Title: Murder Can Stunt Your Growth
Description: Desiree Shapiro is no lightweight when it comes to crime. At five foot two and pleasingly plump, she always takes on cases she can sink her teeth into. That's why she is so reluctant to investigate the death of little Catherine Corwin. After all, the police, the medical examiner, and the child's doctor all concluded that the sickly nine-year-old died of natural causes. But Catherine's wealthy grandmother believes it was murder and asks Desiree to look into things. Desiree agrees, but only to set the grieving woman's mind at ease. And everything does seem kosher at the elegant uptown Corwin mansion--until Desiree notices one small thing that convinces her someone did want Catherine to die. But finding out who, how, and why may make even a smart cookie like Desiree crumble in confrontation with a most unsavory killer.
Subjects: Fiction, Cozy mystery, Private investigators, Overweight women, murder, A Desiree Shapiro Mystery
Places: New York City, New York
People: Desiree Shapiro
Time periods: Contemporary, 1996