Elaine Viets Accessory to Murder

Accessory to Murder

Elaine Viets

Obsidian, Nov 2007, $6.99, 288 pp.

ISBN 9780451222589

Josie Marcus is a single mother who pays a nominal rent by living in her mother's house. She has known much heartache and tragedy but she is also best friends to Alyce who lives in an affluent gated community filled with mansions and villas while she lives in a blue collar neighborhood. She doesn't like Alyce's husband Jake who cheated on his wife but tolerates him out of her friendship for his spouse.

When Alyce's neighbor is murdered in what looks like a carjacking, a black male is arrested while running through the mall. The police are forced to let him go when evidence proves him innocent; then the police turn their eyes on Jake as a suspect. Circumstantial evidence points to him having an affair with Halley Hardwicke and witnesses saw them arguing before her death. Alyce knows that Jake is innocent of murder and asks Josie to help. She starts nosing around and almost gets killed by a cold blooded killer who has gotten away with murder twice.

There are two heroes in this book: Alyce for sticking by her man even though he doesn't deserve it or her and Josie who goes the extra mile to help her friend. There are some very funny scenes as Josie is mystery shopping at greasy fast food places and is inundated with hundreds of packages she never ordered by someone who wants her busy returning packages and magazine subscriptions. Elaine Viets has written a well thought out who done it starring a sleuth who is totally believable and a bit quirky.

Harriet Klausner