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Pocket, May 1 2004, 6.50, 342 pp. ISBN 0743471113 She came from a small Texas town to San Antonio to make something of herself and she talked Ricardo, the famous Beauty Salon King into giving her a job. He was her mentor and they became friends and they still had a good relationship after she left him to go solo. She runs her own salon in the historical house she restored to its former glory. After a while passes, Ricardo comes into Reyn Marten Sawyer's Salon to borrow a very sharp hair brush that he needs for a special customer. That night he calls Reyn waking her up. She thinks his mind is a bit muddled from drink because he isn't making any sense. The next day she gets another phone call, this time from the police, telling her that Ricardo is dead and they need her to identify the body. She goes over to his home and sees that the murder weapon was the brush he borrowed from her. That and the fact that he left her his business make her a suspect in the eyes of the adorable Detective Jacks Scythe. Reyn seeks the perpetrator much to the horror and dismay of Detective Scythe. This is the first “Hair-Raising Mystery” and it is charming, funny and exciting as Reyn runs over anyone who gets in her way once she makes up her mind on a course of action. Laura Bradley has a refreshing writing style that uses humor to diffuse some tension. As much as she tries to deny it, the heroine is very interested in the sexy detective making THE BRUSH-OFF of interest to fans of romantic mysteries. Harriet Klausner | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of story - very upbeat How difficult to spot villain? - Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues Time/era of story: What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 70% Special suspect? - investigator him/herself Misc. Murder Plotlets - Proving innocence of very obvious suspect Kind of investigator Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book descript. of violence and chases - 10 % Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10 % Crime Thriller Yes Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes Main Character Gender - Female Profession/status: Age: - 20's-30's Ethnicity/Race Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 40's-50's Profession/status: Motive of antagonist - power How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters Setting United States Yes The US: - Texas Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript |
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