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Angela Richman, Death Investigator #3
A Star Is Dead
Hollywood diva Jessica Gray is on the last leg of her one-woman show when she suffers a sudden and fatal illness . . . but Angela Richman thinks there's more to it.
"Ageless" Hollywood diva Jessica Gray is finishing the last leg of her one-woman show in St Louis, Missouri, and the nearby town of Chouteau Forest is dazzled. During the show she humiliates three homeless women onstage, fires her entourage - not for the first time - and makes a bitter enemy of the town's powerful patriarch.
After she collapses at an after-show party and is rushed to the hospital, she ignores the advice of her doctors and discharges herself in order to return to LA. On the way to the airport she suffers a deadly coughing fit. It was poison. When Angela Richman's friend, Mario, is arrested for the murder and faces the death penalty, she is compelled to investigate.
With so many grudges held against the actress and Mario's life on the line, the stakes are higher than ever.
"Ageless" Hollywood diva Jessica Gray is finishing the last leg of her one-woman show in St Louis, Missouri, and the nearby town of Chouteau Forest is dazzled. During the show she humiliates three homeless women onstage, fires her entourage - not for the first time - and makes a bitter enemy of the town's powerful patriarch.
After she collapses at an after-show party and is rushed to the hospital, she ignores the advice of her doctors and discharges herself in order to return to LA. On the way to the airport she suffers a deadly coughing fit. It was poison. When Angela Richman's friend, Mario, is arrested for the murder and faces the death penalty, she is compelled to investigate.
With so many grudges held against the actress and Mario's life on the line, the stakes are higher than ever.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2020
19 people are currently reading
121 people want to read
About the author
Elaine Viets
81 books569 followersAs a young girl, Elaine Viets was taught the virtues of South St. Louis: the importance of hard work, housecleaning, and paying cash. She managed to forget almost everything she learned, which is why she turned to mystery writing.
Living in South Florida has not improved her character. But it has given her the bestselling Dead-End Job series. Like her amateur detective, Helen Hawthorne, Elaine actually works those rotten jobs. Perhaps her early training has given her a lifelong fascination with jobs. She and Helen both know working for a living can be murder.
To research her novels, Elaine has been everything from a salesclerk to a survey taker. Her first book in the series is SHOP TILL YOU DROP, a novel of sex, murder and plastic surgery. It's set at a fashionable dress shop that caters to kept women. Book two, MURDER BETWEEN THE COVERS, takes place at a bookstore. Elaine worked at a Barnes & Noble in Hollywood, Florida, for a year.
For the third, DYING TO CALL YOU, Helen works as a telemarketer. Elaine sold septic tank cleaner and did telephone surveys. She actually asked women if they shaved their armpits. In the fourth Dead-End Job mystery, JUST MURDERED, Elaine and Helen explore big-money matrimony for better or worse. Elaine did her research in Zola Keller’s posh bridal salon in Fort Lauderdale.
For the fifth novel, Elaine and Helen go to the dogs. MURDER UNLEASHED is set at a high-end dog boutique, where people spend two hundred dollars for canine cuisine, women sneak illegal pets into condos using high-priced designer purses, and the dogs at the store have bigger wardrobes than the salesclerks. MURDER UNLEASHED is Elaine's first hardcover mystery. Publishers Weekly calls it “wry social commentary.”
Although Elaine lives in Fort Lauderdale, her heart – and her viewpoint – remain in the Midwest. Like Helen Hawthorne, another transplanted St. Louisan, she observes the outrageously rich Florida culture (and lack thereof) with wide-eyed fascination.
Elaine’s second series takes her back to work in St. Louis. It features Josie Marcus, a mystery shopper and single mom. The debut novel, DYING IN STYLE, tied with Stephen King on the bestseller list for the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association.
Elaine won both the Agatha and the Anthony Awards for her short story, "Wedding Knife," in CHESAPEAKE CRIMES.
Some honors don’t come with plaques and award banquets. Elaine was thrilled when her short story, "After the Fall," was featured on the same cover of the Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine as the master, Ed Hoch.
Her short story, "Red Meat," is in BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS, the Mystery Writers of America anthology edited by Lawrence Block. "Blonde Moment" is in the MWA anthology, SHOW BUSINESS IS MURDER, edited by Stuart Kaminsky. "Sex and Bingo" is featured in the HIGH STAKES gambling anthology. And if you've ever wondered about the early life of purple-loving landlady Margery Flax, read "Killer Blonde" in DROP-DEAD BLONDE.
Elaine has served on the national boards of the Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. She lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with her husband, actor Don Crinklaw, where they collect speeding tickets.
Please buy her novels so she can pay her MasterCard.
Series:
* Dead-End Job Mystery
* Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper
* Francesca Vierling Mystery
Living in South Florida has not improved her character. But it has given her the bestselling Dead-End Job series. Like her amateur detective, Helen Hawthorne, Elaine actually works those rotten jobs. Perhaps her early training has given her a lifelong fascination with jobs. She and Helen both know working for a living can be murder.
To research her novels, Elaine has been everything from a salesclerk to a survey taker. Her first book in the series is SHOP TILL YOU DROP, a novel of sex, murder and plastic surgery. It's set at a fashionable dress shop that caters to kept women. Book two, MURDER BETWEEN THE COVERS, takes place at a bookstore. Elaine worked at a Barnes & Noble in Hollywood, Florida, for a year.
For the third, DYING TO CALL YOU, Helen works as a telemarketer. Elaine sold septic tank cleaner and did telephone surveys. She actually asked women if they shaved their armpits. In the fourth Dead-End Job mystery, JUST MURDERED, Elaine and Helen explore big-money matrimony for better or worse. Elaine did her research in Zola Keller’s posh bridal salon in Fort Lauderdale.
For the fifth novel, Elaine and Helen go to the dogs. MURDER UNLEASHED is set at a high-end dog boutique, where people spend two hundred dollars for canine cuisine, women sneak illegal pets into condos using high-priced designer purses, and the dogs at the store have bigger wardrobes than the salesclerks. MURDER UNLEASHED is Elaine's first hardcover mystery. Publishers Weekly calls it “wry social commentary.”
Although Elaine lives in Fort Lauderdale, her heart – and her viewpoint – remain in the Midwest. Like Helen Hawthorne, another transplanted St. Louisan, she observes the outrageously rich Florida culture (and lack thereof) with wide-eyed fascination.
Elaine’s second series takes her back to work in St. Louis. It features Josie Marcus, a mystery shopper and single mom. The debut novel, DYING IN STYLE, tied with Stephen King on the bestseller list for the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association.
Elaine won both the Agatha and the Anthony Awards for her short story, "Wedding Knife," in CHESAPEAKE CRIMES.
Some honors don’t come with plaques and award banquets. Elaine was thrilled when her short story, "After the Fall," was featured on the same cover of the Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine as the master, Ed Hoch.
Her short story, "Red Meat," is in BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS, the Mystery Writers of America anthology edited by Lawrence Block. "Blonde Moment" is in the MWA anthology, SHOW BUSINESS IS MURDER, edited by Stuart Kaminsky. "Sex and Bingo" is featured in the HIGH STAKES gambling anthology. And if you've ever wondered about the early life of purple-loving landlady Margery Flax, read "Killer Blonde" in DROP-DEAD BLONDE.
Elaine has served on the national boards of the Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. She lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with her husband, actor Don Crinklaw, where they collect speeding tickets.
Please buy her novels so she can pay her MasterCard.
Series:
* Dead-End Job Mystery
* Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper
* Francesca Vierling Mystery
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
June 5, 2020
It does not quite fit the cozy mystery genre but is not far from it. The death isn't too graphic and there is no other violence. I did enjoy the twists and turns and couldn't settle for a decision who the murderer was until he was revealed.
Angela and Mario are very likable characters which I would love to meet again.
Angela and Mario are very likable characters which I would love to meet again.
March 19, 2025
This one was really good. There was the big arc: who killed the aging Hollywood star? And there was also several very interesting mini mysteries involving both rich and poorer residents in this town.
Angela has found a new man, but is afraid to even let go of her departed husband.
She also realizes that people on both sides of the track can be vicious, vindictive and jealous.
Angela has found a new man, but is afraid to even let go of her departed husband.
She also realizes that people on both sides of the track can be vicious, vindictive and jealous.
April 6, 2020
Angela Richman reluctantly spends some of her time off from her job as death investigator to attend the one-woman show of fading 1960s movie star, Jessica Gray. Angela goes to support her friend Mario Garcia who is Ms. Gray’s local hair stylist while she performs in St. Louis. Angela doesn’t care for Jessica’s mean-spirited humor and is appalled when she humiliates three homeless women up on stage as part of her show. Later, Angela learns that the star’s seemingly devoted entourage actually despise their controlling and vindictive boss. However, when Jessica dies in her limo on her way to return to California, it’s Angela’s friend Mario who becomes the prime suspect. Now Angela is determined to find the true killer to keep Mario from paying for a crime he didn’t commit.
I loved each of the prior books in this series which is set in Chouteau Forest, a fictional upscale suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. Some of the places in the book, such as the “Fabulous Lux Theater” are based on real St. Louis landmarks. This book stands on its own even if you haven’t read the prior books. For readers familiar with the author’s other series, the book isn’t what I would call graphic, but definitely not as cozy as booka in her “Dead End Job” or the “Mystery Shopper” series. Fortunately, the serious moments are interspersed with some humor to help lighten the overall mood of the book.
Angela is easy to like. She’s good at her job, a loyal friend, and an intelligent woman who still grieves her late husband. In addition to trying to solve Jessica’s murder on the side, the book also includes details of Angela working on other assigned cases that are part of her work as a death investigator. I enjoyed the other cases Angela works on as much as the main plot of the book. The story also shines a light on the differences between the “haves” and have-nots” in the wealthy St. Louis suburb. There are clues given in the the case of Jessica’s murder but there everyone in Jessica’s circle of friends are viable suspects, so I was kept guessing until the end. I liked the way the killer was unveiled and enjoyed the epilogue which gives a long-term look ahead at what happens to some of the characters in the story. I really like this installment in this well-written, well-researched book and hope this series continues. I would rate the book 4.5 stars.
I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of Severn House. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
I loved each of the prior books in this series which is set in Chouteau Forest, a fictional upscale suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. Some of the places in the book, such as the “Fabulous Lux Theater” are based on real St. Louis landmarks. This book stands on its own even if you haven’t read the prior books. For readers familiar with the author’s other series, the book isn’t what I would call graphic, but definitely not as cozy as booka in her “Dead End Job” or the “Mystery Shopper” series. Fortunately, the serious moments are interspersed with some humor to help lighten the overall mood of the book.
Angela is easy to like. She’s good at her job, a loyal friend, and an intelligent woman who still grieves her late husband. In addition to trying to solve Jessica’s murder on the side, the book also includes details of Angela working on other assigned cases that are part of her work as a death investigator. I enjoyed the other cases Angela works on as much as the main plot of the book. The story also shines a light on the differences between the “haves” and have-nots” in the wealthy St. Louis suburb. There are clues given in the the case of Jessica’s murder but there everyone in Jessica’s circle of friends are viable suspects, so I was kept guessing until the end. I liked the way the killer was unveiled and enjoyed the epilogue which gives a long-term look ahead at what happens to some of the characters in the story. I really like this installment in this well-written, well-researched book and hope this series continues. I would rate the book 4.5 stars.
I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of Severn House. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
February 27, 2020
Angela Richman series
I’m an Elaine Viets fan and have come to love the Angela Richman series. This series is grittier than a cozy mystery. A Star is Dead is, to me, the most complicated book in the series so far. Angela is a death investigator and the reader is taken through the crime scene as Angela does her investigation. There is more than one murder to investigate and some are connected. When Angela’s friend Carlos is arrested, she uses her skill to determine who is guilty. Thank you Elaine for the summary chapter at the end. There are only 3 books and 1 novella in this series. Book 3 could be read as a stand alone but I recommend reading the first 2 books to get a feel for the characters and the locale.
I’m an Elaine Viets fan and have come to love the Angela Richman series. This series is grittier than a cozy mystery. A Star is Dead is, to me, the most complicated book in the series so far. Angela is a death investigator and the reader is taken through the crime scene as Angela does her investigation. There is more than one murder to investigate and some are connected. When Angela’s friend Carlos is arrested, she uses her skill to determine who is guilty. Thank you Elaine for the summary chapter at the end. There are only 3 books and 1 novella in this series. Book 3 could be read as a stand alone but I recommend reading the first 2 books to get a feel for the characters and the locale.
October 6, 2020
Although I didn't like this book as much as the earlier ones in the series (and several other books by the same author), I will continue to buy and read her mysteries. My only real objection to this one was that the victim, most of the suspects, and some of the other characters were so unpleasant that I just didn't want to spend time with them. But the plot was ingenious and the details of protagonist Angela Richman's job as a death investigator in suburban St. Louis were fascinating as always. Still recommended!
April 25, 2023
The Angela Richman, Death Investigator Mystery series by Elaine Viets is a great series to get lost into. Readers cannot help but fall in love with Angela Richman, her job, her friends, and the cases she handles and the ones that she inserts herself into.....and in A Star Is Dead Angela gets herself deep into a death investigation.
In the fourth book in this series A Star Is Dead Hollywood Superstar Jessica Gray is performing her one-woman show in St. Louis and Angela is invited to the show by her very talented hairdresser, Mario. Mario is over the moon excited that he has been chosen to do Jessica's hair for the show. Little does Angela know that Jessica is a horrible person. But she soon learns that when Jessica parades three homeless women onto the stage and treats them poorly.
Angela wants nothing to do with the "superstar" but Mario talks her into going with him to the after party at the home of Reggie Du Pres, the center of the exclusive neighborhood called the Forest. While at the party Jessica becomes ill and is rushed to the hospital. At the hospital she is surrounded by Mario and three of Jessica's assistants. Jessica signs herself out of the hospital because she cannot wait to get out of the hick town but on the way to the airport she becomes very sick and they turn the limo around and take her back to the hospital. Unfortunately Jessica is pronounced dead and it is being ruled murder. Luckily Mario had called Angela and the entire episode was recorded on Angela's phone. But her phone was dropped and she wasn't able to recover the video ..... and Angela's least favorite detective is on the case and arrests Mario for Jessica's murder.
Angela knows that Mario did not kill Jessica and decides to look into the murder. Unfortunately it turns out that none of Jessica's assistants liked her very much and it seems they all have reasons to want her out of their lives.....but were they willing to murder her ??
Readers cannot help but love this series. To follow around Angela and see her at her job, a death investigator is very interesting and provides great entertainment. And it seems there are always deaths to investigate in the Forest. Readers will love, and hate, the characters in these stories and you will want to grab the next book as soon as you finish the current one you are reading.
In the fourth book in this series A Star Is Dead Hollywood Superstar Jessica Gray is performing her one-woman show in St. Louis and Angela is invited to the show by her very talented hairdresser, Mario. Mario is over the moon excited that he has been chosen to do Jessica's hair for the show. Little does Angela know that Jessica is a horrible person. But she soon learns that when Jessica parades three homeless women onto the stage and treats them poorly.
Angela wants nothing to do with the "superstar" but Mario talks her into going with him to the after party at the home of Reggie Du Pres, the center of the exclusive neighborhood called the Forest. While at the party Jessica becomes ill and is rushed to the hospital. At the hospital she is surrounded by Mario and three of Jessica's assistants. Jessica signs herself out of the hospital because she cannot wait to get out of the hick town but on the way to the airport she becomes very sick and they turn the limo around and take her back to the hospital. Unfortunately Jessica is pronounced dead and it is being ruled murder. Luckily Mario had called Angela and the entire episode was recorded on Angela's phone. But her phone was dropped and she wasn't able to recover the video ..... and Angela's least favorite detective is on the case and arrests Mario for Jessica's murder.
Angela knows that Mario did not kill Jessica and decides to look into the murder. Unfortunately it turns out that none of Jessica's assistants liked her very much and it seems they all have reasons to want her out of their lives.....but were they willing to murder her ??
Readers cannot help but love this series. To follow around Angela and see her at her job, a death investigator is very interesting and provides great entertainment. And it seems there are always deaths to investigate in the Forest. Readers will love, and hate, the characters in these stories and you will want to grab the next book as soon as you finish the current one you are reading.
March 22, 2020
I have read and enjoyed all of Elaine Viets' cozy mysteries but had not read any of the series featuring death investigator Angela Richman. I plan to find the previous two books in this series so I can find out what I have missed. While I do like cozies, give me a well written grittier mystery and I'm a happy reader. This worked fine as a stand alone but I may have gotten even more out of A Star is Dead if I knew the characters a bit better.
Jessica Gray has arrived in Chouteau Forest and the town is excited. Jessica is a Hollywood star but not a nice person in any way. No surprise that she leaves town as a corpse. This was to be her last stop on her tour and somebody wants her dead. Was it a member of her entourage who was fed up with the way she mistreated them? Was it one of the homeless women she hired and then very cruelly embarrassed on stage? Was it somebody even closer to her? When Jessica dies and the cause is poisoning, Angela gets the case. When the police focus their investigation on her friend, Mario, arresting him for the murder, Angela disregards the rules and starts her own investigation to keep Mario off of death row.
Several cases cross paths with each other and I was drawn into all of it, wanting to read just one more chapter until it was well past my bedtime. The sign of a well written mystery. Now I have added the previous titles to my TBR list so I can find out what I have been missing.
My thanks to the publisher Severn House and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
Jessica Gray has arrived in Chouteau Forest and the town is excited. Jessica is a Hollywood star but not a nice person in any way. No surprise that she leaves town as a corpse. This was to be her last stop on her tour and somebody wants her dead. Was it a member of her entourage who was fed up with the way she mistreated them? Was it one of the homeless women she hired and then very cruelly embarrassed on stage? Was it somebody even closer to her? When Jessica dies and the cause is poisoning, Angela gets the case. When the police focus their investigation on her friend, Mario, arresting him for the murder, Angela disregards the rules and starts her own investigation to keep Mario off of death row.
Several cases cross paths with each other and I was drawn into all of it, wanting to read just one more chapter until it was well past my bedtime. The sign of a well written mystery. Now I have added the previous titles to my TBR list so I can find out what I have been missing.
My thanks to the publisher Severn House and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
May 7, 2020
Princess Fuzzypants here: 60’s star Jessica Grey, ageless diva, is in town for a one woman show and to hawk her line of beauty products. She is quite the actress hiding her evil soul and her mean spirit. Angela attends the show with her friend who has been enlisted to do the diva’s hair while she is in town. She watches as the harridan humiliates bag ladies on stage before lambasting her own entourage. So when Jessica is poisoned by her own potions, there is no shortage of suspects who might want her dead. But Angela’s friend is framed for the murder and ends up in jail, his life and business in tatters, and facing the death penalty.
As a Death Investigator Angela knows her way around a crime scene. Now she needs to learn how to navigate the viper’s pit of the Hollywood legend and her hangers on. Perhaps, I am giving vipers a bad name. This is a nasty heartless trio and Angela could believe any one of them might have done the deed. Jessica provided both means and motive.
Angela is a cool heroine. She is excellent at her job and it’s interesting background going through her processes at a crime scene. She is smart and savvy and tough but she also skates on thin ice. Interfering in an investigation could get her fired but when the detective assigned to the murder is the most lazy and incompetent on the force, Angela feels she must help defend her friend and the best way is to find the real killer.
It’s a fast and fun read- perfection for the days of isolation. Four purrs and two paws up.
As a Death Investigator Angela knows her way around a crime scene. Now she needs to learn how to navigate the viper’s pit of the Hollywood legend and her hangers on. Perhaps, I am giving vipers a bad name. This is a nasty heartless trio and Angela could believe any one of them might have done the deed. Jessica provided both means and motive.
Angela is a cool heroine. She is excellent at her job and it’s interesting background going through her processes at a crime scene. She is smart and savvy and tough but she also skates on thin ice. Interfering in an investigation could get her fired but when the detective assigned to the murder is the most lazy and incompetent on the force, Angela feels she must help defend her friend and the best way is to find the real killer.
It’s a fast and fun read- perfection for the days of isolation. Four purrs and two paws up.
April 5, 2020
A fascinating fourth book in the Angela Richman series. Angela is a death investigator for the Chouteau County Coroner. As a death investigator, she concentrates on the physical evidence of the body while the police handle the crime scene. She gets involved in several cases, but the most prominent is the death of Jessica Gray, a Hollywood personality. Jessica has managed to make enemies wherever she goes so there is no shortage of suspects. When Angela’s friend is arrested for the murder, she risks her own life to search for the evidence to find the murderer and clear her friend. I have read and enjoyed each book in this series and this is another unique, complex and twisted case that will keep you turning the page. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)
March 2, 2020
A Star is Dead (An Angela Richman, Death Investigator mystery) by Elaine Viets
So much bitterness, leading to so much trouble. Aging star on tour to promote health and beauty products, Jessica is rude and cruel to staff, and even more so to the homeless “models” she recruits for her show. Mario was so excited to be asked to do her hair, but is almost ruined in the aftermath. Angela defies protocol to investigate on his behalf, a lesson in loyalty. Thank goodness for good friends helping one another!
I love that clues from one case help solve another, as life’s problems so often do, and that no one is immune to consequences, even if they think they are. There were good side lessons in the dangers of “vaping,” cross-contamination of allergens, and abusive spouses.
The only problem with Elaine Viets’ books is the one my grandma had with her baked goods, “They don’t keep well.” No matter how much one might want to savor slowly, it’s impossible. Over too soon, and now I’m waiting for the next one . . . and for the Dessert Fairy to arrive.
So much bitterness, leading to so much trouble. Aging star on tour to promote health and beauty products, Jessica is rude and cruel to staff, and even more so to the homeless “models” she recruits for her show. Mario was so excited to be asked to do her hair, but is almost ruined in the aftermath. Angela defies protocol to investigate on his behalf, a lesson in loyalty. Thank goodness for good friends helping one another!
I love that clues from one case help solve another, as life’s problems so often do, and that no one is immune to consequences, even if they think they are. There were good side lessons in the dangers of “vaping,” cross-contamination of allergens, and abusive spouses.
The only problem with Elaine Viets’ books is the one my grandma had with her baked goods, “They don’t keep well.” No matter how much one might want to savor slowly, it’s impossible. Over too soon, and now I’m waiting for the next one . . . and for the Dessert Fairy to arrive.
March 27, 2020
Jessica Gray was a hateful woman- a Hollywood star who thinks only of herself- who came to town to promote her business and ended up poisoned. Angela, a death investigator, is on the case and she doubles down when her friend Mario, who was hired to do Jessica's hair, is arrested. This is very much a classic cozy- Jessica alienated a lot of people, Mario is innocent, and Angela is intrepid. It's distinguished by Angela's personal circumstances. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Nicely written and plotted, it's a quick read that will keep you turning the pages (it's also fine as a standalone).
July 7, 2022
Before she packed up and moved to Florida, Elaine Viets was my favorite newspaper columnist. After the great escape she began publishing mysteries set in Florida and in the St. Louis area. Her earlier St. Louis mysteries provide St. Louis any opportunities to read about real neighborhoods and home town hot spots. In her latest book Viets disguises and combines characteristics of suburbs, hospitals and restaurants while Angela Richman, a death investigator, solves several murder cases and clears her friend Mario of a homicide charge. Wry humor and Angela’s loyalty to her friends make this a quick, enjoyable read.
March 16, 2020
Angela Richman
Another really good mystery in this series. When an aging actress starts a line of nutritional products and comes to Choteau County, Missiouri (The Forest) she ends up murdered. Angela's friend Mario is charged with the murder so Angela sets out to find the real killer. How Angela solves the actress' murder and the murder of a homeless woman humiliated by the actress makes for a very intriguing story. I have really enjoyed this series and this book is another great addition to the series. Highly recommend this book.
Another really good mystery in this series. When an aging actress starts a line of nutritional products and comes to Choteau County, Missiouri (The Forest) she ends up murdered. Angela's friend Mario is charged with the murder so Angela sets out to find the real killer. How Angela solves the actress' murder and the murder of a homeless woman humiliated by the actress makes for a very intriguing story. I have really enjoyed this series and this book is another great addition to the series. Highly recommend this book.
April 6, 2020
An engaging and clever mystery. The smaller stories within the main tale added to the interest without being what some authors use to add words. They tend to pad the word count with clothing and food descriptions, crafting details, etc. Elaine Viets adds intriguing side issues throughout. The epilogue wrapping up the ending to them all was greatly appreciated. As one cares about these individuals even though they are not the main characters. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley.
April 18, 2020
I'm an Elaine Viets fan and I enjoy the Angela Richman mysteries. Angela is a death investigator in her small Missouri town near St. Louis. When an aging movie star comes to town, her good friend salon owner, Mario, is asked to do the star's hair. But when Jessica dies a horrible death and Mario is accused of the murder, Angela jumps into action to clear Mario and find the real killer, but who did it? Could it have been someone in her entourage or one of the homeless women that Jessica humiliated during her one-woman show? Along the way, Angela has a couple of other death cases to work while trying not to get in the way of the detective who has it out for Angela. It's a great read.
June 5, 2022
Angela Richman is an interesting main character with an unusual job. She is a death investigator and gets called out to crime scenes to examine the body before it is removed from the scene. Before reading this series I didn't know this job existed. The mystery in this book is intriguing and left me wondering how the crime was committed and who was responsible. I was kept guessing until the end. This book can be read as a stand alone, but the series is so good that I recommend starting with the first book and reading them in order.
June 10, 2020
A movie star is in town!! Angela gets a ticket to her new comedy show with a friend and discovers that the star is rude! She embarrasses some homeless women on stage. And then she treats her employees like trash. So it’s no wonder that she ends up dead. But how did she die? And who killed her? It’s a race to find the killer before her team leaves to go back to California. I really like this author! With every book she keeps me guessing!
December 31, 2021
#3 in the Angela Richman, Death Investigator series. Aging diva Jessica Gray is finishing her one-woman show tour in St. Louis, during which she humiliates 3 homeless women on stage. After the show she collapses, is taken to the hospital, leaves against medical advice, collapses again and dies. But this time poison is involved, and Angela's friend Mario is accused of murder. Naturally it's up to Angela to solve the crime and clear her friend.
March 12, 2020
It was an entertaining and engrossing read that kept me hooked till the end.
I liked the plot that flows, the cast of characters and the solid mystery that kept me guessing.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
I liked the plot that flows, the cast of characters and the solid mystery that kept me guessing.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
March 13, 2020
This new series feels lackluster and awkward, and lacks the charm of its predecessors. I give Elaine kudos for struggling back after a devastating stroke, but her writing’s not the same.
March 20, 2020
It was fine. I figured out the main murder long before Angela.
May 13, 2020
Another great book. We had a lot of interesting twists and turns, which keep Angela very busy......
June 27, 2020
This is the first book I read from the series, loaned to me by a friend. It was somewhat entertaining and since I am having difficulty reading these corona months, it passed some time for me.
October 8, 2021
Listened to the audiobook. Multiple death investigations in this story. Earlier books were better, but still expect to seek out other books by this author.
August 4, 2022
Took quite a while to get to the mystery, over 25% of the book. Pretty predictable IMO.
August 21, 2022
The killer was not one I suspected. I hate when I guess the end before I get there or why.
March 5, 2023
A star is dead... and so are quite a few others. I enjoyed catching up with DI Richman, and I wish my library would do the same and get the rest of this series.
June 24, 2023
A decent book. Quick read but not as interesting as the others of hers that I've read.
September 16, 2023
*Listened on audiobook*
This is a good addition to the Angela Richman Death Investigator series. Angela manages to help figure out several smaller mysteries in addition to the main one.
This is a good addition to the Angela Richman Death Investigator series. Angela manages to help figure out several smaller mysteries in addition to the main one.
February 29, 2024
3.5 stars. Enjoy this series.
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