A Pointed Death

by Kath Russell

In A Pointed Death, biotech consultant Nola Billingsley discovers that one of her clients is stealing proprietary information from other startups. When the scion of a prominent Chinese-American family is murdered, Nola is convinced his death stems from his employment at the company pilfering scientific secrets. Nola seeks the identity of the killer and the destination of the purloined genetic data. Lanky fraud investigator Robert Harrison wants her to leave sleuthing to the professionals and leap in bed with him, but hardheaded Nola is convinced she and her band of biotech pals can solve the mystery. When the going gets tough and danger looms, she has her shorthaired pointer Skootch to watch her back as the action accelerates from lab to ocean's edge in San Francisco, the city where biotech was born. A Pointed Death is a funny, sexy who-done-it set in a smart industry, a 'Malice Corporate' unfolding in a town everyone loves but secretly believes is in need of its own twelve-step program.

Genres: Mystery

354 pages, Paperback

First published August 24, 2010

Reviews

[Katharine]

I wrote this novel, so I can't review it, but, needless to say, I read it 17 times...

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Pointed Death
By
Kath Russell


SYNOPSIS...from the book...

Set against a wild and wacky backdrop of San Francisco, the epicenter of the biotech industry, A Pointed Death tells a smart funny and chilling story of espionage and modern love. Techno whiz Nola Billingsley finds her former employee, an amoral creep who stole secrets from startups, murdered. She begins a flirtation with the inspector assigned to the case and counts Skootch...her dog...to watch her back as she is hurled into a world of danger and deceit.
This book is the first in the Pointer Mystery Series.

MY THOUGHTS...

I was not sure how I was going to feel about this book...the biotech stuff is totally not my thing...but I have to admit that this book took me by surprise. I loved the main character...Nola...totally loved Skootch...who is full of mischief and a huge personality...other than one teeny little minor off putting bodily function. This you will have to read about on your own...it is definitely in the realm of bathroom humor but so much fun. I totally loved Nola's mom...Janie Belle, who is an 80 year old church going whiskey drinking straight talking Southern Mama.

This book opens up quite dramatically. Nola finds someone who worked for her...sort of lifeless...to say the least. Of course, Nola is caught up in all of the events that lead to this death. The victim...Roger...cheated her company, had a mysterious companion, had a mysterious past and had access to a mysterious natural herb...which Skootch somehow manages to devour. This event also turns into another humorous event involving lovable adorable Skootch.

Nola is a realistic and sympathetic heroine. She has flaws that Spanx cannot always fix. She enjoys food and friends, puts up with her mom and yearns to be in love. Some of her yearnings and needs are met by a special investigator on temporary assignment in San Francisco...another problem for Nola. Their relationship develops as Nola gets involved in the mysteries of this crime. Despite being "wacky" Nola is smart and savvy and seemingly in charge of her life until the events of this crime sort of lead her into a one adventurous mishap after another as she works to find out what happened and why it happened to Roger.

I loved the San Francisco setting. We lived in San Francisco for about three years so it was exciting to read about places and areas and even restaurants that were known to me. I loved all of those references. I could almost smell this city. The entire book was a wild romp and a well told mystery at the same time. I was able to take Nola and her circumstances seriously while having tons of fun reading about her antics...and of course those of Scootch and Janie Belle. I was caught up in the story. It was well told. I had a delightful time reading A Pointed Death. The author made sure we knew that Nola was a woman...with flaws and concerns and doubts about herself while dealing with this major upset in her life. Nola never had anything to wear, she covered up spots on her shirt with a scarf, and she had an appetite for sex and food. She was fun and witty and sarcastic and real. I was reminded a bit of Lillian Jackson Braun's Siamese cat mysteries and also of Diane Mott Davidson's Goldy Bear Culinary mysteries. Kath Russell can hold her own with any of these authors. She has written a fun and exciting mystery with a totally new twist.



I am going to look forward to the next book in this lovely yet "wacky" series.

[Ron Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great first book. Great story, great setting, great characters.

[Jason · Rating 1 out of 5]

I listen to many audio books. Mainly in the "Thriller" genera. I found this book to be simply grueling. On and on about nothing. From feeding the dog to searching her wardrobe for something to wear, from overly wordy descriptions to long stretches of nothing happening... I couldn't gather anything of interest. I tend to finish stories even if they don't catch my attention but at the halfway point of this book I was so tempted to just give up seeking the plot, give up on the paper thin characters and turn away from the "what may come" that keeps me involved in the most mundane books. The main character's (what's her name?) mother and her dog had some charm but the rest of the book could have been winnowed down to a pamphlet.

[Fiona Forthe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the characters (including the dog, of course!) and most of the story. The ending was too pat, and the author needs a better editor: bears are grizzly, not gruesome scenes (which should be grisly)!

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nola's dot com company has just went kaput, and part of the reason was because one of her employees, Roger Chen, was stealing from her. So while on a walk with her pointer dog ,Skootch E. Hurry ,she finds a body minus a head slumped on a bench, as she is running away she trips over something, you guessed it, she just found the corpse's head.Whats worse is the corpse, and head, for that matter belongs to the employee who was stealing from her.
While normally unlucky in love Nola is surprised when Harrison,the detective that was in charge of the fraud case against Chen, gives her a call and asks her for a date. Perhaps her luck is about to change where men are concerned. She soon finds herself drawn into the mystery of who murdered Chen, and what secrets he was hiding.When she enlists some of her bio-tech friends to help figure it out, they soon realize their is a conspiracy that includes foreign government. Harrison keeps warning her to leave the case to the professionals, will the budding relationship between the two withstand her snooping errr, sleuthing?

Nola's character was so much fun! There was no way that she could be overly serious, I mean come on she is 48, living at home with her transplanted 80 year old southern belle mother Janie Belle, whose days consisted of doing various things for her church, drinking bourbon, and dispensing fashion advice to Nola.

She also lives with her pointer dog, Skootch E. Hurry, who she rescued from SPCA. The reason she took him home was because she felt sorry for him, he had wagged his tail so hard against the cage it bled. This dog suffers from an amazingly bad case of reoccurring flatulence, he is a spoiled rotten dog that loves nothing better than to eat off of peoples plates, and Janie Belle swears he is really a con artist in doggy clothing.Although she is crazy about him. The scenes revolving around Skootch and his inhaling the libido enhancing herbs were out of this world funny, not to mention his fear of horses or the fights he had with sea-gulls.
While this story involves the world of biotechnology, something I knew absolutely nothing about, it really didn't matter because the author writes in such a way that I became totally absorbed in the story anyway, actually by the end of the story I felt like I had learned a bit, oh heck who am I kidding, I still know nothing about biotechnology, but it doesn't matter, what I do know is that the by the end of the story I was totally shocked at who the killer actually was! It was something that I didn't see coming at all, and I loved how Skootch was always around to help save the day for Nola.
A great story with very well developed characters, and a plot that will keep you guessing. I fell in love with Skootch, Nola and Janie Belle, and anxiously await the next story in The Pointer Mystery Series.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A Pointed Death" takes me to unfamiliar territory as far as the biotech industry is concerned... The fact that the main character of Nora Billingsley is an absolute whiz in the field makes for some confusing reading when things get technical here and there but all in all it does not create any problems with enjoying the mystery thriller as it unfolds... Nora is almost 50, lives at home with her 80 year old very feisty southern belle Mom Janie Belle and the comic relief of the story her dog Skootch...
I was vastly entertained throughout the story with the antics of Nora's Mom and sidekick pointer dog Skootch... Could not help but feel impressed with her sleuthing skills and her determination to find the truth no matter the cost to her budding relationship! There is a quality to this book that makes it very easy to sit down and just power through page after page trying to discover right along with Nola and her associates what is going on... For sure you will never see the punch line ending that ties all of the clues together and at the end when the murderer is revealed you never see it coming, and yet the person is a perfectly logical choice when you understand the motivation behind the crime... The greater shock of Industrial Espionage that is revealed and the far reaching consequences of what would happen if the plot ever reached fruition is something that made me sick to think about, when you read it you will be too!
I have to admit that I requested this book for review because it featured a 40-something female who has a canine sidekick... The blurb sounded intriguing and the story sounded like a fun read that had some drama and mystery along with the humor... I also could not resist the San Francisco setting as have never been there and this book lets me get a slight "taste" without the expense of travel... The story proved to be engaging, sometimes more so due to the description of the surroundings and food available. This did not detract from the plot but made the reading actually more enjoyable than a "dry recounting" of the steps taken to solve the mystery of who actually murdered Nola's former employee! The subplots and romance between Nola and Detective Harrison along with the irresistible antics of her loyal dog Skootch just added to the lightness of the read! When the next book takes up where this one left off I would very much like to see what kind of adventure Nola and Skootch have in store for us to take with them!

Author's Web Site

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Check out my post on my blog: http://cherylbaryl.blogspot.com/2011/...

I love a good mystery book and I was not disappointed at all with this one! I was so lucky to have gotten the chance to review this book through the Pump Up Your Book Tour!


Nola Billingsley takes her dog out for a walk and finds a dead body. It happens to be her former employee. Her dog Skootch was the one who sniffed and found the body. He pointed at the park bench where it was. That was the first time he ever pointed at anything besides the refrigerator. The former employee's name was Roger. We find out in this book that he was stealing from the company. But the big question is who killed Roger and why?


I loved Skootch. He is a dog with so much personality. It was so cute how Nola would go out to eat and bring back a doggie bag for Skootch. He always expected it too!


Roger was involved with more than one company. A part of the book I thought was so funny was when Nola found herbs addressed to Roger from The Ancient Turtle Company. The instructions on the herbs were to ingest them 3 hours before sex and they would improve your sex life. Well, good ol' Skootch gets ahold of these herbs.


"What's the matter with you?" I studied the panting pointer. Suddenly I realized, It must be the elixir causing this eruption of libido. I grabbed Skootch's snout and turned his eyes up to me so that he could see my disgust. Just when I thought I had his attention, his sex-crazed pupils snapped to the left, he jerked his head from my hands and took off. (p.196)



Nola ends up trying to investigate the case herself. She is a technology whiz and gets herself in some pretty sticky situations, but she is quite the investigator. Of course there is a detective assigned to the case, Detective Harrison. Nola and Detective Harrison fall for each other. Of course Nola lives with her mom Janie Belle, so it's a little tough taking a man home when you are living with your mother!


If you enjoy a good mystery, be sure to check out this book. It had a great mix of mystery, romance, and humor. My favorite character had to be Skootch. How could you not love him? I look forward to this series and hope we get to see Nola and Skootch again!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not usually a fan of mysteries. They often seem like pre-scripted storylines with fill-in-the-blank characters and place names. Not so with this book. The mystery that Nola Billingsley finds herself in the midst of is set against a background of dot-com start-up corporations and the biotechnology industry. I was intrigued right away by the biotechnology aspects thanks to some education in biology myself. Russell often goes into the technical details of this thriving industry, which I think can slow a reader down who does not already understand much of this terminology.

Many of the characters are unique, if a bit cliche - such as Nola's southern belle mother, Janie Belle. I also found it odd that Nola mostly referred to her mother by her first name instead of simply calling her Mother or Mom. Nola's pointer dog, Skootch, often stole the show with his antics, but the plot seems to depend on Skootch's behavior for its progression.

Other parts of the book that I enjoyed for their own sake was the details that Russell used to bring the setting of San Francisco to life, such as the California cuisine. The polarization of Nola's choice of foods in comparison to her mother's southern cooking made for some interesting situations, and one scene at a crab festival had me salivating in jealousy. Russell is very good with details and descriptions across the board.

As for the plot, there was very little to disappoint. There was not much I could predict, no matter how many times I thought I knew what would happen next. The action was intense at times, but it was interspersed with bits of humor and romance to lighten the tension. Most of the subplots wrapped up nicely, with only a bit left over for a second book in the series to pick up. The only real question that I had that was never answered was what Nola's dot-com company actually did before it crashed. This likely was not relevant enough to the plot to be worth including.

On the whole, I was delighted that this book was a much better read than I expected it to be.

[Sheli Ellsworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Does happiness depend on love? Dr. River Smith delves into the importance of love, how to get it, and how to keep it. //A Conspiracy to Love// starts with the therapeutic notion that everyone deserves joy and happiness. But where does happiness come from? Does it originate from something we are lacking?
Smith offers advice and guidelines: on learning to be thankful for what you already have; on asking for what you want; on defining happiness; on what role does love play in happiness. The author also takes into account people who are broken and damaged with several chapters on healing, starting with the idea of giving ourselves permission to feel our emotions whether they are a result of abuse, or poor or ignorant parenting. He encourages people to meditate, dance, eat a vegan diet, and consider alternative healing methods like Reiki and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT).
Believing that most people are manipulated by fear, Smith encourages facing what scares us the most. He gives as an example the belief that American leaders have demonized certain groups like Al Qaida in order to frighten Americans into spending billions of dollars “trying to protect ourselves from the big attacks that never come.” He also asserts that the Cold War was simply a result of irrational fears formed after World War II.
How do we find happiness? According to Smith, “Love is the answer—even when I forget what the question is.” Smith also quotes A.J. Muste’s theory of love, “If I can’t love Hitler, I can’t love at all,”
explaining that we are all imperfect, we are all connected and, we are all more than the sum of our actions.
While the book is thought provoking, it could use improvements in presentation. The formatting is raw and the organization of topics makes it challenging to follow at times.

[Shane Amazon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Pointed Death by Kath Russell is a fun and witty tale that speaks to the inner detective within us all. The story follows the life and times of Nola Billingsley, a woman trying to find herself after a failed business venture only to find the mutilated body of a former employee instead. Set back by her most recent discovery Nola becomes hell-bent on tracking down the person responsible for such a heinous crime, not only to clear her own name but also to stay in contact with the handsome and spine-tingle-inducing detective assigned to the case.

Given this is the first we have seen of Kath Russell I was pleasantly surprised on how well written this book is. The author's easy writing style conveys her comfort and experience within the environment in which she perfectly describes. With intelligence and humor she sucks the reader into her vision as she paints in wonderful detail the main characters life in San Francisco with her extremely fun, yet flatulent dog Skootch.

As this is the first production by a new author there are some minor flaws that could have been easily corrected with a good read through before printing. Although minor and few in number these mistakes can push the reader's attention away from the created world and back into their own. My only complaint is the author's decision to constantly call the mother by "Janie Belle" over "mother" or "her" or "she". I was going to count how many times this was done but after page one-hundred I began to tire.

All-in-all a good read and a wonderful trip into the mind of a successful business woman, a trip I rarely venture into within the literary world. I look forward to Kath Russell's future work with eager anticipation and wish her further success.

Note: For purposes of disclosure I received this book free of charge for review.

Thanks and good reading.

[Stephanie Dagg · Rating 4 out of 5]

“This is a silly escapist book.” So says author Kath Russell. But she sells herself short. Yes, it is escapist, in line with her intention in writing it, but it’s a brilliantly written book. Heroine Nola, is a 48 year old, feisty, independent, professional woman (and we don’t mention that she lives with her mother, Janie Belle) with attitude. And a dog - Skooch the short haired pointer. He plays a crucial role in the story at various times. So too do cop boyfriend Harrison and various of Nola’s friends in the biotech industry. Nola’s former embezzling accountant, Roger Chen, is found murdered. Nola’s curious and her investigations bring her into contact with the Ancient Turtle company and Screen Leaf Biosciences. What’s the connection between them? What are they actually producing? Where does Chen fit in? And the Chinese government?
This is an entertaining, fast-paced book, with an interesting, well-thought-out plot and the romance we all enjoy. It’s not chick lit, but hen lit perhaps, given the maturity of the main characters. This makes a nice change. There are too many impossibly young and beautiful part-time sleuths out there already. The cop boyfriend is maybe a touch predictable, but since he’s so gorgeous, that’s OK! The author wanted to give professional women something to read on long international flights to conferences or meetings. Everyone can enjoy this author’s writing. The natural comparison to make is with Janet Evanovich, but frankly, I prefer this author. I will definitely be reading more in the Pointer Mysteries series.
Kath Russell has a website at http://www.pointermysteries.com/.

[Joana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by me for Readers Favorite

A Pointed Death is a riveting read. The strong female personality in the person of Nola Billingsley provided mystery, action and wit in one neat little package. The story is set in San Francisco and describes the city so beautifully that one is literally transported there even though they've never set foot there physically. Nola Billingsley is a 40-something year old Biotech consultant who lives with her mother. In the opening pages of the book, she can be found closing the doors of her failed dot-com. In an attempt to re-enter the world of consulting, she is thrown straight into the throes of a developing plot to take away freedom of reproduction from an entire nation. Nola's hotshot cop boyfriend issues several warnings, yet she is unable to resist the urge to sleuth. Using wit, intelligence and sheer manipulation in some cases, she unravels more than she can handle.

This book is filled with drama, romance, action, adventure, mystery and comedy. The plot is beautifully woven and every detail has its place. The antics of the loveable pointer called skootch will undoubtedly have the reader clutching their sides. The language is beautiful and effective and even the biotechnology jargon that has been skilfully inserted has its place. The reader will certainly not be lost in this one. The characters are very well developed and it is easy to build a relationship with them, even coming to love them. I highly recommend this read for the independent woman as well as her male counterpart who is not intimidated by a strong female character.

[Joemmama · Rating 3 out of 5]

Armed with just a brain and a dog, Nola Billingsly discovers the biotech business can be MURDER!

Nola learns the hard way when she finds her former employee beheaded in a park while walking her pointer Skootch. He had stolen from her and ruined her startup, but Nola is determined to solve the mystery of his murder. Industrial espionage is big business, involving an International cast of bad guys from San Francisco to China.

Along the way she meets and falls hard for the cop assigned to her fraud case, Robert Harrison. He keeps warning her not to get involved, but she cannot resist.

The supporting characters including her mother Janie Belle (a displaced southern belle) her associates, and of course Skootch, make for a fun, and fairly fast paced read.

Some of the tech stuff was a little "boggy" for me, but it quickly picked up and raced to a rousing and unexpected conclusion.

I hope this series continues because I love the over 40 Nola and of course Skootch.

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Pointed Death is a page turner of a mystery. Based in the beautiful city of San Francisco, Nora Billingsley is recovering from the financial ruin of her dot.com company. On a walk one afternoon with her pointer Nora discovers the beheaded body of a former employee. A man she had fired for embezzlement. Who would want to kill this man? Sure, she was angry but not that angry. What she discovers next puts her life and her relationship with handsome cop, Harrison.

This novel was a quick read that drew me in from the beginning. I rated it a 4/5 though due to some content that sensitive readers may not want to read including some sexual scenes and violence.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found it difficult to stay absorbed in this book. I imagine that, had I had a background in the biotech industry, it would have held my attention. I certainly acknowledge that the storyline is good and the book is well-written. As a "pointer mystery", I expected the dog to have greater influence on the storyline. I especially loved the aging mother who added some comic relief. Won this book in a Goodreads giveaway and certainly appreciate the opportunity to read this book, which I would not have read otherwise; thanks to Kath for the autograph!!

[Mareena · Rating 5 out of 5]

When entrepeneur Nola Billingsley finds the body of her embezzling employee, she is not necessarily broken up by the discovery. She definitely wished him dead but the police think that she made her wish come true and think of her as the prime suspect. Nola decides to solve the crime, even as she begins falling for the detective assigned to the case. She and her shorthaired pointer Skootch must unravel the clues to find a murderer before they strike again.

I really enjoyed this mystery very much and give it an A+!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually 3.5 Stars
From my book review blog Rundpinne...."The reader is introduced to an excellent cast of characters, including Skootch, the hi-tech world of biotechnology, a well-detailed setting in San Francisco, a murder and enough plot twists to keep the reader engaged throughout the story."...The full review may be read here.

[Babs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is for everyone we have murder, politics, business issues and science. I have to admit I thought it was going to be a bit slow or boring, but I was proved wrong. I believe this is Kath's first novel. She is a pro already and the story just takes your breath away. You can't help but love Skootch a loyal friend. There are some really fun times in this book. I am glad I was asked to review this.

[Britt, Book Habitue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really a 3.5

A fun, kind of quirky, mystery, but something didn't quite work for me. I just can't seem to put my finger on what.

But if you're a fan of cozy mysteries, I say go for it. :)

[Robin Byers-Pierce · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little too wordy but next one should be a little better