Murder Between the Covers: A Dead-End Job Mystery [Mass Market Paperback]

To avoid detection, she only takes jobs where she can get paid under the table in cash.

She's been on her new job at the Ft. Lauderdale Page Turners Book Store for several months now, and although she had always thought working in a book store would be a wonderful job, she's been disappointed. Not only with the customers, but her pig of a boss Page Turner III.

Then disaster strikes her apartment complex. The Coronado Tropic Apartments are infested with termites and Helen and her neighbors are forced to move out for the weekend while the complex is tented and bombed.

The weekend at the beach, spent partly with her new boyfriend, Dr. Rich ends badly when after returning to the Coronado, Page Turner III is found with a huge knife in his back, on the bed in one of the apartments.

How did Page Turner die, and how did he end up in an apartment that was locked down and tented for termite extermination?

There are no lack of suspects, but when Helen's friend Peggy is arrested for the crime, (she had previously been engaged to him, and had threatened to kill him when she read he was engaged to another woman in the newspaper).

Helen is shocked, she didn't even know Peggy knew Page Turner, let alone would have ever gone out with him. But when the cops close the case, it's up to Helen and her landlady, Margery to find out who the killer is.

Was it his wife, jealous of his consant womanizing? Or the female authors who were all promised book signings for their Vanity Press books, if they spent some time in Page's office. And what about the rumors that Page videotaped himself with all of these women, and what other things might he have video taped?

And then there's another murder.

Highlights:

All the inhabitants of the Coronado Tropic Apartments. Peggy & her Parrot, Pete. Cal, the Canadian who is constantly complaining about everything American. Phil - the unseen, pot-smoking next door neighbor, are all amusing characters.

Margery - the 70ish landlady is a hoot.

Helen and Margery on a stakeout.

Helen's fellow employee's at Page Turner's and old Mr. Davies, who sits in the book store all day and reads.

The mystery. The killer was a surprise, but made perfect sense.

Helen confronting the killer. This part made me laugh out loud.

Helen having to read "Love and Murder - Forever: A Romantic Mystery or Mysterious Romance". which will qualify as one of the worst books, and titles ever written.

Lowlights:

I know Helen is ticked off, which is why she's living like she is, but it's stupid. NO ONE IS LOOKING FOR YOU. (I had to say it, but if she wasn't acting like this, it would ruin the series).

Dr. Rich: He appeared in the first book, and continued into this one. He was such a nice guy, that I don't understand why his character had to change so radically, it was a very unpleasant turn in the story. Couldn't she have just dumped him?

This was much better than the first book in the series - Shop Till You Drop, which had so many characters, I got confused.

Great characters. Great mystery. A thoroughly enjoyable book. Can't wait for the next one to be published.

NOTE: Another reviewer expressed serious disbelief about employers paying their employees under the table. That is extremely naive...I believe it was 60 Minutes that did a piece on this a few years ago, and as a long time south Florida resident and former New Yorker, I can say unequivocally that it goes on every day and in all sorts of businesses, from mom & pop stores to doctors' offices to pre-schools to law firms to bookstores...