Death at a Discount

Susan Henshaw #13

by Valerie Wolzien

SHE SHOPPED TILL SHE DROPPED . . . DEAD.

As her wealthy friends and neighbors knew, Amanda Worth wouldn't be caught dead in a discount store. But she was. Susan Henshaw found her in a dressing room with a Hermes scarf knotted murderously tight around her elegant neck.

What possibly could have lured Amanda to the grand opening of the new outlet mall? Susan shops around for the answer and discovers that on the seamy side of suburbia, the seven deadly sins are alive and kicking. Greed, envy, illicit romance, financial chicanery--anything goes. For in this pristine Connecticut village, murder is suddenly the fashion. And one size fits all. . . .

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Contemporary, American, Fiction

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Valerie Wolzien is the author of the Susan Henshaw suburban mysteries and the Josie Pigeon seashore mysteries. Ms. Wolzien lives in an old house overlooking the Hudson River. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached online at valerie@wolzien.com.

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good entry with lots of red herrings but Susan was able to see through them. This story gives new meaning to shop till you drop but was a fun story.

[Gowri N. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book at a National Book Fair in my hometown back in 2005 and gave it a quick read. I had just gotten hooked on Agatha Christies and was picking up detective novels of all kinds; did not know then that this was a cozy. Nearly twenty years later, my husband fished it out of my old library to read on the flight home and it fell into my hands again.

It's about suburban housewives. Rich white women from Connecticut who raised kids and ran charities and helped out friends while their husbands made money in NYC. One of them is an amateur sleuth and she investigates the murder of a neighbour who was supposed to be richer and fancier than them all. That sounds awful but it's not too bad. I enjoyed getting a glimpse into how the "other side" lived back in the late nineties when this book was written.

What is a bummer is how the crux of the mystery is so blah. The motive is ridiculous. The method is madness. And the clueing is non-existent. There's a big deal made about how there's a big clue at the murder scene (described in chapter two) which if the sleuth had noticed then, would have helped her solve the crime then and there. That clue is "explained" in the last chapter—but not really. It explains something about the victim but doesn't point to the murderer in any discernible way.

And that makes this an enjoyable but also frustrating read even as (very) light fare. However, I am impressed that Wolzien wrote so many of these books and another series too. As a writer myself, I am envious.

[Helena · Rating 2 out of 5]

On the light entertainment scale, this scores quite ok. But on the credibility scale, it’s super low, both in terms of police procedure, psychology and how the financial market works.
This is part of the Susan Henshaw mystery series, maybe the 13th book (?) but the first for me. Amanda Worth, a woman known for her extensive and expensive wardrobe, is found dead in a dressing room of a discount store in Hancock, CT on the day of its opening. Susan is encouraged by one of her friends to try to solve the murder “in order to protect Amanda’s reputation “. Susan soon learns more about Amanda and her husband Scott Worth, and about Hancock and its population, than she thought possible.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I first read the Susan Henshaw mysteries at least 20 or so years ago but I definitely never read this one before - I think I stopped around #10. Anyway it wasn't bad. Wasn't good either. The killer was right out of left field and the motive about as weak as it gets. Way too many characters that added very little to the story. I mean are we reading a mystery or a chatty novel that doesn't really go anywhere?

[Kristen Strevey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Apparently this is a series and it’s the first I’ve read. I know it’s from a few years ago, but it did not age well. The whole Crystal “transvestite” thing was so offensive. It was a nice quick read, but not great writing. Classist. Transphobic. Did not age well. Predictable. Would not recommend.

[Misha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like the Josie Pigeon series. Not real fond of the rich suburban housewife series. Nothing much to relate to, which is important to me.

[Emily Adams · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another terrific book by Valerie Wolzien. Susan Henshaw books are so entertaining and fun to try to solve the mystery.

[Gabby · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the only book of the "Susan Henshaw Mystery" series I've read. I believe it's 13th in the series, and maybe, if I'd started with the beginning of the list and worked my way up to this one, I'd have liked it better. I gather from what I read on the cover that the hook for this series is that the amateur sleuth comes from the upper crust area of the city she lives in. Apparently we the readers are supposed to get a look at how the other half lives. There isn't much written about the husbands of the women who take over the telling of the story; their only role seems to be making lots and lots of money for their wives to spend on outrageously priced objects -- anything from table napkins to beaded sweaters to hockey sticks. So we follow the women who don't seem to be very smart. Let me rephrase that -- the women come across as downright vapid. Other than their own tight little circle, nothing interests any of them but shopping unless, of course, they're eating. They also have very convenient children who may be discussed now and then, but they never actually make an appearance to muck up the moms' shopping sprees. When I realized that one of the plot lines had to do with investing money, I thought things might get more interesting. Unfortunately, the amateur sleuth quickly informed us that she has no clue what all those numbers associated with stocks and investment opportunities mean. Most of the cozy mysteries I've read have been fun with quirky characters or involved plots it was entertaining trying to solve. That wasn't the case with this series for me. In fact it was kind of insulting to read such a stereotypical view of wealthy women. People hooked on cozies may see this one differently than I did. I thought the writing could have used a boost, and the characters could have been developed much better. The story had some good opportunities to be turned into a much more entertaining read, but unfortunately those opportunities were wasted. I won't be reading more of this series in my quest to find a good cozy.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was OK......

[Sallie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has been on my to-be-read shelf, one of them anyway, for years. Time to dive into it before I go back to Bill Bryson's book. My brain needed a break, so I'm back to devouring cozy mysteries. At first I wasn't sure about this book since it's set in a very upper income area, one I am not at all familiar with, but I did like the book, and the mystery was mysterious enough that I wasn't sure who it was til the end and the main character spelled it out for all of us.

[LeAnne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a favorite of the Susan Henshaw series. I've read several of them, but in this one Susan was as clueless as can be when it comes to the real world and how people actual live in it! Her yuppie WASP world was painful to read. She was such a nitwit in this one. She lives in her well off Connecticut world with very little understanding of how most people live. Save this one for last, or you won't come back.

[ChrisGA · Rating 4 out of 5]

The characters are still likeable in this 13th book in the series and the mystery intriguing. Death of a society diva in a discount mall dressing room leads to discovery of lots of missing money. I liked it although found Susan's willingness to prepare a funeral reception for someone she was not close to a little hard to believe. I do like this series and its author.

[Sarah A · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read several of the other books in this series and enjoyed them. This one just didn't catch me. Some nice twists in the plot but it was just a bit too same-y. And some very irritating characters.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

great.

[Cheryl Landmark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 2.5 Stars