activities, the guests and staff, and the two deaths." All
true. There's even the gruff police officer who, over the course of the
murder investigation, grudgingly acknowledges the efforts of the
amateur sleuth in residence. But the mystery behind the murders isn't
all that compelling, and the subplot involving a Mexican mob is clearly
intended to portend an ominous future but ends up appearing contrived
and somewhat silly.
Nora Franke is an interesting character and the
series clearly has potential, especially if Nora is allowed to show
more of her investigative strengths. Too often here she plays the
victim (both personally and professionally) and seems to stumble
through her story.
No review of Fitness Kills would be complete without mention of the abrupt conclusion. Many readers will likely wonder if the publisher inadvertently omitted the final chapter or two. It's not necessarily a bad way to end a mystery, but it certainly is unusual.
Special thanks to Author Marketing Experts for providing a copy of Fitness Kills for this review.
Review Copyright © 2007 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.
Mysteries in this series ...
Fitness Kills
Thomson Gale Five Star (Hardcover), July 2007
ISBN-10: 1-59414-585-7 (1594145857)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59414-585-8 (9781594145858)
Omnimystery keywords for Fitness Kills ...
Location(s) referenced: Baja California, Mexico.