Sue Ann Jaffarian - Murder in Vein (A Fang-in-Cheek Mystery)

"Odelia Grey is delightfully large and in charge."

-Publishers Weekly

"Jaffarian plays the formula with finesse, keeping love problems firmly in the background while giving her heroine room to use her ample wit and grit."

-Kirkus Reviews

"[Odelia Grey] is an intriguing character, a true counter against stereotype, who demonstrates that life can be good, even in a world where thin is always in."

-Booklist

"An intriguing, well-plotted mystery that will entertain and inspire."

-The Strand Magazine

"... a real treat for chick-lit and mystery fans who like feisty women."

-Library journal, starred review

"More fun than a lunch pail full of plump paralegals, The Curse of the Holy Pail is a tale as bouncy as its bodacious protagonist."

-Bill Fitzhugh, author of Pest Control

"[Curse of the Holy Pail is] even better than her first...a major hoot!"

-Thomas B. Sawyer, author of The Sixteenth Man and former head writer/producer of Murder, She Wrote

"Sue Ann Jaffarian does a masterful job. Once you get to know Odelia Grey, you'll love her. I know I do."

-Naomi Hirahara, Edgar Award-winning author of Snakeskin Shamisen

"A plus-sized thumbs up. Jaffarian's a new sharpshooter in crime fiction."

-Brian M. Wiprud, author of Stuffed and Pipsqueak, winner of the Lefty Award for Most Humorous Novel

"Odelia Grey is everything you want in a heroine... smart, funny, and completely unapologetic."

-Tim Maleeny, award-winning author of Stealing the Dragon

"Odelia Grey is the perfect take-no-prisoners heroine for today's woman."

-Camryn Manheim, Emmy award-winning actress and author of Wake Up, I'm Fat!

"Ghost a la Mode is a charming tale, as appealing as apple pie; I predict a long life (and afterlife) for Sue Ann's latest series."

-Harley Jane Kozak,

Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awardwinning author of Dating Dead Men

"A delectable first in a new paranormal cozy series from Sue Ann Jaffarian."

-Publishers Weekly

"A fun new series. Ghostly puzzles are one of the trendy new themes in cozy mysteries, and this is a good one."

-Booklist

"Emma handles her `gift' of seeing the dead with aplomb and class. I'll look forward to seeing where the sequel will take Emma and Granny."

-Deadly Pleasures

n addition to the Fang-in-Cheek Mystery series, Sue Ann Jaffarian is the author of two other best-selling mystery series: the Ghost of Granny Apples Mystery series and the Odelia Grey Mystery series. She is also nationally sought after as a motivational and humorous speaker. Sue Ann lives and works in Los Angeles, California.

Visit Sue Ann on the Internet at

www.sueannjaffarian.com

and

www.sueannjaffarian.blogspot.com

SUE ANN JAFFARIAN

MIDNIGHT INK
WOODBURY, MINNESOTA

Murder in Vein 2010 by Sue Ann Jaffarian. All rights reserved. No part of this e-book may be used or reproduced in any matter whatsoever, including Internet usage, without written permission from Midnight Ink, except in the form of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. As the purchaser of this e-book, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. The text may not be otherwise reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, or recorded on any other storage device in any form or by any means. Any unauthorized usage of the text without express written permission of the publisher is a violation of the author's copyright and is illegal and punishable by law. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. First e-book edition September 2010 E-book ISBN: 978-0-7387-2718-9

Book design by Rebecca Zins Cover design by Ellen Dahl Cover images Image Source/PunchStock Midnight Ink is an imprint of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd. Midnight Ink does not participate in, endorse, or have any authority or responsibility concerning private business arrangements between our authors and the public. Any Internet references contained in this work are current at publication time, but the publisher cannot guarantee that a specific reference will continue or be maintained. Please refer to the publisher's website for links to current author websites.

Midnight Ink Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd. 2143 Wooddale Drive Woodbury, MN 55125 www.midnightink.com Manufactured in the United States of America

For Darrell and Diana James. Thanks for everything!

While writing is a fairly solitary endeavor, the publishing of a book is not. I am truly blessed to be surrounded by so many capable and talented folks.

For Murder in Vein, in particular, I would like to express my very special gratitude to Terri Bischoff, my acquisitions editor at Midnight Ink, who supported me from start to finish in the birth of this manuscript and this new series.

And, as always, thanks to Whitney Lee, my agent; Diana James, my manager; and all the good folks at Llewellyn Worldwide/ Midnight Ink.

adison had been in Los Angeles just over two years when she found herself facedown on the ground in a wooded area. Her clothes were in tatters. Duct tape held her hands. A filthy rag muffled her screams. Fear coursed through her battered body, scraping and tearing with jagged edges as she fought to maintain control of her slippery mind. It was the only weapon she had left.

When she turned her head slowly to the side, pine needles and gravel ground into the cuts and bruises on her face, the pain bringing clarity to her mind for a fleeting moment. Bobby Piper had smacked Madison around pretty good while dragging her from the car. After roughing her up and ripping at her clothes, he'd stopped, then moved away, seeming to have second thoughts. He certainly hadn't had any second thoughts an hour ago when he had grabbed her in the parking lot outside the diner where she worked.

The moonlight penetrating the canopy of overhead branches allowed her to see Bobby as he sat with his back against a nearby tree. He was guzzling from a can of generic beer torn from the six-pack resting at his side. He glanced at the cheap watch strapped to his wrist. He seemed to be waiting for something or someone.

There had been several news reports over the past year about missing women. Three had been found dead and mutilated. The others were never found. And even though the police claimed to have the killer in custody, Madison's panic and terror gathered anew as she worried about being the guest of honor at something evil and terrifying. She wiggled, but the tape around her hands and feet stayed put. Bobby noticed and glanced her way, causing her to freeze.