After her longtime boyfriend is arrested for white collar
crime in a corrupt company, Persia Vanderbilt leaves
Seattle and moves back to Gull Harbor, Washington, to live
in her childhood home with her Aunt Florence. She applies
her natural talent for scents to mixing essential oils and
blending personal perfumes and scented bath products in her
aunt's spa. She also teaches martial arts classes and stays
in peak physical condition. Her idyllic life is disrupted
when she finds a local aspiring model dead on the floor of
the spa, her dried blood splattered on the merchandise.
Beautiful young Lydia Wang had angered or hurt almost
everyone on the island in the last few years and was known
for vicious scheming to further her modeling career.
Unfortunately, the day before her murder, the spa's herbal
gardener threatened Lydia after a confrontation in the
shop. Since the young gardener, Trevor, is also Lydia's ex-
boyfriend, everyone is suspicious. Persia can't convince
the police chief that Trevor is incapable of murder, so she
and Aunt Florence continue to investigate even though
Trevor is in jail as the prime (and only) suspect.
Just when things couldn't get any worse, Persia's ex-
boyfriend shows up in town, drunk and belligerent. When
another person associated with the shop ends up dead,
Persia has to work fast to follow the criminal's scent and
gain the cooperation of the police chief, so that she can
save Trevor and her aunt's business.
As you might expect, the first quarter of the book is spent
introducing the characters and setting up many possible
motives for murdering Lydia Wang. Persia's eclectic career
background blends to create a well-qualified amateur
sleuth. I was initially turned off by the flurry of
introductions to a large cast of characters, but Persia's
family history and the history of the town combine to give
the characters some depth. A few pages from Persia's
business journal are included to share her recipes for her
specialty bath oils and salts. While the scents in the shop
were overpowering, the writing in this new mystery series
by India Ink (who also writes as Yasmine
Galenorn) smells fresh and clean.
From custom blended oils to relaxing spa services, the
store, Venus Envy, takes care of all the beauty needs of
Gull Harbor, Washington. Behind the counter is Persia
Vanderbilt, a woman with a nose for mixing scents--and a
mind for solving murder.
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