The Belen Hitch: A Sasha Solomon Mystery (Sasha Solomon Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Pari Noskin Taichert (Author)

Book Description

Series: Sasha Solomon Mysteries | Publication Date: September 15, 2005

Public relations consultant Sasha Solomon travels to Belen, New Mexico, to help the small town increase tourism using a former Harvey House as the main attraction. Two factions think they've got the key to Belen's economic success. The train enthusiasts hope to transform the building into a bed and breakfast complete with a restored Fred Harvey restaurant. The equally vocal artists want to create a world-class gallery with the "blasphemous" art of Phillipa Petty--an internationally known painter and local denizen--at its center.

When Solomon finds Petty's murdered body in the artist's studio, the consultant's life becomes much more difficult than mere press releases and returns-on-investment.

"With its sly humor, offbeat characters, and endearing sleuth, The Belen Hitch takes us on a vivid journey through New Mexico's culture, food, art, and landscape in search of a killer. As PR expert Sasha Solomon investigates the murder of a controversial artist--think sacrilegious Georgia O'Keeffe--she must also deal with the aftermath of her mother's stroke, a new beau, a cranky detective, forty-year-old secrets, and ghosts that won't stay dead. Taichert infuses her new mystery with such humanity and warmth that you'll come away glowing."--Denise Hamilton, author of Edgar, Willa, and Creasey Memorial Dagger nominated Eve Diamond novels

"Taichert's lively, erratic protagonist, Sasha Solomon, pursues murders and public relation accounts with equal ardor, and her intelligent appreciation of her fellow humans adds to the fun of the chase."--Charlaine Harris, acclaimed author of Sookie Stackhouse, Lily Bard, and Aurora Teagarden mystery series

"Get ready! Sasha Solomon is back and as sassy and as hilarious as only she can be. So unique and captivating, I'm heading for New Mexico to buy her a case of whipped cream."--Elaine Flinn, author of Tagged For Murder and other mysteries

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Public relations guru Sasha Solomon, introduced in The Clovis Incident (2004), has her hands full in Agatha-nominee Taichert's suspenseful sequel. Sasha has been hired to help the small town of Belen, N.Mex., rethink its approach to tourism. The town's main attraction is a controversial artist, Phillipa "Philly" Petty, who happens to be Sasha's mother's best friend. Sasha swings by Philly's house only to find the woman dead. It turns out she was poisoned—just after she wrote a new will, naming Sasha's mom, Hannah, her heir. Hannah begs her daughter to track down the killer. Suspects include Philly's erstwhile lover, her maid and the chamber of commerce director (who appreciated the attention Phillipa drew to Belen but was personally offended by her paintings). When she's not sleuthing, Sasha dabbles in romance. The cop in charge of Philly's murder is predictably hunky and single, and Sasha's equally attractive physician plies his patient with plenty of attention, too. Taichert provides all the ingredients for a bang-up regional cozy. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

A dynamic and original protagonist lends spice to this southwestern story set in Belen, New Mexico (south of Albuquerque). PR consultant Sasha Solomon finds herself caught in the middle of an ugly civic battle. Two factions are arguing over how best to transform a former Harvey House into a tourist attraction. A group of train enthusiasts wants to combine a bed-and-breakfast with an authentic Fred Harvey restaurant. The other faction, a group of local artists, want the building turned into a gallery that would display the works of highly controversial local artist Phillipa Petty, a close friend of Sasha's mother. When Sasha goes to interview the artist at her home, she finds Phillipa dead. It seems accidental at first, but when Sasha's raw throat is examined by a doctor, they find she has inhaled poisonous gas. As she attempts to solve Phillipa's murder, Sasha gets to know many of Belen's colorful characters and deals with her own relationship issues. Routine mystery nicely spiced with local color. Jenny McLarin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 294 pages
• Publisher: University of New Mexico Press; First Edition edition (September 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826339158
• ISBN-13: 978-0826339157
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,020,494 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Pari Noskin Taichert has garnered two Agatha Award nominations for her mystery series from the University New Mexico Press. Her books are THE SOCORRO BLAST, THE BELEN HITCH and THE CLOVIS INCIDENT; all humorously celebrate the Land of Enchantment while exploring the deeper human condition. Recently, she is delving more in to paranormal subjects in her fiction.

Pari is also a 20+ year veteran in the public relations industry, the founder of the Anthony-nominated web log Murderati.com, and an award-winning freelance features writer. She finds delight in eating Vietnamese food, playing cello, lifting weights, hanging out with writers and readers, loving her family and practicing gratitude.

http://www.parinoskintaichert.com
http://www.murderati.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars She's gone and dunnit again!, October 7, 2005

By 

Elaine Flinn "MysteryMama" (Salinas, Ca United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Belen Hitch: A Sasha Solomon Mystery (Sasha Solomon Mysteries) (Hardcover)

I fell in love with THE CLOVIS INCIDENT, and eagerly awaited Pari's new book-THE BELEN HITCH. Well, I am hands down enthralled with Sasha Solomon and think she is one of the most unique sleuths out today. I won't go into the plot, I'd rather not spoil it for you, and besides, other posters have already given you enough clues. Just take my word for it, okay? Pari and Sasha are quite a pair, and they're gonna be around for a long time-which, for all of us-is just great!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A witty who-done-it with the sprinkling of a psychic and ghost for seasoning., August 3, 2005

By 

B. G. Ritts "Old Beeg" (North Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Belen Hitch: A Sasha Solomon Mystery (Sasha Solomon Mysteries) (Hardcover)

If you like your cozies with a quirky touch, Pari Noskin Taichert's new book, 'The Belen Hitch', is the book for you. Sasha Solomon is back with her travelling PR work, and this time it brings her to Belen, NM (the first time out she was in Clovis, NM for 'The Clovis Incident', which was nominated for an Agatha). She has a new friend (a very appealing psychic), gets a new beau, and finds a newly dead body to sleuth around and about. Sasha's hallucinations and having her cat speak to her are gone this time out, but she still uses whipped cream straight from the can as comfort food. She hasn't yet started handling her mother's health problems well, but her mother does have a boyfriend who is an absolute gem -- and who calls Sasha, 'Sashala'.

She's been hired to make a recommendation to the Belen mayor about two competing local plans for an old, unutilized 'Harvey House'. We find that artists (who want a gallery) and train fans (who want a museum/bed and breakfast combo) are butting heads over the 'right way' to go. (As an aside, the author is a PR professional and I imagine her books will give good inside info -- and every now and then while reading, I thought 'ah ha', that sounds like a very practical idea.) Sasha's first interview is to be with an artist who happens to be an old friend of her mother's. Instead, she discovers the artist's body and the 'who-done-it' is on. By the book's conclusion, several other people we meet have been threatened or had attempts made on their lives.

Pari Taichert's voice is a breezy, breath-of-fresh-air first person with lots of humor. (My favorite example here is while talking with a local woman who 'knows' the Harvey House's ghost -- and a really quite lovely ghost as they go -- Sasha inquires about which plan the ghost would prefer. Local: 'The bed and breakfast.' Sasha: 'Why?' Local: 'She gets lonely.') I met Ms. Taichert at the 2003 Bouchercon convention and liked her instantly. I've liked her books too and hope to get to read new ones from her for a long time. 'The Belen Hitch' is well worth the read -- and I believe your impressions will bring you to the same conclusion.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Come Visit Belen, October 28, 2006

By 

Mark Baker (Santa Clarita, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Belen Hitch: A Sasha Solomon Mystery (Sasha Solomon Mysteries) (Paperback)

Traveling PR consultant Sasha Solomon has taken a new assignment. The town of Belen is trying to figure out what to do with an old building in town to attract tourists. Part of the town wants to turn it into a bed and breakfast train museum. The other part thinks it would make a great art gallery, especially since local artist Phillipa Petty has promised some of her pieces.

The thing about Phillipa is that she's controversial. Her art attacks religious figures from all over the world. She also happens to be a friend of Sasha's mom, so Sasha figures this is a great place to start.

However, when she arrives at Phillipa's house, Sasha finds the artist dead. Sasha's mom takes the news hard, and begs Sasha to find out what happened to her friend. Was it the train faction trying to shoot down their competition? Or is their something even more sinister involved?

The plot starts off strong and continues to build. There are so many great twists and red herrings, I wasn't sure what was going on. The writing style brings a dose of humor to the book, adding to the fun. Unfortunately, the ending was a little abrupt for my taste, but it did tie everything together nicely.

The characters help make the book strong. Sasha is charming and human. I love her love interest in this book. Her best friend, Darnda brings a touch of the paranormal to the story. Even the new characters are well developed.

All told, this is a solid second effort. I'm looking forward to Sasha's third case.