Elaine Viets has won both the Agatha and Anthony—her book, “Murder with Reservations,” is truly is reminiscent of Agatha Christie works—not too scary, but involving a murder. In the book, Helen Hawthorne stars as amateur sleuth while she cleans hotel rooms. The series is based on odd-jobs like this, all made probable because Helen is moving constantly as she hides out from her lousy ex-husband. In “Murder with Reservations” there are three mysteries really: Will Helen’s ex-husband find her and ruin her life (worse than it already is)? Will Helen figure out who killed her co-worker Rhonda? And last but not least, Will Helen find the money that an old bank robber might have left hidden in the hotel?
Viets weaves her plots around a somewhat unlikely character: Helen shows an amazing lack of spine when it comes to all three mysteries. She could face her ex-husband in court, but chooses not to. This is somewhat believable because, after all, Helen stayed married to the cheating scum for many years before leaving. Helen finds Rhonda’s body, which requires some nerve and fortitude…but then her character immediately returns to a faded, worried wall-flower to avoid being noticed by the police. The book is a mad combination of “I must do what is right” and “I must run away faster.”
I found the occasional strange analogy used by Viets rather disconcerting. Perhaps she shouldn’t write on an empty stomach:
“Her broad bosom was twin cabbages, her tight white hair was a cauliflower, and her powerful arms were blue-ribbon zucchini.”
It’s enough to put your off your vegetables for years. And it didn’t stop there.
Another woman was, “…an odd creature with a round white face like a cocktail onion.”
It wasn’t always vegetable matter: “The cheerios stared back at Helen like a heap of eyeless skulls.” Hmm. To each their own cheerio!
Helen does add two and two and uncovers the killer in the end; it is done in a very reasonable manner. Not only that, but the other mysteries and conflicts were resolved as well. All in all, I think cozy readers will find the book satisfying with its various plots, a side romance and the occasional red-herring.
