A couple of the few perks Helen Hawthorne has as premiere hair stylist Miguel Angel's "gofer" is having her hair done by him and occasionally tips from his uber wealthy clients. The downside of this dead-end job is having to put up with snobs and name-droppers. Right now Honey, the bride-to-be of Kingman "King" Oden, the odious cable TV show host and gossip blogger, is having a trial run on hair styles and make up at the salon for her wedding. No one is supposed to know that Honey is six months preggers and that she isn't required to sign a prenup since she is carrying the King's only son -- his daughter by a previous marriage doesn't count.

The wedding goes as planned, but some time during the toasts, and blah blah blah, the groom disappears. He is found by his hysterical wife at the bottom of their swimming pool. There is a stampede of leaving guests, but the cops get there in plenty of time to detain most of them. Helen is separated from Miguel until after she is questioned and released. As she is driving away a tall woman in a blue dress flags her down. But, that ain't no lady she picks up; it is her boss in drag. When security cameras show that a woman in a bright blue dress is in the act of drowning King, Helen has a few uncomfortable moments wondering if Miguel Angel is the culprit. But, when the police get the same idea, it's up to Helen and her friends at the Coronado Tropic Apartments in Fort Lauderdale to help clear Miguel.

KILLER CUTS is pure entertainment with enjoyable, real characters. Helen is also going to be a bride. She and ex-cop Phil have finally set a date, and their landlady, the flamboyant seventy-six--year-old Margery, will marry them providing Helen invites her mother to the wedding. Kudos to Elaine Viets for keeping this series fun and interesting.

Book Summary

Helen Hawthorne’s latest dead-end job is in Miguel Angel’s Fort Lauderdale hair salon, where a trim can cost as much as a car payment and a blowout can wipe you out. But when one of the salon’s most famous clients, gossip blogger and cable-TV show host Kingman “King” Oden is murdered at his own wedding, things get a little hairy and King becomes the prime suspect. To save her boss—and her job— Helen is determined to find the murderer. When she finds herself the target of threatening notes, it’s more imperative than ever that she figure out who at the wedding was dressed to kill.