Larger Than Death

Josephine Fuller #1

by Lynne Murray

Meet Josephine Fuller, a queen-sized amateur sleuth out to tip the scales of justice.

Introducing "Jo" Fuller, a woman who's full-figured, full of attitude and always ready to use her sizable sluething skills. Jo's just landed a new job as a philanthropic investigator, checking out potential charities for an eccentric socialite. But just as she gets her feet wet, Joe walks in on a terrible scene. Her best friend Nina--a clothing designer for large ladies--is lying dead in her own apartment.

Could Nina be the latest victim of a killer targeting voluptuous women? Or is the murder personal? When Jo moves into Nina's apartment to settle her affairs and take care of Nina's cat, she encounters a bizarre host of neighbors and an unexpected romance. As fingers point in every direction, Jo races to stop a ruthless murderer from closing in on the big kill.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

I'm the author of
Runaway Dragonette (what if "the Bachelorette" was a shapeshifting dragon princess?),
Valkyrie on Planet Fury (why the Furies make really bad hostesses),
Gravitas: Valkyrie in the Forbidden Zone (a unique look at human-alien First Contact),
Valkyrie in the Demon Realm (demons and aphrodisiacs don't mix),
The Falstaff Vampire Files (Sir John Falstaff, undead and misbehaving in San Francisco),
The Bride of the Living Dead (a romantic comedy for women who love monster movies too much),
and four books in the mystery series featuring Josephine Fuller, sleuth of size who doesn't apologize
Larger Than Death, Large Target, At Large and A Ton of Trouble.

Newspapers and magazines have published my essays, reviews and interviews--including my favorite with Darlene Cates, star of "What's Eating Gilbert Grape"! Many of these short pieces can be found on my web page. I live in San Francisco. When not writing, I can be found reading and spoiling my cats.

Reviews

[Rebecca]

SO much fun! How refreshing to find a sassy, attractive, plus-sized heroine who is living life large, apologizing to no one, and taking no prisoners!

[Melanie Page]

Overall, I found Lynne Murray’s characters honest portrayals of people affected by grief and fatphobia. That Murray managed to write a murder mystery in which the main character doesn’t turn amateur sleuth is even better! Highly recommended.

Check out the full review at Grab the Lapels.

[Johnna]

1st in the Josephine Fuller mystery series

[Amy Rosenkoetter]

I really enjoyed this first offering in the Josephine Fuller series. Jo makes for a likeable, sympathetic character: pleasant, intelligent, compassionate, passionate, energetic, and a host of other positive qualities. I love that this is a size-positive series. There are so few heroines out there who are not described as slim, slender, willowy, or some other romanticized synonym for thin, yet are somehow inanely bemoaning about how they're ten pounds overweight (oh, please), have "unruly" curls, or are still jealous of their even prettier best friends. YUCK. Jo is SUCH a breath of fresh air!

I'm kind of sorry we didn't get to know the victim better firsthand because she seemed pretty fascinating herself. I liked who we discovered her to be. I think there is fodder for some flashbacks here.

The mystery was very well crafted and interesting to follow, with just enough red herrings to keep you guessing.

I liked it so well I downloaded #2 as soon as I finished this one!

[Dee]

This is the first book in the series. I should have read this one before reading the 3rd book. I liked the explanations, although sometimes I think I need to take notes to keep track of all the cast of characters, but I finally got them all straight and enjoyed the story. I can honestly say that I don't figure out the killer(s) right away and I like trying to unravel the mystery. I enjoy the colorful characters, whether they be "large" or otherwise. I'm now reading book 2. Nothing like doing things a little out of order.

[Sally]

Pretty good...kept me interested until the very end.