Board Stiff: A Dead-End Job Mystery, by Elaine Viets

Every "Dead-End Job" mystery by Elaine Viets is fabulous. In each novel, protagonist, former corporate executive, Helen Hawthorn, works at a different job. The jobs, in a hair salon, bridal shop, dog grooming business and other businesses, are described as dead-end only because Helen becomes involved in murder investigations in each job. What Viets gets right every time is the warmth and honesty many of Helen's co-workers (except for the killers) bring to the job and to their friendships with Helen. In "Board Stiff," Viets brings to life the waitress who has graduated from the school of hard knocks, and the board-rental business owner who is under attack. Viets also brings back at least one tough and likeable character from prior books.

Viets creates well developed plots and smart protagonists with unique voices, including her tough, engaging landlady; Pete the parrot; Phil, Helen's handsome, silver haired, PI husband with the ponytail; and Thumbs, Helen's big, six-toed cat. (Disclaimer: I have a bias in favor of Thumbs because I am owned by a big six-toed tabby.) If you love a good mystery involving engaging, likable characters, you will love this book.

Print Length: 289 pages
Publisher: NAL (May 7, 2013)
Publication Date: May 7, 2013
Sold by: Penguin Group (USA) LLC

Picture Miss Seeton (A Miss Seeton Mystery Book 1), by Heron Carvic

"Picture Miss Seeton" was first published in 1968, but the setting is not the swinging England one associates with the 1960s. Instead, the interaction between the characters, as well as Carvic's description of village life, could easily be placed at any time in the 1950's. As one who enjoys to time travel while reading, I found this to be one of the book's greatest attractions.

On the eve of visiting her newly inherited cottage, in the (fictious) English coastal village of Plummergen, Miss Seeton stumbles upon a London murder in progress. She confronts the murderer by poking him with her umbrella. Thus, Miss Seeton becomes embroiled in her first murder mystery.

Her country cottage is everything it should be, including a cupboard under the stairs, a twisty staircase, and a quiet bedroom facing the rear garden. As all of her new village neighbors cluck, with "seed borne on the breath of a scandal," about Miss Seeton's very recent run-in with a murder in London, (which, of course, was in all of the newspapers), Miss Seeton tries to settle into what may become her permanent new home. Peace, however, is not what she finds. After befriending a young resident of the village, she approaches the police detective on "her" murder case, and innocently passes along information on another crime from her young friend. The detective is then sure that Miss Seeton has the soul of a crime solver and admonishes his aide de camp that until he can understand Miss Seeton, he will "get nowhere as a detective."

Although Miss Seeton appears to be a subtle parody of Miss Marple, the gentleness with which Carvic depicts her, combined with his obvious admiration for the toughness of his "old bird," belies any notion that he intended her to be the object of ridicule. This book is a great introduction to the Miss Seeton cozy mystery series. Those readers who like a good cozy mystery, with a touch of grit and a gallon of very funny humor, will be very glad it is back in print.

(I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)
Print Length: 209 pages
Publisher: Farrago; 3 edition (May 5, 2016)
Publication Date: May 5, 2016
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC

Miss Seeton Draws the Line (A Miss Seeton Mystery Book 2), By Heron Carvic

The year is sometime in the 1960s and Scotland Yard is stumped. There is a child murderer on the loose and the Yard has no clue as to who it is or why the children are being murdered. Detective Superintendent Delphick, known as "The Oracle," calls in Emily Seeton, ("MissEss"), a retired art instructor who helped him solve a series of murders in "Picture Miss Seeton," the first novel in this series.

MissEss, deeply concerned that she doesn't have much artistic talent, proves just the opposite as her intuitive, and probably psychic, abilities allow her to draw sketches for the Oracle that identify a child at risk, that crack the modus operandi of a series of Post Office robberies, and that identify two very nasty murderers. Along the way, MissEss's empathetic instincts also save an unjustly accused young man, and cause her to unknowingly place herself in great danger multiple times. MissEss, however, has a new friend who recognizes that MissEss and her umbrella ("brolly") are survivors. This friend, newly promoted, crime writer, Miss Mel Forby, proves, in many ways, to be as understatedly brilliant at her job as MissEss is at hers.

Heron Carvic clearly loved MissEss and took great joy in writing about her escapades with a dry, subtle wit that may have scorched the village busy bodies, but never disrespected his heroines. This is a five star novel written by a five star author. I highly recommend that you gobble up this series.

(I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)
Print Length: 212 pages
Publisher: Farrago; 3 edition (May 5, 2016)
Publication Date: May 5, 2016
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC