Pointe And Shoot - Natalie M. Roberts

Pointe and Shoot
A Jenny T. Partridge Dance Mystery
Natalie M. Roberts
Berkley Prime Crime

Mystery

Jenny T. Partridge is making a go a running her own dance studio in her hometown of Ogden, UT. There’s no shortage of dance moms who want to see their kids on stage, but money is always tight. Jenny’s idea is to expand the studio and add a shop to sell dance clothes, costumes, and accessories. Every parent and student will be a built-in customer. This expansion will take money, too. That’s where the Ultimate Dance Championship comes into the plan. The winning studio earns $2,500 in prize money. That’s enough to ease the stress a bit.

While trying to tighten up the dance routines, Jenny gets an unusual visitor: a gorilla. It’s a singing telegram, and the contents of the message are threatening. After questioning the gorilla-suited singer, Jenny finds that the woman who hired him – who didn’t give her name, of course – was driving a silver Hummer. The same kind of car that has been menacing Jenny recently. That night, there’s an unwelcome passenger in Jenny’s truck. Someone killed the singing gorilla guy and left him there. That message is pretty unmistakable.

This is the third in the series, following TUTU DEADLY and TAPPED OUT, and the author continues to improve. There are funny scenes, but they’re written without going over the top. Jenny’s relationship continues with a local detective, and many of the characters from previous books make welcome return appearances. For a fun cozy, this one is right en pointe.

Rating: 6 ½
May 2008ISBN# 978-0-425-22128-0 (paperback)