PRETTY BOY

Sam Jones #7

by Lauren Henderson

In every murderer’s worst nightmare, Sam Jones is unleashed for her seventh crack at the crime world. It’s New Year’s Eve in the quiet village of Lesser Swinfold, and sculptor and involuntary sleuth Sam has arrived to celebrate with her boyfriend, Hugo. Sam’s best friend, Tom, has taken a job in the village as a primary-school teacher in the hopes of meeting plenty of available, sex-hungry, single mothers. Unfortunately Hugo hates the countryside, Tom has fallen in love with a single mother who is less interested in him than she would be in a frontal lobotomy, and Sam is flirting with a twenty-two-year-old with the face of a fallen angel. So the discovery of a body stabbed forty times and tied to the village Christmas tree is an unwelcome complication, especially when Tom becomes the prime suspect.Distracted by the appalling shape of her love life, Sam’s not in the best shape for tracking down the murderer before the local police haul her off to jail. And will Hugo ever talk to her again?From the Trade Paperback edition.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Contemporary, Romance, Chick Lit

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Born in London in 1966, Lauren Henderson read English at university and then worked as a journalist for - among other publications - the New Statesman, Marxism Today, the Observer and Lime Lizard, a much-mourned indie music magazine. Lauren now divides her time between Italy and London and, when not wine-tasting, writes full-time.

Reviews

[Amanda Larkman]

And so I come to the end of my marathon read-all-the-Sam-Jones-series challenge. I really enjoyed this one although it was marred by the knowledge it's the last in the series. Henderson clearly intended to write more and it was a shame she wasn't allowed to by her editor. It does end on a cliffhanger, which is infuriating!

I hope with the prospect of a possible TV adaptation in the pipeline Henderson revisits Sam. I'd love to see what she is up to now she's in her 50's. Still taking drugs? Still tying up the divine Hugo?

More of Sam is revealed here in terms of her past, and her difficulty in committing to a healthy relationship. A beautiful young man turns her head, silly woman - why look for burgers when she has steak (Hugo) chained up in the bedroom? The plot was gripping, I didn't guess the killer (I have read it before but it was 20 years ago) so it was a nice twist when they were revealed.

Smart and sassy as always, Sam is the kickass heroine we all need in our lives. I was sad to come to the end.

[Margaret]

Okay, now I'm even more annoyed that Henderson stopped writing these, because Pretty Boy, while it wraps up its central mystery reasonably well, leaves Sam, our heroine, in a distinctly bad place in her personal life, growing out of some choices she made during the course of the book. I thought what Henderson was doing in exploring Sam's character, her reluctance to make commitments, and her relationship with her boyfriend, Hugo, was really interesting, but it just seemed like an odd place to leave off, particularly with no more books to come (apparently).

[Camille]

2,5/5

[Kirsty Darbyshire]

I've yet to read the first two books in this series; which means I'm scouring used bookshops for them and hoping they get reprinted soon. Of the last five that I have read (and I think I'm up to date with the series now) the last two installments are the best.

Sam heads out of London to spend the new year in the country and we find ourselves in the middle of what could be a traditional English country village mystery as Sam's friend Tom, as the "outsider", is accused of the village murder. The mystery plot is quite strong and though I have a few reservations about the resolution I think the motive for the crime was strong.

Where this book shines, as did Chained!, is in the characterisation. It would be easy for Henderson to have made Sam a stereotype who drinks, takes drugs and stumbles over dead bodies in between making sculptures . And in the earlier books that I've read I think she was a more generic character. These last couple of books have turned Sam into a real believable character and I'm really looking forward to both peeking into her past with the first two series books and to seeing what she does in the future.

[Margaret]

Okay, now I'm even more annoyed that Henderson stopped writing these, because Pretty Boy, while it wraps up its central mystery reasonably well, leaves Sam, our heroine, in a distinctly bad place in her personal life, growing out of some choices she made during the course of the book. I thought what Henderson was doing in exploring Sam's character, her reluctance to make commitments, and her relationship with her boyfriend, Hugo, was really interesting, but it just seemed like an odd place to leave off, particularly with no more books to come (apparently).

[Sara]

This is the last of the Sam Jones novels, which I enjoyed rather a lot. Although I just re-read one today and realized they don't really age very well. They are pretty specific to the mid-90's - early 2000s. But Sam is a smart and tough woman who goes around making art and solving mysteries.
They're pretty much brain candy.

[Melinda]

I've enjoyed the Sam Jones mystery books, though they are light reading and London Chick-Lit with a twist. I'm not a big fan of a lot of the chick-lit out there but I liked these. They were fun, though definitely specific to the time period as another reviewer mentioned.

[Wealhtheow]

Sam Jones, sculpter, free-spirit and hard-ass, is embroiled in yet another mystery. Meanwhile, her tempestuous relationship with her hot actor boyfriend is no longer as easy as she likes.

[Michelle]

I forgot I read this one until I picked it up again. I think I've read all of Henderson's books involving Sam Jones. I guess it's because I like to read about England settings.

[Hodan (Ho.th.an) Jama]

i stopped half way b/c i lost interest, there was no point in finishing it. the story line was incredibly dull. i give it .5 stars.

[Lucie Simone]

A really fun mystery with a kick ass heroine!

[caitlin]

I love this series and am very sad that "Pretty Boy" is the last one. Sam Jones is a heroine that I would enjoy spending more time with!

[Yura]

I bought the book from a secondhand bookstore. The cover didn't really attract me. But when I read it, it wasn't bad. It's interesting with the killer and all. I was sad about her and Tom though.

[Winifred]

did enjoy this book but sam is left in a quandary about her lefe.

[Pinar G]

Adina kanip chick-lit sanmistim, garip bir dedektif tarzi roman cikti.