Murder with Reservations
A Dead-End Job Mystery with Helen Hawthorne
Elaine Viets
NAL Books (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-451-221111-7 (0451221117)
ISBN-13: 978-0-451-221111-7 (9780451221117)
Publication Date: May 2007
List Price: $21.95
Synopsis (from
the publisher): Helen Hawthorne has a knack for keeping a low profile.
But in South Florida, it's going to get a lot harder to fly under the
radar ...
Working at Sybil's Full Moon Hotel in Fort Lauderdale keeps Helen safe
and sane. But when a maid is found dead in a dumpster, those days just
might be over. Dead bodies mean another chance for the cops to find
her. To make matters worse, her ex-husband is hot on her trail. Sadly,
the cops don't seem to care much about a murdered maid-but they take
notice of her co-worker's shady story. If Helen doesn't manage to dodge
their questions and shake off her ex, it could be checkout time.
Review: The clever premise of Elaine Viets' Dead-End Job mysteries is that Helen Hawthorne, a successful executive from St. Louis,
is on the run from the courts after refusing to pay her unfaithful and
lazy ex-husband Rob alimony and give him half of their assets. To hide
from Rob and the law, she flees to Florida and takes on menial jobs to
support herself that pay in cash. Murder with Reservations is the sixth entertaining mystery in this series.
In Ft. Lauderdale, Helen lands a job as a housekeeper with a
second-rate motel, The Full Moon. She quickly befriends the other
housekeepers, but finds herself the center of attention when one of
them is found dead in a dumpster behind the motel. Murders make
headlines, so it isn't long before Rob tracks her down, even renting a
room at the motel. She manages to hide from him, but when a guest is
killed, Helen once again faces questioning by the police. Can she
follow the clues to determine the killer's identity while keeping one
step ahead of her ex? Or will her cover be blown by these murders?
Murder with Reservations
is populated with warm and delightful characters. The story moves along
at a brisk pace, is frequently humorous, and has a well considered
plot. Everyone seems to have a secret that they just might kill for, so
the killer's identity, which is not revealed until the very end, comes
as a surprise.
A little mystery, a little romance, and a lot of fun. Murder with Reservations is well worth checking out ... or in, as it were!
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Murder with Reservations and to Breakthrough Promotions for providing a copy of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2007 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.
Mysteries in this series ...
Shop Til You Drop
Signet (Mass Market Paperback), April 2003
ISBN-10: 0-451-20855-2 (0451208552)
Murder Between the Covers
Signet (Mass Market Paperback), December 2003
ISBN-10: 0-451-21081-6 (0451210816)
Dying to Call You
Signet (Mass Market Paperback), October 2004
ISBN-10: 0-451-21332-7 (0451213327)
Just Murdered
Signet (Mass Market Paperback), May 2005
ISBN-10: 0-451-21492-7 (0451214927)
Murder Unleashed
NAL Books (Hardcover), May 2006
ISBN-10: 0-451-21840-X (045121840X)
Murder with Reservations
NAL Books (Hardcover), May 2007
ISBN-10: 0-451-221111-7 (0451221117)
ISBN-13: 978-0-451-221111-7 (9780451221117)
Omnimystery keywords for Murder with Reservations ...
Location(s) referenced: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.