Sun 6 Feb 2011
ELAINE VIETS – Killer Cuts. Obsidian, paperback original, May 2009.
Viets, returning to her “Dead-End Job” series after what was apparently a successful recovery from a stroke, has her protagonist Helen Hawthorne working in a high-end hair salon, with a marriage to her boyfriend, Phil, finally in the planning stages.
When Helen’s boss becomes a prime suspect in a murder case, the business at the salon bottoms out overnight, and Helen’s job and her marriage are both threatened.
Helen’s still living in an apartment at the Coronado Tropic Apartments, with an engaging, eccentric landlady, and still wondering if her ex-husband will once again turn up to threaten her precariously grounded existence.
Of course, the reader can be certain that the murder plot will be resolved, but that Helen’s long-term problems will linger into the succeeding novels in the series. And, as long as Viets’ light touch is as secure as it still in this eighth entry, that should be just fine with her faithful readers.
Editorial Comments: For a list of the novels in all three mystery series that Elaine has written, along with covers with most, follow this link to the Fantastic Fiction website. The three series: “St. Louis journalist-sleuth Francesca Vierling,” “Dead End Jobs,” and “Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper.”
An interview that Pamela James did with Elaine Viets appears on the main Mystery*File website. It was conducted in December, 2004, which was quite a few books ago, but it’s not entirely out of date and (in my opinion) still interesting.
February 7th, 2011 at 12:47 pm
Funny lady. Every time I see her name or her books I can’t help but think of my “brush with fame.” Her husband, Don Crinklaw (also a very funny person), once contacted me about old mystery books. The two of us ended up exchanging a series of hysterical emails all about collecting vintage mysteries. He kept asking me about writers to “invest in” and which ones they should collect now and save for the future. I sold them a small boxful of books including the 1st edition of Rex Stout’s DOUBLE FOR DEATH which I wish I still had. I’ve never found another since then. (I found it in some rinky-dink antique mall in South Carolina – it was ten bucks.) Of course all the Stout 1st editions are ridiculously priced online these day. So I think I gave them good advice.
John
February 7th, 2011 at 7:34 pm
John
Good advice? I’d agree with that. Rex Stout is an author who isn’t going to go away. My best find when I was a serious bookseller (all I sell now are my duplicates) was a signed book by Biggers, one of the Charlie Chan novels. I think it had a jacket, but do you know, I can’t remember for sure now. This was well over 30 years ago now.
In any case I paid something in the $10-20 range for it, sold it for $60 to another dealer, who sold it to Peter Stern who sold it to Otto, who had an actual customer for it. One with deep pockets, even then, I’m sure.
— Steve
February 23rd, 2011 at 7:22 pm
Thanks for reviewing KILLER CUTS — I’m glad you liked it. John, Don still has the Stout book. He loves books as much as I do, and yes, he’s a very funny guy. In fact, I steal his jokes for my novels.