Review: Another Dirty Business...The Big Dirt Nap!

Image via WikipediaThe Big Dirt Nap:

A Dirty Business Mystery

By Rosemary Harris




Minotaur Books
ISBN:  9780312369682
246 Pages











There is only one flower in the second novel, The Big Dirt Nap, by Rosemary Harris--a corpse flower! It had gotten the name by its smell... When the police find Paula Holliday's business card in the pocket of a corpse and she explains that she is just here to do an article on the titan arum on display at the hotel, Detective Winters quips, "This should be right up your alley. You're in a dirty business and he's taking the big dirt nap." (p.16)

Paula Holliday was retching at the time...

Nick Vigoriti maybe, sorta, kinda was hitting on Paula she had thought earlier in the bar. But when she had given him her card and explained about the flower, he realized that she wasn't the woman he was scheduled to meet. But he did provide information about the Titans Hotel owners when Paula mentioned that she may have a buyer for the Titan.

Paula's friend, Lucy Cavanaugh was that individual, but neither Nick or Paula knew that at the time. Nick had been killed--execution style. And soon Paula realized that Lucy was not coming to spend the long weekend with her as they had planned. The article gig had been added by Paula to help pay the incidental expenses, since this was supposed to be an all-expense trip!

Paula didn't know whether to be angry or worried about Lucy. She had been known to take little side trips if she had met somebody, male, that is, interesting along the way. But when Paula began to receive text messages about 2 men, duct tape... Paula was at least nervous enough to start asking questions. 

Soon all the employees knew Paula and she met the young student who was daily taking care of the corpse flower, so was able to learn details of the pollination for her article. Soon she had learned that the hotel owners were looking for a new partner to help get back on sound financial ground and that a Chinese investor was looking over the place. Obviously having a murder occur was not something that anybody was willing to talk about.

They were, however, quite willing to discuss what was happening in the background, between several groups who were trying to get authorization to open an Indian-owned casino! Was Nick Vigoriti killed because he was involved with those dealings?

As Paula interviewed and gathered clues to find out about Lucy, she received another text and was able to find her--only to be followed by several men who had earlier been following Paula!

This cozy is much more a whodunit with mystery that keeps readers involved as Paula, Babe and Lucy get in and out of trouble or save each other!  Babe is the owner or a bar back in their home town, but she comes racing to the rescue when Paula calls! I'm trying to decide whether I like the cozy atmosphere or the whodunit better...so I think I'll go on reading to see what her next book presents! Dead Head is next, but, in my opinion, I still recommend you start with Pushing Up Daisies and The Big Dirt Nap--you can't go wrong reading this series!

Book Received Via
BRH from Author


G. A. Bixler