Murder Unleashed (Dead-End Job Mysteries, Book 5)

In this episode of the Dead End Jobs Series, Helen works in a high end dog specialty shop. The shop has two talented dog groomers. It is amazing what people will do for their dogs. High end clothes, jewelry, leashes, and furniture for dogs are available in this store. They even have a pick up and delivery service for grooming. Early on Helen finds a dead body while delivering a freshly groomed pooch. Helen shows her love for animals in this book. She does some of her best detective work in the whole series. With help from her boyfriend, Phil, her landylady Margery, and friend, Peggy, she solves many mysteries.

Another quick read by Elaine Viets. You know, some of the mysteries take so long to complete, others, such as Elaine Viets series, do not. I would suggest waiting for the paperback, but sometimes you just can't wait to see what the heroine gets into next.

As a light, humerous mystery story that is one of Elaine Viets' "Dead End Job" series, Murder Unleashed is an entertaining book. The main character Helen Hawthorne goes to work at a pet grooming and supply store. Helen is a bright, formerly-well-employed woman who is on the run from "justice" in St. Louis, Missouri. In order to stay away from situations that would bring her to the attention of the authorities she takes low-paying, off-the-books jobs while living at a quaint, "old Florida" hotel operated by an old, female owner who Helen can turn to for advice and sympathy. Helen's jobs put her in proximity to murders that investigators might believe were committed by her. Helen must look into the murders in order to clear herself and thereby stay out of the news that might bring her to the attention of St. Louis authorities. Murder Unleashed follows the formula in a manner that causes me to continue to enjoy the writing of Elaine Viets. Ms. Viets was a newspaper columnist in St. Louis for many years before moving to South Florida to write books. I am from a St. Louis suburb where I regularly read and enjoyed Viets' columns. I too moved to Florida for a number of years, and would like to move back there again. Viets has much to say about the Florida lifestyle and also makes frequent comment about St. Louis and its suburbs and inhabitants. Naturally I like Viets' frequent take on both places as part of her books. But even were I not from St. Louis and familiar with Florida I would like Viets' books. Elaine Viets is one bright lady with a fine sense of humor and a rare skill with words. She is considerably younger than I am; so she is likely to continue to entertain me until I drop off the twig. Reading Elaine Viets' writing is one of my great pleasures.

It's a pleasure to see an author keep getting better and better. Elaine Viets does exactly that with Murder Unleashed: A Dead-End Job Mystery. From her dry social commentary to her honest look at what makes pet owners tick, Viets has an unparalleled eye for detail. She's the chick-lit equivalent of Charles Dickens with her ability to emphathize with the poor and unfranchised. Her on-the-run heroine Helen Hawthorne has lots of reasons to want to remain anonymous. Not the least of these is hunky Phil, a guy who's terrific but not so perfect he's impossible to believe. When Helen becomes a murder suspect, she marshalls all her resources and doggedly (sorry!) tracks down the killer. Viets has created a new life for Helen, one that becomes more rich and satisfying with every book. Her portrayal of Florida's mood before, during and after a hurricane is stunningly accurate. Most chick-lit mysteries are entertaining and fun. Viets takes the genre to a new dimension by making her readers more socially conscious. She brings a gentle humanity to all her characters. The dog groomer Superstar in this book is a prime example. Dead-End? I hope this is just the beginning for Viets and Company.

Refusing to pay alimony to her cheating lazy former spouse as the Judge ruled claiming he was a devoted house husband who enabled her to achieve career success, Helen Hawthorne fled her life as a thriving businesswoman in St. Louis to work off the books in southern Florida. She quickly learns that proprietors, at least in the Fort Lauderdale area, are not concerned with your past or your social security number though none of her jobs come decimally close to the six figures she annually earned in Missouri.. Currently Helen works off the books at Pampered Pets in Fort Lauderdale. Two customers have recently been murdered. Nymphomaniac trophy wife Tammie Grimsby and Willoughby Barclay, who is in a legal divorce fight with his wife. The biggest arguments are over custody of their child Barkley the "Labradoodle". Though she knows better to mind her business, as she has a recent history of unsafe involvement (see SHOP TILL YOU DROP and JUST MURDERED), Helen investigates anyway. The fifth Dead-End Job Mystery is a delightful lampooning of the pet world where canines serve as chic accessories so an owner can be part of the "in-crowd" regardless of the abuse of the animal. The amateur sleuth investigation as always in this series is fun to follow because of the acerbic asides by the heroine who assumes the mantle of K-9 champion even as she referees between battling groomers while seeking the killer amidst a litter of suspects. Readers will enjoy Elaine Viets delightful satirizing whodunit. Harriet Klausner