Murder Unleashed: A Dead-End Job Mystery [Hardcover]

Elaine Viets (Author)

Book Description

Series: Dead-End Job Mystery | Publication Date: May 2, 2006

With a résumé that includes attempted assault and alimony evasion, Helen Hawthorne has no choice but to take on a series of dead-end jobs to make ends meet. At the Pampered Pet Boutique, Helen hustles a selection of canine cuisine and couture that beats anything in her own fridge or closet. And when Helen goes to deliver a dog to a client, she finds the blonde trophy wife stretchedout naked by her pool, a pair of ten-inch grooming scissors sticking out of her chest. Later that same day, a valuable labradoodle puppy is kidnapped from the boutique.

All eyes turn to Helen as the main suspect, and with a hurricane headed straight for South Florida, Helen's got to find the killer and come clean, or else her new life will be gone with the wind.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Full of wry social commentary, Viets's fifth Dead-End Job mystery (after 2005's Just Murdered) finds series heroine Helen Hawthorne, former St. Louis biz whiz, still on the lam and working off the books at a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., shop called Pampered Pets to avoid paying alimony to a philandering ex-husband. The murders of two Pampered Pets customers—Tammie Grimsby, an aging, sex-crazed trophy wife; and Willoughby Barclay, owner of Barkley, a "Labradoodle" who's the object of a custody dispute in an ugly divorce—sets Helen on the sleuthing trail. Viets wickedly explores the trendy and sometimes cruel fashion of using dogs as accessories and exuberantly depicts this elite pet world, which includes dueling dog groomers as well as murder suspects. A hurricane threat adds zest to the hunt for the killer.
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About the Author

Elaine Viets is the national bestselling author of the Dead-End Job series and numerous short stories.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: NAL Hardcover (May 2, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 045121840X
• ISBN-13: 978-0451218407
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,554,344 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I write my novels with the help of Harry, a striped cat who sleeps by my computer and lashes the keyboard with his tail. He whips me into a writing frenzy.
Harry collaborates on two series, the Dead-end Job mysteries and the Josie Marcus Mystery Shopper series. He's doing a good job -- I just signed a contract with NAL/Signet for two more books in each series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and witty, a rollicking great read., May 15, 2006

By 

Joanna Campbell Slan "Joanna" (St. Louis, MO United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Murder Unleashed: A Dead-End Job Mystery (Hardcover)

It's a pleasure to see an author keep getting better and better. Elaine Viets does exactly that with Murder Unleashed: A Dead-End Job Mystery.

From her dry social commentary to her honest look at what makes pet owners tick, Viets has an unparalleled eye for detail. She's the chick-lit equivalent of Charles Dickens with her ability to emphathize with the poor and unfranchised. Her on-the-run heroine Helen Hawthorne has lots of reasons to want to remain anonymous. Not the least of these is hunky Phil, a guy who's terrific but not so perfect he's impossible to believe. When Helen becomes a murder suspect, she marshalls all her resources and doggedly (sorry!) tracks down the killer.

Viets has created a new life for Helen, one that becomes more rich and satisfying with every book. Her portrayal of Florida's mood before, during and after a hurricane is stunningly accurate.

Most chick-lit mysteries are entertaining and fun. Viets takes the genre to a new dimension by making her readers more socially conscious. She brings a gentle humanity to all her characters. The dog groomer Superstar in this book is a prime example.

Dead-End? I hope this is just the beginning for Viets and Company.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helen Goes to the Dogs, July 14, 2008

By 

J. E. Stephens "Jeanne" (Florida) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Murder Unleashed (Dead-End Job Mysteries, Book 5) (Mass Market Paperback)

In this episode of the Dead End Jobs Series, Helen works in a high end dog specialty shop. The shop has two talented dog groomers.

It is amazing what people will do for their dogs. High end clothes, jewelry, leashes, and furniture for dogs are available in this store. They even have a pick up and delivery service for grooming. Early on Helen finds a dead body while delivering a freshly groomed pooch.

Helen shows her love for animals in this book. She does some of her best detective work in the whole series. With help from her boyfriend, Phil, her landylady Margery, and friend, Peggy, she solves many mysteries.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars delightful satirizing whodunit, May 3, 2006

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Murder Unleashed: A Dead-End Job Mystery (Hardcover)

Refusing to pay alimony to her cheating lazy former spouse as the Judge ruled claiming he was a devoted house husband who enabled her to achieve career success, Helen Hawthorne fled her life as a thriving businesswoman in St. Louis to work off the books in southern Florida. She quickly learns that proprietors, at least in the Fort Lauderdale area, are not concerned with your past or your social security number though none of her jobs come decimally close to the six figures she annually earned in Missouri..

Currently Helen works off the books at Pampered Pets in Fort Lauderdale. Two customers have recently been murdered. Nymphomaniac trophy wife Tammie Grimsby and Willoughby Barclay, who is in a legal divorce fight with his wife. The biggest arguments are over custody of their child Barkley the "Labradoodle". Though she knows better to mind her business, as she has a recent history of unsafe involvement (see SHOP TILL YOU DROP and JUST MURDERED), Helen investigates anyway.

The fifth Dead-End Job Mystery is a delightful lampooning of the pet world where canines serve as chic accessories so an owner can be part of the "in-crowd" regardless of the abuse of the animal. The amateur sleuth investigation as always in this series is fun to follow because of the acerbic asides by the heroine who assumes the mantle of K-9 champion even as she referees between battling groomers while seeking the killer amidst a litter of suspects. Readers will enjoy Elaine Viets delightful satirizing whodunit.

Harriet Klausner