Category: Mystery
Publisher: Penguin Group
ISBN-13:9780425227461
Series: Tattoo Shop Mystery, #1
Pub. Date: July 2009
Date Read: July 2009
"I've made grown men cry. It's not a crime. I wasn't sure exactly what the cop was doing, hovering outside the shop. Was he expecting a robbery? Was he just giving us a little free security?"
Brett Kavanaugh is a tattoo artist and owner of the Painted Lady tattoo shop in Las Vegas. She's had the occasional customer who makes an appointment but doesn't keep it but she's never had the police come and question her about those customers, until now.
The young woman had come in requesting a devotional tattoo which would feature a heart and her fiancé's name. It was supposed to be a surprise. The surprise for Brett though is learning that the name of the tattoo was not the fiancé's name and that the girl was missing.
Brett can't help getting caught up in the investigation, after all her brother is the detective handling the case. Her questions and tracking of information will take her to some of the glitziest hotels and sights in Las Vegas and she'll encounter a handsome Englishman, question a rival tattoo shop owner and have her looking over her shoulder as a mysterious tattooed stranger keeps tabs on her.
The deeper she gets into the investigation she'll even find herself implicated and questioning who she can trust. Who is the young woman exactly and what was she hiding?
I've never been to Vegas but the author does a great job of setting the scene and taking you through the city. Brett is smart and creative and happens to employ some offbeat characters who prove to be fun sidekicks.
The mystery itself kept me guessing until the last minute and few loose ends are sure to lure me back to see who returns in the second mystery and what ink Brett will get next.