Pretty in Ink: A Tattoo Shop Mystery
First sentence: If your name is Britney Brassieres, being taken down by a tsunami of champagne might seem only fitting.
Synopsis from the back-cover: Brett Kavanaugh is a tattoo artist and owner of one of Vegas’s hottest tattoo shops, The Painted Lady. And in her spare time, she does some sleuthing - because nothing needles her more than murder. After Brett and company ink Sin City’s newest drag queen stars, they're invited to opening night at the Strip’s glamorous Nylons and Tattoos show. An evening of glitter and dancing ends in disaster when a stranger with a queen of hearts tattoo fells Britney Brassieres with a wayward champagne cork. Even though Britney recovers, she mysteriously dies soon after, and then another drag queen is found poisoned. Someone’s targeting Vegas’s fabulous femmes. And sharp-as-a-needle Brett must crack the case before the show’s over for good.
Pretty in Ink by Karen E. Olson is the second book in the A Tattoo Shop Mystery series. The protagonist, Brett Kavanaugh, is a female tattooist who owns her own tattoo shop, The Painted Lady.
I loved the first book in the series (The Missing Ink) and I have a feeling I’m going to enjoy this one as well. I believe this is the first time I’m reading a novel with drag queens in them, and in this installment readers are invited into the Las Vegas drag queen scene. As you can see from the first sentence, a drag queen, Britney Brassieres (believe me, I read this as “Britney Spears” a few times until I finally realized it’s “Brassieres”), is purposely struck by a champagne cork at the opening night of MissTique’s new Nylons and Tattoos show. The show features drag queens Britney, Miranda, LaTuche, and Marva Luss—names that got me giggling).
The Painted Lady is the shop that inked the queens, so Brett and gang were invited as VIPs to the event. When the cork is shot at Britney, Brett is the only one who sees the culprit but could not identify his face. She could see the tattoo on his arm, though. Britney is dead a few days later, but one does not just die from being shot by a cork. Apparently, there is more to it than that, and things get more interesting and complicated.
At about this time, Charlotte, one of Brett’s own employees is missing and her disappearance is linked to the case. In true Brett style, she gets herself involved in solving the mystery, not to mention danger. Pretty in Ink is a funny book and suspenseful too. It is a perfect beach read and I’m glad I took it with me for my holiday to savor at the Perhentian island.
I like how each chapter ends in suspense, and that made me want to continue turning the pages because I needed to know what will happen next. There are many chuckle-worthy parts. Brett sure has a good sense of humor. The other supporting characters in the novel such as her employees are great and they add flavor to the story.
I am beginning to like Jeff Coleman, tattoo artist and owner of a competing tattoo business. I smell potential romance here because he has been looking out for Brett and he is sweet. I’m so looking forward to the next book in the series (Driven to Ink) to see if a romance will blossom.
If you plan to read this series, please start with the first book to get a feel of who Brett and her friends are. The verdict? I enjoyed Pretty in Ink very much and I want the next book!
Thank you, Karen, for sending me this book. The book arrived with a beautiful postcard featuring the book cover with a personalized message.
More about Karen E. Olson and her books on the author’s website.
Related Posts:
