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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!

Murder with Reservations by Elaine Viets — A Dead-End Job Mystery with Helen Hawthorne

Publisher: NAL Books
Format: Hardcover
ISBN-13: 978-0-451-22111-7
Publication Date: May 2007
List Price: $21.95

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Page Author: Lance Wright
Site Publisher: Mysterious Reviews

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