The Art of Murder

Dead-End Job Mystery #15

by Elaine Viets

From the national bestselling author of Checked Out , Helen Hawthorne must pose as a painter at Fort Lauderdale’s famous Bonnet House Musuem to catch an artful killer . . .

The art world is a happening place—but a brush with death shouldn’t be in the picture. Unfortunately that’s just what happens to Helen Hawthorne and her friend Margery. While touring gorgeous Bonnet House, a mansion-turned-museum, they observe a painting class and note an up-and-coming artist. When they later see her deadly end, Helen is hired to canvas the crime scene—undercover, of course.
 
Sketchy suspects lurk in the victim’s bohemian past. Was the promising painter killed by her jealous husband? Her best friend? A rival using her artful wiles? With her husband Phil busy setting a trap for a gold thief, it’s up to Helen to paint this killer into a corner . . .
 
 

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Fiction, Whodunit

287 pages, Hardcover

First published May 3, 2016

About the author

As a young girl, Elaine Viets was taught the virtues of South St. Louis: the importance of hard work, housecleaning, and paying cash. She managed to forget almost everything she learned, which is why she turned to mystery writing.

Living in South Florida has not improved her character. But it has given her the bestselling Dead-End Job series. Like her amateur detective, Helen Hawthorne, Elaine actually works those rotten jobs. Perhaps her early training has given her a lifelong fascination with jobs. She and Helen both know working for a living can be murder.

To research her novels, Elaine has been everything from a salesclerk to a survey taker. Her first book in the series is SHOP TILL YOU DROP, a novel of sex, murder and plastic surgery. It's set at a fashionable dress shop that caters to kept women. Book two, MURDER BETWEEN THE COVERS, takes place at a bookstore. Elaine worked at a Barnes & Noble in Hollywood, Florida, for a year.

For the third, DYING TO CALL YOU, Helen works as a telemarketer. Elaine sold septic tank cleaner and did telephone surveys. She actually asked women if they shaved their armpits. In the fourth Dead-End Job mystery, JUST MURDERED, Elaine and Helen explore big-money matrimony for better or worse. Elaine did her research in Zola Keller’s posh bridal salon in Fort Lauderdale.

For the fifth novel, Elaine and Helen go to the dogs. MURDER UNLEASHED is set at a high-end dog boutique, where people spend two hundred dollars for canine cuisine, women sneak illegal pets into condos using high-priced designer purses, and the dogs at the store have bigger wardrobes than the salesclerks. MURDER UNLEASHED is Elaine's first hardcover mystery. Publishers Weekly calls it “wry social commentary.”

Although Elaine lives in Fort Lauderdale, her heart – and her viewpoint – remain in the Midwest. Like Helen Hawthorne, another transplanted St. Louisan, she observes the outrageously rich Florida culture (and lack thereof) with wide-eyed fascination.

Elaine’s second series takes her back to work in St. Louis. It features Josie Marcus, a mystery shopper and single mom. The debut novel, DYING IN STYLE, tied with Stephen King on the bestseller list for the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association.

Elaine won both the Agatha and the Anthony Awards for her short story, "Wedding Knife," in CHESAPEAKE CRIMES.

Some honors don’t come with plaques and award banquets. Elaine was thrilled when her short story, "After the Fall," was featured on the same cover of the Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine as the master, Ed Hoch.

Her short story, "Red Meat," is in BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS, the Mystery Writers of America anthology edited by Lawrence Block. "Blonde Moment" is in the MWA anthology, SHOW BUSINESS IS MURDER, edited by Stuart Kaminsky. "Sex and Bingo" is featured in the HIGH STAKES gambling anthology. And if you've ever wondered about the early life of purple-loving landlady Margery Flax, read "Killer Blonde" in DROP-DEAD BLONDE.

Elaine has served on the national boards of the Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. She lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with her husband, actor Don Crinklaw, where they collect speeding tickets.

Please buy her novels so she can pay her MasterCard.

Series:
* Dead-End Job Mystery
* Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper
* Francesca Vierling Mystery

Reviews

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Elaine Viets penned a mystery that came alive in my mind. I'm a big fan of art. The history and aptsmophere for the historic Bonnet House with the art class with a possible killer lurking was very inspiring. Helen, Margery and Phil were very likeable and hilarous characters.

The thrills and suspense had me not wanting to put this book down. The Art of Murder was very fast paced with a most gruesome murder.This is a new favorite cozy mystery for me and the best I have read this year so far.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#15 in the Dead End Job series. Helen Hawthorne and husband Phil take on simultaneous jobs for their Coronado Investigations P.I. firm. Helen is hired to prove the poisoned artists ex-husband killed her, although Helen warns that she will search for whoever the killer happens to be. Phil is hired to catch the Gold Ghost, a cat burglar stealing bullion collections from high floor residents in a Lauderdale community. Helen insists on accompanying the operative Phil places on stake-out duty. An enjoyable cozy but it's annoying how long it takes Helen to remember where she has seen the Gold Ghost before.

Dead End Job series - Fort Lauderdale, Fla., PI Helen Hawthorne tours the Bonnet House Museum, where she meets artist Annabel Griffin. Outside the museum after the tour, Annabel collapses after drinking some odd-tasting raspberry tea and eventually dies from nicotine poisoning. A close friend of Annabel's is convinced that the dead woman's boorish ex-husband, Hugo Hythe, murdered her, and she hires Helen to investigate. Helen noticed Hugo callously step over the unconscious Annabel right after her fall and later learns that Annabel contributed to Hugo's losing his position as the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Meanwhile, Helen's PI husband, Phil, has been retained to catch the so-called Gold Ghost, who has been breaking into top-floor condos and stealing gold coins. The stakes for that case rise when the burglar fatally bludgeons an elderly man who presumably interrupted another theft.

[Mayda · Rating 4 out of 5]

What began as a tour of an art museum for Helen ended in a suspicious death for an artist. Helen is hired by a friend of the artist who fervently believes that the ex-husband is responsible. But Helen is not so sure and must chase down clues and suspects in her quest for the truth. Meanwhile, the love of her life, who also happens to be her husband, is on a case of his own to track down the Gold Ghost Thief. A lot of action and humor besides combine to make this an enjoyable, quick read – perfect anytime but especially for a summer fun mystery.

[Missi Martin (Stockwell) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have LOVED reading the Dead-End Job Mystery series by Elaine Viets. Hanging around the Coronado Tropics Apartments with main character Helen Hawthorne and watching her grow throughout this series has been such a treasure. When the Dead-End Job Mystery series started Helen was on the run from her cheating lazy ex-husband. She left him and vowed he would never see another penny from her even though the divorce judge "sentenced" her to pay him a portion of her earnings. So she got an apartment in the Coronado Tropics Apartments and took dead-end jobs paying cash so that she could keep that vow.

Well throughout the series she became close to her landlady Margery and a few of the other tenants, especially her next door neighbor Phil who she eventually married and in the last few books in the series Helen and Phil opened up their own private investigating business, Coronado Investigations.

The series sadly concludes with the fifteenth book, The Art of Murder, and Viets does the series justice. In The Art of Murder Helen and Phil are working on two separate cases. While Helen and Margery are touring the Bonnet House Museum and Gardens they see the end of an art class being held and, of course, start talking to the teacher and students. Helen decides to start taking the class and when they are walking out and one of the students gets sick and collapses, she knows that she has to find out more. The next day Helen learns that the student, Annabel, who was an up and coming artist passed away. One of the other students, Jenny, knows that she was murdered and hires Helen to find the killer. While Helen is doing all this Phil is hired as a night security guard for a high rise condominium by the community association manager. Someone is breaking into the penthouses of the buildings in the association and stealing gold coins.

Both Helen and Phil have very interesting cases and readers know that they will solve both cases. However the way they go about solving them is the reason readers cannot help turning the pages quickly and why they returned to this series whenever there was a new book to read. Viets was able to find very interesting dead-end jobs for Helen to have and murders to solve pertaining to those jobs. I was very happy when she took the book further by having Helen and Phil get married and open their own investigation service. Readers cannot help but love their devotion to each other and the cases they take.

I am sorry that my lease is up with the Coronado Tropics Apartments and will miss Helen, Phil, Margery and Peggy and their nightly sunset salutes around the pool. I will miss the cases and the jobs that Helen and Phil take to put some crafty characters behind bars. I know that whenever I feel lonely for them, all I have to do is go back and open one of the books and they will welcome me with a drink by the pool......

[Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Elaine Viets has created a protagonist in Helen Hawthorne that readers can relate to. Helen doesn’t back down from pursuing any job and is loyal to her friends. The secondary characters are also well-developed and add depth to the story.
The story flows at a steady pace with twists and turs keeping the suspense high. The vivid descriptions and eye for details brings the fascinating Bonnet House Museum into the reader’s world.
THE ART OF MURDER is the 15th installment in Viets’ Dead-End Job Mystery series, but can be read as a standalone. New readers will have no problem keep up with Helen, Phil, Margery and the rest of the gang. Returning fans will delight in catching up with some of their favorite characters.
The intrigue of art classes paired with beautiful Fort Lauderdale (FL) landmarks as backdrops makes this a tantalizing cozy mystery. A blend of humor, suspense, friendship and determination make this a must read for murder mystery lovers.
FTC Full Disclosure – A copy of this book was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review. The thoughts are completely my own and given honestly and freely.

[Lisa Ks Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Elaine Viets paints a vivid mystery with THE ART OF MURDER.

The Dead-End Job Mystery series has been great from the start. Ms. Viets keeps upping her game with each new installment. This series is consistently well written with each new book adding stronger, and more entertaining plots.

THE ART OF MURDER is quick to jump into the murder, and mayhem. From chapter one it just keep gaining momentum. Fast paced and intriguing, this book was hard to put down. With plenty of twists and turns to keep me guessing, and second guessing, the reveal was a total surprise.

With books like THE ART OF MURDER, it’s easy to see why Ms. Viets, and the Dead-End Job mysteries have such a loyal following.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm still enjoying Helen Hawthorne, Phil and Margery and their adventures in South Florida. This story centers around artists taking a class at the Bonner house, and was perhaps a bit repetitive. I had the murder pretty much figured out, but still enjoyed the journey to the end.

[Anne Straub · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm still loyal to the series, but it was a lot more fun when Helen had to take dead-end jobs off the grid to avoid paying alimony to her ex. Financial security and a job as a PI take away the edge.

[LORI CASWELL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dollycas’s Thoughts
What should have been a quiet and relaxing day for Helen Hawthorne and her friend Margery quickly turns deadly. The were touring Bonnet House, a Fort Lauderdale museum, and when the left they were witness to a woman falling down and convulsing in a parking lot. She later died and her death was very suspicious, but was it murder or suicide? Helen is asked to investigate her death and goes undercover to do so. Phil has his own case. He is trying to catch a thief that has been burglarizing high rises. Busy with their own cases they don’t have much time for each other. Hopefully they can wrap things up before their marriage starts to suffer.

Fifteen books in and Elaine Viets still delivers a timely mystery we can escape right into.

Helen has come a long way from the dead end jobs as she takes on another case all by herself and she ends up helping Phil with his case too. Phil ends up the one with the dead end job in this installment. I did figure out the whodunit in her case quite easily and some of the facets of Phil’s case too but both had a suspenseful endings.

All our favorite characters and their “sunset salutes” are back. I did enjoy Markos helping the PI’s again. The new characters were interesting and well developed. Their dialogue was well written too and real.

This was not my favorite book in the series but it was an entertaining read . I think I miss Helen being chased by her ex but as with all series I understand the characters have to evolve. The bit of marital tension between Helen and Phil did help, but truly we all know they are just so darn happy together. 🙂

The Art of Murder is a light, fast, enjoyable cozy. A nice addition to this series.

[Peacejanz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elaine Viets does not write complex or difficult mystery novels. She writes easy to read, fun to read mysteries about everyday life. This is from her "dead-end job" series. Many of us have had that job but we did not have to look for a murderer or a person who steals gold from high rise condo owners. This book is placed in South Florida where I live. People, mostly older, have purchased condos in an exclusive area of expensive homes. And foolishly brag about the various gold pieces they have on a web site. And someone is robbing them of their gold. Viets points out that these people do not trust banks or stocks with their money and have purchased gold as a resource to hold when "end times" happen. Since all these condos have guards at the entry door, cameras everywhere, secret codes to open doors, etc., how is the robber getting in? And getting away? Helen Hawthorne, our super investigator, is drawn into this gold theft job by her husband, also a private investigator. The couple, with help from a neighbor, catch the Gold Thief but Helen is involved in another private investigation. She went to an art class at a special location and as she was leaving, one of her fellow students fell ill and passed out in the parking area; then died in the hospital. Another student hired Helen to investigate the death after it was ruled murder. Helen runs between the two investigations and that creates our quick reading, cosy mystery sited in the art world. This is not a deep read, it is just a quick read about how Helen, her husband and a neighbor solve two mysteries.

[Once Upon a Romance Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed by Wendy
Sexual Content: None
Language Content: Mild
Violent Content: Minimal

Helen Hawthorne and her friend Margery are enjoying a tour of the beautiful Bonnet House, once a mansion, now a museum. They happen upon an art class and soon are swept up in the mysterious death of an up and coming artist.

One of the other students in the class is the deceased ex-husband, a man who looks mighty guilty. Helen is asked to go undercover to find out who killed the artist. Is it her ex, an old lover, her current husband, or a classmate who seems too eager to have the dead woman’s ex-husband
arrested? While Helen is hard at work undercover, her husband Phil, also a PI is busy working undercover himself on a robbery case, so we don’t see a whole lot of him, in this book.

The Art of Murder is the 15th book in the Dead-End Job Mystery Series. It is a solid mystery with likable characters and plenty of twists and turns to keep the read engaged. Helen’s friends are diverse and they keep each other and the reader entertained. The setting is in Ft. Lauderdale and
the author’s descriptions add a lot to the background of the mystery. Not the best in the series, but a good mystery none-the- less.

-- WENDY

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful, articulate cozy series I’ve followed over the years. Helen is on the lam from an evil husband hiding out under an assumed name in a grand, untouched mid-century modern apartment complex with an interesting cast of characters in Ft. Lauderdale. Having more than broken through the glass ceiling back home in St. Louis, she is now relegated to taking dead end jobs so she can be paid under the table and remain off the books anonymous. Elaine Viets, the clever and award winning author behind the series has worked many of the jobs she writes about to try them on for size. Of course, wherever Helen goes, a body is sure to turn up. I love the development of Helen from scared to death, afraid to look over her shoulder, to strong and capable business owner over the years. Don’t want to give too much away. I’ve also read all her Josie Marcus, mystery shopper series set in St. Louis. First rate writing, always evocatively descriptive, you can feel the Florida sun beating down on you, hear those waves crashing and and enjoy the residents gathering for the evening “sunset salute” over freshly pored Mojitos.

[K. East · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this mystery because it takes place in a town I know something about -- Ft. Lauderdale -- and I'm always looking for a new cozy series. But despite some interesting characters, the mystery part felt really flat. I figured out the murderer even before the murder happened! The secondary mystery -- the gold thief -- was more entertaining than the initial murder, but even that case was lacking some common sense. If someone is targeting high-end condos to steal a specific kind of gold coin, the first question I would ask is , " how does the thief know where the coins are?" But that questions never comes up in the inquiry! It isn't until the thief is caught that the author explains in a sentence or two how the thief knew where to break in.

All in all, an unsatisfactory mystery.

[Gwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great way to kick off vacation --revisiting an old friend, who I've not tracked for a while. Helen and Phil are at it again (as detectives --what were you thinking?!). After a bit of a dry spell, Helen lands a job when visiting a house museum turns into a murder scene. Meanwhile, Phil also lands a job tracking down a burglar who visits the top stories in high rises and steals gold coins. Will Helen convince a new police officer that she's actually good, not lucky? Will Phil catch the burglar without endangering himself and others?

The gang at the Coronado are all there, and Marcos is still present as the "other" (rotating) resident. He may have met his true love, so we'll see how that goes. It's good to visit with friends who are all true to themselves and continually evolving.

[Jennifer Warner · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hate giving a book one star, I really do. But this book was just not good. The point of view was inconsistent. Sometimes the narrator was looking from Helen’s point of view, and sometimes the narrator knew things that Helen wouldn’t know. The text structure was also bad, with dialogue moving to a new line without the speaker changing. The characters were ridiculous and not believable, and several seemed to have no point at all!Beyond that, there was an entire sub-plot that never tied in to the main plot. As for the main mystery, there was no interesting twist or surprise. I will not be reading another in this series!

[Kerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

i always slow down, near the end of this book series, because I hate for it to be over. I savor the last several pages, along with the epilogue, and feel as if I'm saying so-long to a good friend, when I finally put it down. As always, the characters are richly entertaining, and so very believable. The main characters, Helen, Phil, Margery, and Peggy, are people I would love to live near. Do yourself a favor and read this series. I'm looking forward to the next book, but then, that's nothing new.

[Darcysmom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed The Art of Murder. The main character, Helen Hawthorne, is a no-nonsense professional Private Investigator who is in business with her PI husband, Phil. Helen is hired to investigate the death of a promising artist. Phil is hired to investigate a series of gold thefts in an upscale condominium community.
While the cases don't intersect on the surface, by the end of this topsy-turvy mystery, the cases show just how small a town a large Florida city can be.

[Carole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another Fort Lauderdale tale that takes place mostly around Bonnet House, art, and gold collectors. Phil is largely absent in this one, as is most of the Coronado crew, while Helen solves the big mystery of Annabel. This is the last of this group for the time being, all the Dead-End Job Mystery books that my neighbor had at home -- at least they've gotten me through a few weeks -- maybe I"ll finally give in a get a Kindle or one of the e-readers....

[Baba · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this mystery set in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The novel involves 2 Private Inspectors whom are married. They are involved in finding the killer of an artist and secondarily the robber of gold coins from high rise apartments. The case of the artist has 4 suspects and has enough twists and turns to hold one's attention,and comic relief.

[Denise Kulesa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first time reading a book by Elaine Viets. I am hooked and want to read the whole series.

Helen solved the murder of Annabel: turns out Annabel's husband and her best friend murdered her !

And who knew the Gold Heist thief would be a woman.

This book was so good and I was sad it ended as it was a page turner for sure. This is a must read series

[Sharon coon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

After I started reading, I could not put this book down. I liked that there were two plots going on, not related to each other, during the same time. Any mystery reader would enjoy this book

[Eileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story is okay, although it was easy to figure out who committed both crimes. However, I did enjoy her earlier mysteries that had more tension and suspense. The writing and character development are excellent, but the clues should have been harder to defect.

[Dawn Filler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fast fun read with twists I didn't see coming. Love the regular quirky characters with romance still blooming between Helen and Phil. Glad I bought this book to add to my dead end job series collection.

[Linda Sammaritan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yes,the writing is good. No, I didn't like the story. The author is so busy with everyone's sexuality, it takes away from the story line. Christian authors are often scolded for preaching at their audience. This book does the same from the liberal, anything-goes viewpoint.

[Laarin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book as always. Just don't understand why this time they made sure a big deal out of her solving a case. She has been doing that as a private detective in the last several books with her husband.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helen and Phil both have cases they're working, hers a suspicious death and his a thief. The solutions are satisfying and the side characters, Margery and Peggy, are as delightful as ever. Hoping there will be more stories in this fun series!

[Cecelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another adventure with suspense, humor and likable characters!

I have enjoyed this entire series! My favorite character is the spicy elderly landlady. For me, four stars is significant. I reserve five stares for classic, timeless literature.
The first book begins in a depressing way but persevere! It ends well and each book is more hopeful than the last.

[Becky Shattuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read and a decent mystery. Some parts seemed a little forced, like how every character seemed to have a stash of nicotine when that was the murder weapon, but, all in all, it was a enjoyable.

[Jill Black · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably the last Viets I'll be reading for a while. Her writing style seems overly condescending, like she's explaining things to a child and the plot lines are a little too predictable.
Good books overall if you like quick mysteries though.

[Carroll Gross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun

This was the first book of Ms Viets for me. I enjoyed it. An easy interesting summer read. I will read more by her.