Sweet Savage Death

Finished August 2

Sweet Savage Death by Jane Haddam

I was looking for a book to fit a challenge and found this older title in my library's offerings. I'm glad I did, I really enjoyed reading a book written in the early 1980s, without knowledge of all the technology, and I loved the humour of the author. The main character Patience (Pay) McKenna is a writer that writes both well-researched articles freelance and romances. 

Before the novel proper starts, there is a section called Fires of Love General Editorial Guidelines. This is typical for category romances at the time, where the publisher determines certain aspects of the book and a formula for the plotline. We will learn that this is a relatively new publishing line that Myrra, Pay, and many others have written for. This gives some insight into the area of the publishing world that this book is set around. 

As the novel begins Pay is at the funeral for a fellow romance writer, Myrra Agenworth, who had died as a result of a mugging. It was unusual that she was out walking her dog in the middle of the night, but the authorities didn't make much of that. Pay had liked Myrra and Myrra had taken her under her wing a bit, since all her own children were dead and her granddaughter lived overseas. Pay is sitting with a fellow romance author and friend, Phoebe Damereaux who has been very successful. They are noticing the other authors, the agents, and the editors who are also attending, and we get some background on the ones who will appear later in the novel, which is helpful. 

Pay and Phoebe go out for dinner together after the funeral, and then back to Phoebe's place. Pay doesn't get back to her apartment until after midnight, where she grabs her mail, and walks up the stairs to her third floor apartment. But then things go sideways. Her apartment is not only locked, but also bolted from inside. She goes for assistance, and when the police break down the door, they discover the body of Julie Simms, literary agent to many top romance authors. Despite her alibi, she is a suspect in this death, and Myrra's death is now being looked at again. As Pay decides she must figure out the real killer to save herself, she finds several people who could be responsible and doesn't know who to trust besides Phoebe. 

I found the writing refreshing and the plot intriguing. Pay is a woman who isn't intimidated easily, and she is smart with a wry sense of humour. I will look for more books in this series. And yes, she has a cat.