Rubout [Paperback]

Elaine Viets (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 11, 1998

The open road.  The wind whipping in your face.  For both serious riders and the wanna-bes called RUBs--Rich Urban Bikers--riding a Harley is only part of the thrill.  Putting on leather and acting out is the rest.  Even Francesca Vierling, a St. Louis reporter who is a little too tall, smart, and sexy for her own good, is dressed to kill--for a biker's ball that will lead straight ahead to murder.

The victim is a woman who lived well, married bad, and divorced hard.  For Sydney Vander Venter, going from high-society wife to tough-talking biker chick was only a phase.  One she didn't survive.  Now Francesca must find out who ruined the annual Leather and Lace Ball by killing Sydney.  But with her career crashing, her love life sputtering, and another murder waiting down the road, Francesca finds out firsthand how dangerous it can be when you're born to be wild--and dare to live that way too.  .  .  .


From the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Nobody knows St.  Louis better than Elaine Viets.  .  .  .  I'm looking forward to reading more about Francesca Vierling.  Her creator has the touch."
--John Lutz, author of Death by Jury


From the Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

"Nobody knows St. Louis better than Elaine Viets. . . . I'm looking forward to reading more about Francesca Vierling. Her creator has the touch."
--John Lutz, author of Death by Jury

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Dell (May 11, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440613485
• ISBN-13: 978-0440613480
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #772,137 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

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An author to watch in a must read mystery, April 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Rubout (Mass Market Paperback)

Francesca Vierling is elated to be attending the annual Leather and Lace Biker's Society Ball as a guest not as a reporter for the St. Louis City Gazette. In spite of her lover refusing to accompany her, Francesca she still has a good time. However, that changes when high society member Sydney Vander Venter, a surprise attendee is found murdered.

The police believe either one of Sydney's relatives (she was in the midst of a highly publicized, ugly divorce) or one of the bikers (she made several enemies at the ball) killed her. The prime biker suspects turn to Francesca for help. They know about her success in solving a previous case (see BACKSTAB) and feel she can prove their innocence. The amateur sleuth reluctantly begins to investigate who killed the victim.

RUBOUT, the second novel in the Vierling amateur sleuth series, is a fun to read mystery because of the well-developed and very interesting support ensemble. The story line has enough red herrings that interweave with the main plot to please fans of the sub-genre. Francesca is a wonderful character, whose motivations are obvious but honest . Elaine Viets confirms that she is a rising talent whom fans of the sub-genre need to pay attention to because they will obtain their money's worth with her novels.

Harriet Klausner

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lot of fun, August 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Rubout (Mass Market Paperback)

I grew up in St. Louis and was familiar with Elaine Viets' funny Post-Dispatch columns about city life, so when I saw she had written a mystery I was eager to see what it was like. I wasn't disappointed. It was fun to read a mystery with references to my home town, and the satire about the newspaper where her heroine works was especially funny since I've worked on newspapers for quite a number of years. My only criticism is that it was fairly easy to figure out who the killer was, but I still enjoyed the book immensely and highly recommend it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for mystery fans!!, August 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Rubout (Mass Market Paperback)

Viets gives us savy, sharp witted Francesca Verling and a great read! An inside look at the world of the newspaper game, suspense and characters to easily become attached to/or despise. They are honest, gritty and her descriptions are priceless!