Lauren Henderson

I just finished reading Strawberry Tattoo by Lauren Henderson. I’ve read most of her books, see titles below, and have enjoyed them. (You might actually now Lauren for her recently book about Jane Austen’s Guide to Dating.) Most of them are set in London, England. The lead character Sam Jones is an artist who makes large metal mobiles. She is definitely NOT the normal cosy amateur detective. She is part of the Tart Noir movement (don’t know if that is actually what it should be called..but anyway….)

http://www.tartcity.com/tart2.html which is a good website if you want to check it out. There are other authors that are part of this website that I have read and might talk about later. Sparkle Hayter is one of them…but she hasn’t had anything new out recently…which is too bad because I loved her books.

A bit of a caution here….if recreational drug taking and drink to access will bother you then you might not want to read these books. I was a bit taken back myself. Now I’m not a total prude, but I have to admit that most drugs in books are seen as BAD, but in these books they are just part of her life. It makes it interesting, but I can’t say I am totally comfortable with. But the mysteries are good.

In this book, Sam has gone to New York to have her mobiles part of a Young British Art exhibition at a gallery. She goes over early because she knows someone whose house she can stay in. When she gets there it isn’t to long for her to find herself in the middle of a mess at the gallery. First, one of the girls that worked at the gallery turns up dead. Secondly, the same night someone uses a key and code to get into the gallery and throw red paint all over the current exhibition. These paintings are works from a lady who has made her enemies. There are a lot of different people that could be the perpetrator. Could it be the other British artist that just happens to be early to New York without telling anyone? Or, the lover of the deceased gallery worker? The long lost friend of Sam’s who turns out to be the estranged daughter of the painter’s husband? Is it an inside job? Sam will keep on picking at the problem until she solves it!

Her books do have reoccurring characters, but since this is set in New York and not London you can read this out of order if you want.

The other books by Lauren Henderson in order of publication oldest first:

Dead White Female

Too Many Blondes

Black Rubber Dress

Freeze My Margarita

Strawberry Tattoo

Chained

Pretty Boy