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Dead-End Job Mystery #10
Pumped for Murder
The latest Dead-End Job mystery from the national bestselling author of Half-Priced Homicide.
Helen Hawthorne and her new hubby Phil have opened their own P.I. agency and their very first client is Shelby, who thinks her husband is developing a killer body for another woman.
To keep track of the suspected cheater, Helen gets a dead-end job at Fantastic Fitness, where she has to pump iron to stay employed. Then the budding agency takes on a murder case, and Helen has to move her workouts to the early morning just to keep up. With so much weight on her aching shoulders, will Helen catch a killer-or just drop dead from exhaustion?
Helen Hawthorne and her new hubby Phil have opened their own P.I. agency and their very first client is Shelby, who thinks her husband is developing a killer body for another woman.
To keep track of the suspected cheater, Helen gets a dead-end job at Fantastic Fitness, where she has to pump iron to stay employed. Then the budding agency takes on a murder case, and Helen has to move her workouts to the early morning just to keep up. With so much weight on her aching shoulders, will Helen catch a killer-or just drop dead from exhaustion?
292 pages, Hardcover
First published April 12, 2011
181 people are currently reading
694 people want to read
About the author
Elaine Viets
82 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 102 reviews
October 6, 2025
I’m enjoying this new chapter in Helen’s life. This was a fun way to keep the dead end jobs alive. I enjoyed that there were two cases going on, including a cold case, my favorite! #readforkimberly
November 15, 2019
Pumped for Murder by Elaine Viets is the tenth book in her Dead-End Job Mystery series and there is so much for the reader to enjoy and love !! In Pumped for Murder Helen and her new husband Phil have just opened the doors to their new private investigators business and they are working out of apartment 2C at the Coronado Tropic Apartments and lucky for them they have 2 cases to work on. Their wonderful and colorful landlady, Margery, put them in touch with her mechanic who wants the death of his brother looked into. His brother died 25 years ago and they ruled it a suicide but the brother thinks he was murdered. And then their neighbor and friend, Peggy, introduced them to a friend who wants to know if her husband is cheating on her. Phil takes the reins in the cold case because some of the research will be easier for him due to his background while Helen takes a job working the front desk of the fitness center where the woman's husband works out at.
Even though Phil and Helen are working some aspects of the cases separately, they still spend plenty of time together as newleyweds and business partners. And both cases turn out to be harder than they expected......
I could read a book about the goings on around the Coronado Tropic Apartments without the murder and mystery....the characters are fun people who get along and sit by the pool every night with snacks and boxed wine....my kind of group. Now don't get me wrong...I LOVE the trouble Helen gets into and she does it with so little effort !!!
I'm glad that Helen and Phil are FINALLY married and still living at the Coronado and love the fact that the opened their practice there as well. I also love that even though Helen is getting her life in order and not hiding out from the law anymore, she is still working dead-end jobs for the cases. I love all the relationships and friendships that have developed and continue to develop and I love that when I start reading one of the books in this series I can sink into my comfy seat and settle down and hang out with some old friends. And even though I am reading them in order you do not have to. Viets writes so that whatever book you pick up, you know what is going on immediately !!
Even though Phil and Helen are working some aspects of the cases separately, they still spend plenty of time together as newleyweds and business partners. And both cases turn out to be harder than they expected......
I could read a book about the goings on around the Coronado Tropic Apartments without the murder and mystery....the characters are fun people who get along and sit by the pool every night with snacks and boxed wine....my kind of group. Now don't get me wrong...I LOVE the trouble Helen gets into and she does it with so little effort !!!
I'm glad that Helen and Phil are FINALLY married and still living at the Coronado and love the fact that the opened their practice there as well. I also love that even though Helen is getting her life in order and not hiding out from the law anymore, she is still working dead-end jobs for the cases. I love all the relationships and friendships that have developed and continue to develop and I love that when I start reading one of the books in this series I can sink into my comfy seat and settle down and hang out with some old friends. And even though I am reading them in order you do not have to. Viets writes so that whatever book you pick up, you know what is going on immediately !!
January 16, 2016
10th in the Dead-End Job Mystery Series
Helen Hawthorne and her new husband Phil have opened their own Private Investigation Agency. Thanks to their friends at the Coronado Tropic Apartments they get their first clients.
Shelby wants them to spy on her husband who she believes is being unfaithful and Gus wants them to investigate the death of his brother than happened back in the 1980's.
To follow Shelby's husband Helen takes another Dead-End Job at Fantastic Fitness, since Shelby's husband Bryan seems to spend most of his waking hours there. She gets the job with the condition to get her body back in shape, so in addition to the actual job she needs to also spend time working out.
The other case keeps Phil hopping during the day but he also needs Helen by his side as the investigation leads them into the late evening and sometimes early morning hours. It is not enough that one job expects her to lose weight, but both jobs are putting an enormous weight upon her shoulders. Can they get pumped up and solve these cases and others that pop up along the way or will the weight of it all cause Helen to collapse under the pressure?
I LOVED IT!!!!!
When I reviewed the last book in this series Half-Price Homicide I was worried about the future of this series because that book tied up a lot of loose ends, but Elaine Viets didn't let me down, she is taking Helen in a new direction with her own Private Investigation Agency. Due to the clients the agency takes on Helen's dead end job adventures continue and I am loving it!!! Great mysteries, some crazy new characters plus the wacky ones we have grown to love, the residents of the Coronado Tropics Apartments are back. These books are so much fun to read and this one is no exception. Loved it from start to finish and can't wait for the next one!!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Obsidian/NAL, a division of Penguin Publishing . I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Helen Hawthorne and her new husband Phil have opened their own Private Investigation Agency. Thanks to their friends at the Coronado Tropic Apartments they get their first clients.
Shelby wants them to spy on her husband who she believes is being unfaithful and Gus wants them to investigate the death of his brother than happened back in the 1980's.
To follow Shelby's husband Helen takes another Dead-End Job at Fantastic Fitness, since Shelby's husband Bryan seems to spend most of his waking hours there. She gets the job with the condition to get her body back in shape, so in addition to the actual job she needs to also spend time working out.
The other case keeps Phil hopping during the day but he also needs Helen by his side as the investigation leads them into the late evening and sometimes early morning hours. It is not enough that one job expects her to lose weight, but both jobs are putting an enormous weight upon her shoulders. Can they get pumped up and solve these cases and others that pop up along the way or will the weight of it all cause Helen to collapse under the pressure?
I LOVED IT!!!!!
When I reviewed the last book in this series Half-Price Homicide I was worried about the future of this series because that book tied up a lot of loose ends, but Elaine Viets didn't let me down, she is taking Helen in a new direction with her own Private Investigation Agency. Due to the clients the agency takes on Helen's dead end job adventures continue and I am loving it!!! Great mysteries, some crazy new characters plus the wacky ones we have grown to love, the residents of the Coronado Tropics Apartments are back. These books are so much fun to read and this one is no exception. Loved it from start to finish and can't wait for the next one!!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Obsidian/NAL, a division of Penguin Publishing . I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
March 21, 2012
I'm sorry I started this series at book #10, because I probably won't read any of the earlier ones. The main characters are a couple who have just started a detective agency. The woman has to go undercover working at a gym, where she's told she must workout to keep her job. They solve a murder, find out who a philandering husband is boinking, and solve a cold-case. The humorous dialog was believable, not over-the-top, as in some books where you just can't believe the person is that funny with the ad-lib.
September 11, 2023
The last book of this series available as audiobook, and maybe one of my favourites. I was really not enjoying this series with all the tribulations with Rob, but now that he’s finally out of the picture, I am having so much fun.
I really enjoyed the murder in the gym and how Helen was working there to try and solve two mysteries. Sadly I didn’t really like the cold case and would prefer if moving forward there is just the mystery related to the dead-end job to investigate.
I really enjoyed the murder in the gym and how Helen was working there to try and solve two mysteries. Sadly I didn’t really like the cold case and would prefer if moving forward there is just the mystery related to the dead-end job to investigate.
June 5, 2024
I enjoyed the josie marcus series by this author so I thought I would try this one. Starting midway through a series is not ideal but most cozies tend to be easy. This should have been a DNF for me. It was so boring. The book starts off with 2 cases (2 storylines) for the detective agency.
The gym storyline was utterly ridiculous. Derek keeps threatening to fire Helen because she is not in acceptable shape for the fitness image. Why did he hire her in the first place? The best salesman is a sexual predator (manager overlooks because he brings in clients), the clients are all having affairs, the body builders are abusive, yet Helen (detective in training) jumps right in and handles it all from day one (roll my eyes). The author spends more time describing (in painful detail) what everyone is wearing, what their bodies looks like, how good looking everyone is, and very little about her reason for being there in the first place. Half way through the book you see she was laying the storyline (#3) for the murder. This is where it really fell apart. The lead investigator jumps to conclusions, gives details to civilians, threatens witnesses and is completely incompetent.
Now that Helen is involved in 3 cases she leaves town to go help her sister with a blackmail situation from a storyline in a previous book. SMH that chapter was a waste.
I could go on but why bother it doesn’t get any better. It took me days to trudge through this crap because I was too lazy to search for another book once I was cozy in bed - and didn’t think of finding one during the day.
Note to self: line up a few books in reader in case of duds!
The gym storyline was utterly ridiculous. Derek keeps threatening to fire Helen because she is not in acceptable shape for the fitness image. Why did he hire her in the first place? The best salesman is a sexual predator (manager overlooks because he brings in clients), the clients are all having affairs, the body builders are abusive, yet Helen (detective in training) jumps right in and handles it all from day one (roll my eyes). The author spends more time describing (in painful detail) what everyone is wearing, what their bodies looks like, how good looking everyone is, and very little about her reason for being there in the first place. Half way through the book you see she was laying the storyline (#3) for the murder. This is where it really fell apart. The lead investigator jumps to conclusions, gives details to civilians, threatens witnesses and is completely incompetent.
Now that Helen is involved in 3 cases she leaves town to go help her sister with a blackmail situation from a storyline in a previous book. SMH that chapter was a waste.
I could go on but why bother it doesn’t get any better. It took me days to trudge through this crap because I was too lazy to search for another book once I was cozy in bed - and didn’t think of finding one during the day.
Note to self: line up a few books in reader in case of duds!
September 30, 2021
I absolutely love the 'Dead-End Job Mystery' series by Elaine Viets. I started this series when I stumbled across one at random the decided it was one series worth reading. Even though this series is a murder mystery, it's delivered with a huge side of humor.
Phil and Helen are newly married and started an investigation agency with her PI hubby. Her penchant for working dead-end jobs comes in handy when they’re hired to look into a fitness fanatic who may be cheating on his wife. They land another case that has them investigating a murder committed in the 80s.
Unfortunately, Helen is hiding a secret from Pil. This secret comes with a blackmailer that keeps upping the amount.
If you more deets that make the story a whole. Your just going to have give it a read. I promise you will not be disappointed.
~Laters Peeps
Phil and Helen are newly married and started an investigation agency with her PI hubby. Her penchant for working dead-end jobs comes in handy when they’re hired to look into a fitness fanatic who may be cheating on his wife. They land another case that has them investigating a murder committed in the 80s.
Unfortunately, Helen is hiding a secret from Pil. This secret comes with a blackmailer that keeps upping the amount.
If you more deets that make the story a whole. Your just going to have give it a read. I promise you will not be disappointed.
~Laters Peeps
July 3, 2022
PI Couple Look into Murder, Drugs, and Steroids
This book is the tenth in a series. This book is a bit longer and has the newlywed couple scraping for clients for their new Investigations business. Their first few cases start off with a bang! The plot gets twisted, but there are clear lines between the good guys and the bad guys. Sort of. It is a good story that you do not want to put down! I will continue on with binge-reading the series!
This book is the tenth in a series. This book is a bit longer and has the newlywed couple scraping for clients for their new Investigations business. Their first few cases start off with a bang! The plot gets twisted, but there are clear lines between the good guys and the bad guys. Sort of. It is a good story that you do not want to put down! I will continue on with binge-reading the series!
September 28, 2022
Definitely will read more in this series, this one was the first I read. I like the characters and the story moved along well. I had a hard time deciding who the killer was, my guesses kept switching while I read and I like when a cozy keeps me guessing! Had a lot of interesting sides that opened my eyes to things like the bodybuilding competitiveness and the things people go through to compete and the issues and problems involved with steroid use
June 1, 2025
This is a good mystery in the Dead-End Job series set in Florida and featuring newly-married Helen and Phil. In this book, they have to find the murderer of a man in a cold case, whose brother is asking them to prove, rather than it being a suicide or an accident. At the same time, they have to look in to a murder at a health club where Helen works, when an innocent lady is accused and arrested for the murder. It is a satisfying mystery.
March 28, 2019
I love this series but not sure how I feel about the change it is taking ..... no longer needing to take dead-end jobs, our protagonist has joined forces with her new hubby to start a detective agency.
I wasn't so into this book that I read it in 2 days like usual. Just didn't think it was as much fun as the others in the series up to now.
I wasn't so into this book that I read it in 2 days like usual. Just didn't think it was as much fun as the others in the series up to now.
September 25, 2020
Series
I have enjoyed reading this whole series. Helen is a very relatable character. She got herself into trouble with her temper and ended up working dead end jobs under an assumed name to avoid paying her ex husband. By book ten she is happy, remarried and working as a private investigator, but life is still complicated.
I have enjoyed reading this whole series. Helen is a very relatable character. She got herself into trouble with her temper and ended up working dead end jobs under an assumed name to avoid paying her ex husband. By book ten she is happy, remarried and working as a private investigator, but life is still complicated.
May 16, 2017
I didn't enjoy this book as much as others in the series. For a good portion of it, the center of the story seemed to have nothing to do with the supposed main murder. The subplots ultimately tie together albeit loosely.
September 4, 2020
Coronado Investigations solves three cases!
Now that Helen and Phil have married and opened their detective agency, they acquire two new clients and solve several crimes, including the ones they were originally hired for. The agency is on its way!
Now that Helen and Phil have married and opened their detective agency, they acquire two new clients and solve several crimes, including the ones they were originally hired for. The agency is on its way!
June 29, 2022
I thank the day I discovered cozy mysteries! I've always loved mysteries but sometimes were way too graphic for me and made me anxious! I love Elaine Viets Dead End Job Mysteries! They give me what I want and Pumped up for Murder was no exception! Keep them coming Elaine!!!
July 9, 2022
Entertaining
A new private investigation agency is hired to catch a cheating husband and to open a 25 years old cold case. These cases lead to more crimes exposed and more adventures for the agency.
A new private investigation agency is hired to catch a cheating husband and to open a 25 years old cold case. These cases lead to more crimes exposed and more adventures for the agency.
May 15, 2025
Another hilarious mystery in a high quality series! This varied cast of characters is wildly entertaining, the comedy is witty and fun, and the storytelling is well done. Also, the suspense is extra dangerous!
January 11, 2019
Always fun catching up with Helen and the gang.
May 21, 2020
I like this series and the characters in it
November 23, 2020
Soso
Not as exciting as other mysteries, but guess it's part of a series. I have not read previous books in the series.
Not as exciting as other mysteries, but guess it's part of a series. I have not read previous books in the series.
July 19, 2021
enjoyed the book...
December 5, 2021
author needs to do her research
Why would anyone go to Med tech school and then work as a phlebotomist for 1/4 the pay of a Med tech?
Why would anyone go to Med tech school and then work as a phlebotomist for 1/4 the pay of a Med tech?
March 30, 2022
A fun read. I learned new things about a fitness center. Helen is working with her husband on getting her PI business up and running. They are working on two cases at the same time.
October 20, 2022
Helen and Phil open a private Investigation service. They find themselves investigating an old murder. Will Helen actually stay out of trouble this time. Good addition to the series.
October 7, 2023
First one in the series I have read. I loved it. Great characters and different P.I. cases to solve. Kept me engaged.
December 29, 2023
Another good book.
Read
August 22, 2024loved it
February 10, 2025
Helen just always finds herself in the line of a death no matter where she works. At least she doesn't have to work the dead-end jobs anymore.
The PI jobs and murder were weaved well together.
The PI jobs and murder were weaved well together.
December 10, 2019
I have to be in the right mood for a mystery series, and this was book 10, which I didn’t know when I picked it up. However, I had to DNF it because I just couldn’t take the writing style. It was ALL dialogue, and not particularly engaging dialogue either. Then I got to a whole passage that was horrible fat shaming by a personal trainer and just couldn’t take it anymore. Oh well. I tried. 🤷🏼♀️
June 22, 2012
I was looking through the Elaine Viets titles at the nearby Barnes & Noble store a few weeks ago. I'd chanced across her "Death on a Platter" earlier and loved it, so I wanted to read more by her. Even though "Pumped for Murder" features a different sleuth than "Death on a Platter," I knew the moment I saw it that it would be my next Viets read. I dedicated myself to instructing aerobics for 10 years. A cozy mystery by an author I enjoy, written about a business I know and love? Buying it is a no brainer.
I wasn't disappointed. This is one of the most deftly written murder mysteries I've ever read. A 2-in-1, since the brand new private detective (and husband/wife) team of Helen and Phil take on two new clients at once, courtesy of their flamboyant landlord and their likable neighbor.
The first client is the gorgeous Shelby. She'd bought her hubby Bryan a gift membership at Fantastic Fitness after he put on a few extra pounds. He'd sulked at first, then suddenly became enthusiastic about working out. Shelby is positive he's seeing another woman at the gym. Especially since he's buffed himself into romance-cover-novel gorgeousness, but no longer wants to take to the bed with her. P.I. trainee Helen takes on a receptionist job at Fantastic Fitness in order to find out if Bryan indeed has a lover, or he's simply lost interest in his marriage. Helen isn't sure which news would be worse. Meanwhile, Fantastic Fitness's young and ambitious bodybuilder Debbi is starving and dehydrating herself in her quest for a novice bodybuilding trophy. Until her two "trainers" give her the wrong advice. Given to steroid rages, Debbi's career is ended permanently.
At the same time, Helen and Phil take on the case of a 50ish classic-car mechanic still grieving his brother, who committed suicide back in the decadent, drug-ridden 1980s. Except mechanic Gus doesn't believe his brother committed suicide.
On top of all this, sleuth Helen is hiding the secret of her ex-husband's demise from her beloved current husband and sleuth partner Phil.
Only a few things bother me. First, the investigation of Bryan's assumed cheating involved only Helen's employment at Fantastic Fitness. IMO, he should also have been followed outside the gym. This would have solved the Bryan case ASAP. I figured it out pretty quickly, and I usually don't figure out who the killer is. Second, the characters confronted by Helen and Phil seem to talk way more than real life would dictate. Third, I'm still confused by the way the mechanic's brother died.
Still, these storylines were so intricate and so cleverly woven, I'm willing to look past my issues with the story and give it 5 stars. It's an amazing, absorbing, totally-worth-your-while read. I can't wait to read more of Elaine Viets' work.
I wasn't disappointed. This is one of the most deftly written murder mysteries I've ever read. A 2-in-1, since the brand new private detective (and husband/wife) team of Helen and Phil take on two new clients at once, courtesy of their flamboyant landlord and their likable neighbor.
The first client is the gorgeous Shelby. She'd bought her hubby Bryan a gift membership at Fantastic Fitness after he put on a few extra pounds. He'd sulked at first, then suddenly became enthusiastic about working out. Shelby is positive he's seeing another woman at the gym. Especially since he's buffed himself into romance-cover-novel gorgeousness, but no longer wants to take to the bed with her. P.I. trainee Helen takes on a receptionist job at Fantastic Fitness in order to find out if Bryan indeed has a lover, or he's simply lost interest in his marriage. Helen isn't sure which news would be worse. Meanwhile, Fantastic Fitness's young and ambitious bodybuilder Debbi is starving and dehydrating herself in her quest for a novice bodybuilding trophy. Until her two "trainers" give her the wrong advice. Given to steroid rages, Debbi's career is ended permanently.
At the same time, Helen and Phil take on the case of a 50ish classic-car mechanic still grieving his brother, who committed suicide back in the decadent, drug-ridden 1980s. Except mechanic Gus doesn't believe his brother committed suicide.
On top of all this, sleuth Helen is hiding the secret of her ex-husband's demise from her beloved current husband and sleuth partner Phil.
Only a few things bother me. First, the investigation of Bryan's assumed cheating involved only Helen's employment at Fantastic Fitness. IMO, he should also have been followed outside the gym. This would have solved the Bryan case ASAP. I figured it out pretty quickly, and I usually don't figure out who the killer is. Second, the characters confronted by Helen and Phil seem to talk way more than real life would dictate. Third, I'm still confused by the way the mechanic's brother died.
Still, these storylines were so intricate and so cleverly woven, I'm willing to look past my issues with the story and give it 5 stars. It's an amazing, absorbing, totally-worth-your-while read. I can't wait to read more of Elaine Viets' work.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews