By Dorothy DunnettRated ★★★½
The story starts in London with Rita Geddes a cheeky, punky makeup artist with multicolored hair and an attitude. She is called to a photo shoot by associate to make up a celebrity journalist. There she meets Johnson Johnson in whose apartment the shoot is being held.
Rita is offered a temporary position with the journalist to fill in for her close friend Kim Jim who is planning to retire. Because the money is so good Rita is soon off to the journalist's lush island hideaway where she is beaten up and knocked out. To make matters worse the friend who got her into this mess is found murdered. Rita is out to avenge her friend.
As I am no great fan of mysteries but I did enjoy this book. The tight writing, clever dialogue, delicious mahem, malaprops and misnomers make this a gem to read. She could have left out the french phrases and dialogue. I have never appreciated it when Dunnett does this but since I love her other books so much I forgive her. But I do retain the right to grumble.
