Denise Dietz Chain a Lamb Chop to the Bed

Chain a Lamb Chop to the Bed

Denise Dietz

Five Star, Dec 2005, $25.95, 372 pp.

ISBN: 1594144222

In Colorado Springs, Ellie Bernstein heads Weight Winners, a support group for people trying to lose the pounds. She and her lover homicide detective Peter Miller attend an art show displaying the works of renowned local artist Garrett Halliday, who Ellie posed for when she was kindly put Rubenesque. At the gala, Ellie learns that Garrett's wife Heather was badly burned in a suspicious fire that destroyed some of his paintings three years ago and rarely makes public appearances anymore.

Peter takes Ellie to the almost empty Snowmass Dude Ranch in Aspen for a week of R&R. However, their vacation is disturbed when the corpse of Garrett is found and Heather is missing. Unable to believe that Heather would kill her beloved spouse, Ellie gets involved only to learn that Rudy Kessler, who advertised the selling of a Halliday masterpiece, has been killed. If the culprit learns she is the model of one drawing that she also owns, she could be the next victim but she advertises anyway in the hope of baiting the killer.

CHAIN A LAMB CHOP TO THE BED is an intriguing amateur sleuth tale with elements of a police procedural to enhance the who-done-it. Ellie ignores Peter's advice, which is why he calls her Norrie short for Eleanor as much as she "ignores his advice". She cannot ignore the murder-disappearance of her friends because she cares too much so she decides to investigate, a character trait that is as endearing as it is dangerous. Readers gain some insight into the heroine especially her careful diet as she reflects back to her days of being much heavier. Though the mystery is slow to develop, fans will appreciate Ellie's escapades before, during and after her investigation.

Harriet Klausner