Larger Than Death (Josephine Fuller Mysteries) - Softcover

Murray, Lynne

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0312972776 ISBN 13: 9780312972776

Publisher: Minotaur Books, 2000

Synopsis

Meet Josephine Fuller, a queen-sized amateur sleuth out to tip the scales of justice.

Introducing "Jo" Fuller, a woman who's full-figured, full of attitude and always ready to use her sizable sluething skills. Jo's just landed a new job as a philanthropic investigator, checking out potential charities for an eccentric socialite. But just as she gets her feet wet, Joe walks in on a terrible scene. Her best friend Nina--a clothing designer for large ladies--is lying dead in her own apartment.

Could Nina be the latest victim of a killer targeting voluptuous women? Or is the murder personal? When Jo moves into Nina's apartment to settle her affairs and take care of Nina's cat, she encounters a bizarre host of neighbors and an unexpected romance. As fingers point in every direction, Jo races to stop a ruthless murderer from closing in on the big kill.

About this title

From Kirkus Reviews

A ``person of substance'' is what Alicia Madrone's ad calls for, and a person of substance is what she gets: full-figured Josephine Fuller, who's got just the right attitude (and enough of it) to work as an undercover cop filing reports on prospective recipients for Mrs. Madrone's feminist philanthropy. But the real action comes on one of Josephine's rare days off, when she arrives for a visit with her old friend, Nina West, of Luna Moth Fashions, to find Nina with her throat horribly cut and a notice posted in blood on the bathroom mirror: ``KILL THE WHALES.'' The manifesto seems to link Nina's death to the slayings of four previous queen-sized victims, a serial killer the Seattle police have dubbed Captain Ahab. But Josephine wonders if the killer might be a copycat trading on Ahab's notoriety to make a grab for Nina's inheritance--until she finds out that she herself is the principal legatee, along with a mysterioso called William Turnbow Crain. Venturing to enigmatic Crain's alleged home in remote Twila, Washington, at the will's urging, Josephine succeeds only in provoking another murder, even as suspects- -ranging from a preacher/pornographer out of Nina's colorful past to the Viking bachelor in her basement--are multiplying like the pounds insensitive diet guru Andrew Stack is urging Josephine to check into one of his franchises to shed. Josephine's solid detective work is marred by too generous a use of coincidence in the murder plot. Maybe next time, if Murray (Termination Interview, 1988, etc.) shows her heroine actually on the job, she'll have a case more worthy of her talents. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Review

"Written with a rare and enteraining clarity." --The San Francisco Examiner

"Murray brings a refreshing approach to storytelling." --Booklist

Edition details

• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0312972776
• ISBN 13: 9780312972776
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Number of pages: 304