Angela Richman is a death investigator. She works with police, going to the scenes of deaths and documenting everything she can with notes and photographs: the position and condition of the body, the temperature, etc. Her profession differs from that of a medical examiner.
In this novel, the fourth in this series, Angela's friend Mario, owner of a salon, is hired to handle the hair styling needs of Jessica Gray, an aging actress who is making the rounds in theaters, both spewing hateful comedy and attempting to sell her beauty products. When Jessica dies, Mario is charged with her murder, in spite of the fact that there is no shortage of suspects. Angela tries to maintain her professional career without seeming too vested in trying to gather evidence that her friend in not guilty of murder.
Viets, a St. Louis native, sets the location of the series about 30 miles west of St. Louis, and adds a lot of St. Louis flavor to her writing. The dialogue is natural, and her writing splices in a good share of humor. The main characters are likeable (except for Detective Greiman, whose literary job is to remain a jerk), and I was kept guessing who the murderer was. I especially enjoy this series.
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