Pumped for Murder
Dead End Mystery, No 10
Elaine Viets

Obsidian/ New American Library
May 2011 / ISBN 9780451233202
Cozy Mystery
Amazon

Reviewed by Barbara Buhrer

Helen Hawthorne has returned from her honeymoon, and she and her new husband, Phil, have opened their PI agency specializing in families with private problems.

Their first client is Sheila, who thinks her husband is cheating on her with someone at the Fantastic Fitness Salon. Helen gets a dead-end job as a receptionist there. One problem is that she has to "pump iron" in order to keep employed. She becomes involved with other patrons in a competition for a bikini prize.

Phil takes on the second case. He is to investigate the 25-year-old death of Mark Behr. Gus, owner of the Boy Toy's Restoration Car Repair, wants to learn whether the death of his brother, Mark, was a suicide or a murder. Phil's investigation involves family secrets and drug lords before he is finished.

Added to her new job, Helen is embroiled in a secret blackmailing mystery involving her sister's nephew and the death of her ex-husband.

Pumped for Murder is a light read. The dialogue is witty. The relationships between Helen and Phil and their friends at the Coronado Tropics Apartments is heartwarming. The scenes with the contestants in the bikini competition are laughable and to be enjoyed.

Other Reviews in this series

Just Murdered, No 4   [review]
Murder Unleashed, No. 5   [review]
Murder with Reservations, No. 6   [review]
Clubbed to Death, No 7   [review]
Pumped for Murder, No 10   [review 1] [review 2]