The Dead-End Jobs
Re-release
By Elaine Viets


            I can’t believe it’s been 15 years since Shop till You
Drop
, my first Dead-End Job mystery, was published. I can’t believe all the
jobs Helen and I have worked. Telemarketer for Dying to Call You was the
worst. The boiler room where we made the calls was dirty, the staff was
desperate, and the people we called – bothered, if the truth be told – were
rude and angry. If I go to hell, I’ll be a telemarketer.
            We were booksellers for Murder Between the Covers.
That job – and it’s definitely not a dead-end one – was my favorite.
            The Dead-End Job mysteries are now classics. The first 13
novels were re-released by JABberwocky Literary March 6 as e-books. JABberwocky
represents award-winning authors including Charlaine Harris, Brandon Sanderson,
and Toni Kelner and has made books available from two dozen of its clients
within in its e-book program.
            Now the Dead-End Job mysteries have new covers by the
award-winning Jenn Reese at Tiger Bright Studios. Inside, you’ll find your
favorite adventures of Helen Hawthorne, the
St. Louis woman who had
a high-finance job, a beautiful home— and a good-for-nothing husband she caught
in the act with their neighbor. When she divorced the bum, the judge saddled
Helen with alimony. Helen refused to pay her ex, tossed her wedding ring in the
Mississippi River, and went on the run.
            She wound up in Fort Lauderdale, working dead-end jobs
for cash under the table. Follow Helen as she learns to thrive in subtropical
South Florida. In these 13 novels, Helen changes. She goes from a bitter woman
who distrusts men to a happily married bride. She becomes a private eye. She
still works those low-paying jobs, but now she’s undercover.
            Helen also finds a new family at the Coronado Tropic
Apartments, with Margery, her purple-wearing landlady, Peggy and her parrot
Pete, and the other colorful characters.
            Now you can read the first 13 Dead-End Job mysteries as
e-books (the paperbacks will come out this summer). Helen’s in-depth exploration
of the pink-collar world has become timelier since the series started.

(1) In Shop till You Drop, Helen sells bustiers to bimbos.  

(2) Next, she works as a bookseller in Murder Between the Covers.



(3) Then she’s a telemarketer selling septic tank cleaner in Dying to
Call You.
(Yes, I really sold it. Wanna hear my spiel?)



(4) After that, Helen works at a bridal salon for Just Murdered.
After I sold wedding dresses – when emotions run strong – I wondered why there
aren’t more murders.



(5) During a hurricane, Helen tracks down a killer at a posh dog
grooming salon in Murder Unleashed.


(6) In Murder with
Reservations
Helen is a hotel maid, and finds out why you shouldn’t use a
hotel coffee pot. (Ask me if you dare.)
            (7) In Clubbed to Death, Helen works at a country
club, solving the problems of people who have no problems. The club’s motto
should be “Do you know who I am?”
            (8) From there, she’s a gofer at a high-end hair salon
where a color and cut cost more than a car payment in Killer Cuts.

            (9)
In Half-Price Homicide, Helen’s working at a resale boutique where
trophy wives with controlling husbands get their folding money.

(10) In Pumped for
Murder
, Helen explores the fascinating world of women’s competition body
building, where “ripped and stripped” competitors live on three
ounces of chicken – a day.
            (11) Next, Helen is a stewardess on a luxury yacht for Final
Sail
, and learns to vacuum in the tracks. (It’s an art.)
            (12) Life’s a beach in South Florida, but the friendly
folks selling parasailing and paddle boarding are in cutthroat businesses.
Helen’s role in Board Stiff is no day at the beach.
            (13) The fur flies when Helen is a groomer for pedigreed
show cats in Catnapped!
            

Get the whole set or treat yourself to the books you
missed. Prices start at $2.99 and go up. Check them out here.
http://awfulagent.com/ebooks/elaine-viets

            Remember, there are no calories in binge reads.