The Missing Ink by Karen E. Olson is the first book in the new “Tattoo Shop” mystery series. Publisher: Signet, July 2009
Brett Kavanaugh is a tattoo artist and owner of The Painted Lady, catering to high-profile clients in Las Vegas. But in her free time, she does a little investigating too – because murder really gets under her skin. . . .
When a girl makes an appointment to get devotion ink with the name of her fiancé embedded in a heart, Brett takes the job, but the girl never shows. The next thing Brett knows, the police are looking for her mysterious client and the name she wanted on the tattoo isn’t the name of her fiancé.
An alliance with an unlikely partner leads Brett to a dead body, a suave Englishman, and an Elvis karaoke bar. And who is the tattooed stranger stalking her? Brett draws lines between the clues, unwittingly putting herself in danger. But she intends to see justice done, since death, like a tattoo, is permanent.
This was a very enjoyable story and I look forward to learning more about Brett, her family and her friends. My rating: 3.5 stars