The Missing Ink: A Tattoo Shop Mystery [Kindle Edition]

Karen E. Olson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The Painted Lady, a tattoo shop in contemporary Las Vegas, and its owner, artist turned tattooist Brett Kavanaugh, are central to this pleasantly jargon-free themed mystery from Olson (the Annie Seymour mysteries). When a woman requests a devotion tattoo from Brett and then vanishes, her disappearance is quickly linked to a series of murders involving tattooing equipment and rival shop Murder Ink. Brett's police detective brother, Tim, requests her expertise, and a murder at an engagingly excessive fictional hotel leads to Brett meeting its mysteriously handsome manager, Simon Chase, providing a solid base for further sleuthing and romance. Readers need not be conversant with street flash or other industry terms to enjoy the setting and follow Brett down a trail of needles and gloves to the dramatic finale. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description

Murder leaves a mark

Brett Kavanaugh is a tattoo artist and owner of an elite tattoo parlor in Las Vegas. When a girl makes an appointment for a tattoo of the name of her fiancé embedded in a heart, Brett takes the job but the girl never shows. The next thing Brett knows, the police are looking for her client, and the name she wanted on the tattoo isn’t her fiancé’s...

Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 375 KB
• Print Length: 320 pages
• Publisher: NAL (July 7, 2009)
• Sold by: Penguin Publishing
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0028T82LA
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #235,138 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

I've spent most of my life in Connecticut, with just four years at Roanoke College in Virginia and two years working for an ad agency in Miami. I came back to New England and began my 20-year career in print journalism. I am now working at Yale part-time on a medical journal so I can devote more time to my fiction writing. I'm married, and we have a daughter whom we adopted in China in 1998.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great start to a new series!, July 11, 2009

By 

Shanyn Day (Elko, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Missing Ink: A Tattoo Shop Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

This book was the first in Karen Olson's Tattoo Shop Mysteries. Another one is in the works, set to be published in April of 2010 (according to the excerpt in the back of this one).

I found this mystery to be an enjoyable read. The chapters were very short, which meant I ended up reading more in one sitting than I normally would, because I could tell myself 'just one more chapter.' I started to care about the well being of the main character Brett, along with her co-workers and friends. The way the characters were written about, I was really able to establish a personality for each of them, which I really like in a book.

The mystery itself was a little confusing, because it deals with the switching of names and other similar ideas, but made sense in the end (thankfully). I really had no idea who was committing the crimes, and was expecting a few individuals to be guilty that weren't.

For awhile it was annoying to me that Brett's detective brother Tim wouldn't tell Brett anything (which is common for a detective, but Brett's speculations were getting old, I wanted facts)! It gets better towards the end once he realizes that she is a big part of the crimes.

I usually don't enjoy reading books part of a series that only have the first book out, because now I have to wait almost a year for the next one, but I did enjoy this one and know I will be looking for "Pretty In Ink" (#2) next spring!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kept me up late reading, move over Annie Seymour here comes Brett Kavanaugh, July 14, 2009

By 

Serious Reader "Amazon Fan Extraordinaire" (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Missing Ink: A Tattoo Shop Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

Very much enjoyed this book. No plot synopsis here, but what I loved: the subject of tattoo art, the setting in Vegas & all its craziness (including oxygen bars & Elvis). This book kept me up late reading and almost had me wanting to get a tat myself and had me dreaming about tattoos & thinking what image & where. I'd read the author's previous series (Annie Seymour) and would say Brett Kavanaugh is more likeable than Annie, while still an independent somewhat cynical strong female character. The supporting characters were interesting along with their relationships with Brett. I am very much looking forward to reading the rest of the series. Great insight into the world of tattoos!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I couldn't put it down, July 18, 2009

By 

Debra English "reading queen" (Ohio,USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Missing Ink: A Tattoo Shop Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

As a fan of Ms. Olson's Annie Seymour series I was immediately drawn to this new one. I couldn't put it down. The characters were interesting, all from different walks of life. The mystery was excellent and I can't wait for the next installment even though it's a year away. I highly suggest this book for mystery lovers with a sense of humor whether they are tattoo lovers or not. Keep up the good work!!!