Murder Can Cool Off Your Affair (Desiree Shapiro Mystery #9)
New York PI Desiree Shapiro, the plump, all-too-human heroine of Eichler's mouthwatering mystery series (Murder Can Upset Your Mother, etc.), pleases the palate once again in this brisk, entertaining read. Desiree's most recent client, John Lander, is due to inherit his Uncle Victor's sizeable fortune now that the previous heir, Edward, is dead. After a close call with a stray bullet, John hires Desiree to solve two mysteries who wants him dead and who murdered his cousin Edward? Through persistent sleuthing, the food-loving detective pieces together a short list of suspects who might benefit from Edward's death, but she has no clear idea which is the assailant. The police have a hypothesis of their own. They believe John killed Edward and faked the attempt on his own life in order to paint himself as a victim, but Desiree is reluctant to admit that her client may be a murderer. Chatty conversations pad the narrative, and zany but well-rounded characters some of whom are familiar from Eichler's previous books flesh out the story. In addition, culinary references, woven into the narrative in such a manner as to enhance rather than distract, serve as an enjoyable and delectable counterpoint to the action.Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.