Fitness Kills (A Nora Frank Mystery)

This is a riveting FIVE STAR story, masterfully told. Hellen Barer is a wonderful writer and I'm already eagerly awaiting her next one. From the opening chapter, I could not turn the pages fast enough to find out what happens next. Fitness Kills is set in a spa ranch, and Hellen will leave you guessing until the final end. Buy this book!

Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (09/07) When I received Helen Barer's "Fitness Kills" in the mail one Tuesday, I had my day all planned out. There were things I didn't particularly want to do, but they needed to be done. But every new book is like a Christmas gift to me, so I opened this book in a striking green dust jacket, thinking I'll read a page or two and then get going. Four hours later I got up, absolutely enchanted with the book I've just read - and could not put down. Where should I begin? I loved the book on so many levels... The heroine, Nora, is somebody I would love to meet in real life. She is brave and spunky and funny - and 30 pounds overweight after her recent "sort-of-a-break-up-and-then-maybe-not." Ms. Barer's portrayal of the New York food writer, turned into a sleuth, is absolutely brilliant and seeing the life in a posh spa in Baja California through Nora's eyes is a candid and colorful experience. We get to see, feel and definitely smell it. The story line is engaging and Nora's quest for the killer produces a fair share of nail-biting moments. The best part of it is probably Nora's refusal to take herself too seriously and her refreshing lack of cunning as well as the refusal to believe that people are anything but good. Some would probably call her naïve, but I prefer to think of her as good and honest. Then there are Ms. Barer's wickedly funny descriptions of spa staff and guests, the daily routine of the spa's "torture" (Liquid fast, anybody? How about a hike at dawn?) and Nora's daily struggles to fulfill her role as a menu consultant for the ranch. Some of my absolutely most favorite pages are those where Nora tries to deal with the unsurprisingly temperamental chef or when she cooks or thinks of food. And while I probably won't be tempted to make almond milk - and yes, you should read the book to find out why - I have already made a spicy pumpkin soup. "Fitness Kills" was a wickedly funny and intelligent read, which I would wholeheartedly recommend to lovers of good mysteries and strong female characters. You will not be sorry that you picked it up and if you are anything like me, your only regret will be that it is not longer. But then the notes on the dust jacket inform the reader that Ms. Barer is already writing the next Nora Franke mystery. I've learned my lesson already - I will know better than to schedule anything else on the day I receive it.

Nora Franke has accepted a position as a menu consultant at an elite fitness ranch in Baja to try to lose some extra pounds and distance herself from Max in New York where she's a food writer. She makes some new friends, but soon there is tragedy when one of their group is found dead on the mountain. Nora didn't know him, so it doesn't affect her as much. But when one of her friends is killed in front of her, Nora is shaken. Then there are attempts on her life. Who is the killer? Is it one of her new friends? The shady ranch owners? Nora has to write an article on the deaths, so she is able to do some investigating without it looking like she's investigating the deaths. Unfortunately, she's not so sure the killer sees it that way when the attempts on her continue. Can she unmask the killer without putting herself in more danger? And what about Max, has she made any decisions about him? I really enjoyed this book. Nora is such a great character. The author has done a fabulous job creating a protagonist that has a valid reason for snooping. And she's such fun, too. The locale really lent itself to this story and enhanced it. I look forward to reading more Nora Franke mysteries. I highly recommend this book.

Can a mystery be adorable? This one is. Set in a spa, the sleuth, who never meant to be a sleuth, is an adorable character: funny, honest, introspective, smart, witty, and above all, curious. First Nora is curious about the people she's meeting, like who's sleeping with whom -- always the first question that comes to mind for any reasonably curious person -- who's lying about what, who's thinking what underneath all the polite social chatter. But then Nora's curiousity turns to more alarming matters -- murder at the spa. This mystery is a page-turner. Often a page-turner is heavy on plot, spare on characterization. But this debut mystery has it all -- an intricate plot plus characters who are well-drawn with all their quirky eccentricities. Although "Fitness Kills" is a fairly light-hearted novel, there is a thread woven throughout concerning Nora's learning, understanding and growth. She's not the same person she was when she came in -- the change is profound. And that's not just because she's lost a few pounds.......

Max and Nora have each other but their differences make them separate. She thinks he is too controlling and dominating and looks at her career as a food critic and columnist as fluff. She takes a job at Rancho de las Flores in Baja, California in order to revamp the old fashioned vegetarian recipes and when she leaves she will write a book on the new food served at the spa. The first couple of weeks she is lonely because the chef doesn't want her to make changes. During her third week there is a group of people who go from spa to spa around the country. Nora immediately likes millionaire businessman Alison Evans and Cece who takes the instructor under their wings. One of the group never shows up and his body is found on Mount Chuchuma, his head injury the cause of death. They are not sure if it is an accident or murder until Cece imbibes a drink with her name on it and dies instantly. It is obvious she is poisoned and Nora believes the same person also killed Alan. She investigates in the hopes of finding the killer and two attempts on her life don't stop Nora even though Max, who has arrived on the scene, begs her to leave it to the police to find the murderer. Within the group there are plenty of suspects from a land deal that went south causing some members to lose money to Alan's in laws who grow and export marijuana to the United States. Nora is a strong willed woman who does what she believes is best even if it means getting Max angry at her. Helen Barer has written an endearing and charming cozy populated with quirky characters. Harriet Klausner