The Extra

A new novel by Elizabeth Sims is always cause for excitement at my house. With all the cutbacks in publishing due to the economy, thank goodness St. Martin's keeps the good ones coming! Sims' mysteries are so well written and entertaining she became a favorite after I read my first one. The Extra made me think and made me laugh. Rita Farmer's sister Gena is a trip. This plot involves some harsh realities of homelessness and drug dealing in LA. But, there's also a charming subplot involving a missing beagle. Sims' voice and style are unmistakable. What a storyteller! I think it's the "behind the scenes" acting stuff that makes these books so much livelier than other mysteries. You won't want to put this book down and you're going to love the ending!

To pay for law school, single mom of five-year-old Petey, Rita Farmer has been accepting minor acting roles. Currently she is on location as an extra wearing a police uniform. During a break in filming, while still in costume, Rita accidentally frightens off two muggers attacking a black boy as they assume she is the law. The intended victim turns out to be Kip Cubitt, the grandson of well-respected Amaryllis "Iron Angel" Cubitt, who founded the homeless ABC Mission in South Central Los Angeles. Not long after the incident, someone in a drive-by shoots a cop who looked extremely similar to Rita. When she goes to the Cubitt mission to see if she can find out what is going on before she becomes the next corpse, Rita concludes Dale the Whale, a drug-pin, has something on the the usually energetic Amaryllis that has her tied in knots. With the lmited help of her lover, private investigator George Rowe, whose case is in Canada, and eluding her born to emote sister, Rita goes undercover in the role of her life as a street person in order to learn what sinister happenings is occurring at the mission. Though no Lillian Byrd, Rita Farmer's second amateur sleuth case (see THE ACTRESS) is an entertaining investigative tale due to the strong support cast as much as the heroine. The story line is fast-paced though a bit thin except when Rita goes easy street as a homeless person in smelly discards. Overall THE EXTRA is an engaging thriller. Harriet Klausner