Review: Half-Price Homicide

Title: Half-Price Homicide
Author: Elaine Viets
Publication Date: May 3, 2011
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Recommended If You Like: career-centered cozies, strong female protagonists

The Book:

Helen Hawthorne has had to take a string of jobs to stay under the radar of her ex-husband, who was handed half of her income in an unfair divorce decree. Her current job is working at a consignment store that caters to the elite who don't have quite as much money as they would like.

But when a customer is murdered in the store, Helen finds herself once again thrust into the police's spotlight as a prime suspect. She must solve the crime to free herself from suspicion.


What I Liked:

I really enjoy this series!

Helen is a great leading character, strong with a sense of humor. The concept is a strong one, with Helen in a different job each book, which really keeps things fresh and interesting. The romance is definitely one to root for, as are the main characters.

Anything I Didn't Like?

I did feel like Viets tried to fit too much into this book. Some of the side plots felt way out of left field, and some of the minor characters verged on caricatures, and I suspect this was because there was just so much going on.

Also, just a heads up that if you haven't read the earlier books in the series, there are some spoilers for earlier plot points in this one.

So...?

While this wasn't the best book in the series, it was still a good one, and this is still a cozy mystery series I would absolutely recommend.