Sal C. (soquiet) reviewed on 2/16/2008 + 20 more book reviews

Public relations guru Sasha Solomon, introduced in The Clovis Incident (2004), has her hands full in Agatha-nominee Taichert's suspenseful sequel. Sasha has been hired to help the small town of Belen, N.Mex., rethink its approach to tourism. The town's main attraction is a controversial artist, Phillipa "Philly" Petty, who happens to be Sasha's mother's best friend. Sasha swings by Philly's house only to find the woman dead. It turns out she was poisonedâ"just after she wrote a new will, naming Sasha's mom, Hannah, her heir. Hannah begs her daughter to track down the killer. Suspects include Philly's erstwhile lover, her maid and the chamber of commerce director (who appreciated the attention Phillipa drew to Belen but was personally offended by her paintings). When she's not sleuthing, Sasha dabbles in romance. The cop in charge of Philly's murder is predictably hunky and single, and Sasha's equally attractive physician plies his patient with plenty of attention, too. Taichert provides all the ingredients for a bang-up regional cozy. (Sept.)
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A dynamic and original protagonist lends spice to this southwestern story set in Belen, New Mexico (south of Albuquerque). PR consultant Sasha Solomon finds herself caught in the middle of an ugly civic battle. Two factions are arguing over how best to transform a former Harvey House into a tourist attraction. A group of train enthusiasts wants to combine a bed-and-breakfast with an authentic Fred Harvey restaurant. The other faction, a group of local artists, want the building turned into a gallery that would display the works of highly controversial local artist Phillipa Petty, a close friend of Sasha's mother. When Sasha goes to interview the artist at her home, she finds Phillipa dead. It seems accidental at first, but when Sasha's raw throat is examined by a doctor, they find she has inhaled poisonous gas. As she attempts to solve Phillipa's murder, Sasha gets to know many of Belen's colorful characters and deals with her own relationship issues. Routine mystery nicely spiced with local color.

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