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American/Cozy Mysteries

Essays: § Cozies: An Especially American Art Form § When is a Cozy not a Cozy?
Kenneth Abel § Cold Steel Rain	Alina Adams § Murder on Ice	Donna Andrews § The Penguin Who Knew Too Much	Nevada Barr § High Country
Larry Beinhart § The Librarian	Claudia Bishop and Don Bruns (editors) § A Merry Band of Murderers	Meredith Blevins § The Hummingbird Wizard	Lawrence Block § The Burglar in the Rye
Jan Brogan § A Confidential Source	Judy Clemens § The Day Will Come	Joan Coggin § Who Killed the Curate?	Jeffrey Cohen § As Dog is My Witness § Some Like it Hot-Buttered
Thomas Cook § Into the Web	Gordon Cotler § Artist’s Proof	Casey Daniels § Don of the Dead	Diane Mott Davidson § Dark Tort § Double Shot
Aaron Elkins § Good Blood	Sharon Fiffer § Buried Stuff	Kate Flora § Stalking Death	Christine Goff § A Rant of Ravens
Denise Hamilton § Last Lullaby § Savage Garden § Sugar Skull	David Handler § The Cold Blue Blood	Charlaine Harris § Grave Sight § Grave Surprise § Shakespeare’s Counselor	Rosemary Harris § Pushing Up Daisies
Ellen Hart § An Intimate Ghost § The Iron Girl § Night Vision	Libby Fischer Hellmann § An Image of Death § A Picture of Guilt § A Shot to Die For	Martha C. Lawrence § Ashes of Aries	Marc Lecard § Vinnie's Head
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Alexander McCall-Smith § The #1 Ladies Detective Agency	Deborah Morgan § The Marriage Casket § The Weedless Widow	Marcia Muller § Cyanide Wells	Kem Nunn § Tijuana Straits
Nancy Pickard § The Virgin of Small Plains	David Skibbins § Eight of Swords	Jessica Speart § Blue Twilight	Julia Spencer-Fleming § All Mortal Flesh § A Fountain Filled With Blood § I Shall Not Want § In the Bleak Midwinter § Out of the Deep I Cry § To Darkness and to Death
Denise Swanson § Murder of a Sleeping Beauty § Murder of a Barbie and Ken § Murder of a Snake in the Grass	Sarah Stewart Taylor § Judgment of the Grave § Mansions of the Dead § O’ Artful Death § Still as Death	Elaine Viets § Dying to Call You § Just Murdered § Murder with Reservations § Murder Unleashed § Shop Till You Drop

Murder Unleashed, Elaine Viets, New American Library, $19.95.

The fifth book in Viets' lively Helen Hawthorne series doesn't disappoint, despite Viets' taking on another potentially boring job (pet store clerk) and somehow milking it for satire and interest despite the odds. This time around, Helen isn't working in a boring chain pet store but in one of those fancy pet boutiques that sell cute little coats, booties and fancy treats for super spoiled dogs. Catering to the ultra rich of Ft. Lauderdale, Helen finds herself schlepping bags of dog food out to waiting BMWs and driving to client's homes to pick up their pooches for a session with the fabulous groomer at the Pampered Pet Boutique, Jonathan. Helen, for the uninitiated, works off the books for cash so her ex-husband, whom she caught with her best friend, can't track her down and take half her assets away (he wants alimony from her). So Helen lives in a picturesque apartment building populated with all kinds of interesting eccentrics, including her boyfriend, undercover agent Phil, who handily lives next door but who is frequently out of town on assignment. This is a rich background for all the stories, as the characters at the apartment building stay the same (except for the rotating bunch of criminals in a certain apartment), while Helen's different jobs provide a whole new slew of characters in every novel. It's a neat and useful premise.

In this novel, Helen goes to pick up a dog for a grooming session (his owner wants him to look just right for his birthday party) and discovers the owner dead. She panics and while she does call it in, she hides the fact that she found the body from the police, leading to all kinds of complications. One of them is her failure to come clean with Phil - about finding the body and her true backstory - leading to problems in their fledgling relationship.

Helen may not make much money, but these stories are truly a woman's fantasy, as Helen escapes her old life full of obligations for a new one with a funky apartment, a groovy landlady and cool boyfriend, and jobs that require no actual attachment or commitment. In this book she weathers a hurricane in her landlady's apartment surrounded by a slew of interesting neighbors, friends, and of course, Phil. The formula also gives Viets a chance to skewer different parts of Lauderdale society, while at the same time never becoming old, as Helen changes jobs in every book. This is one of the most delightful cozy series around, genuinely funny, with an endearing heroine who seems like someone who, if you were lucky, you could be friends with yourself. A new Helen Hawthorne novel is always cause for a party, and luckily Elaine Viets herself will visit Aunt Agatha's on May 8 at 7 p.m. Her visit will also be a personal fundraiser for PAWS, as Ms. Viets will donate a dollar to PAWS for every book sold. So not only can you enjoy a swell read yourself, you can donate to a good cause while doing it. How cool is that?

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