Brett Kavanaugh owns the Painted Lady, a tattoo shop in an upscale shopping center in Las Vegas. She gets embroiled in a puzzling mystery when a potential client turns out to be the missing fiancéE, Elise Lyon, of the son of a Las Vegas casino and hotel owner. Bruce Manning, owner of Versailles, a fancy resort and casino, puts Donald Trump to shame. When a dead woman is found, it turns out to not be Elise but the deceased's name is the one Elise used at the tattoo shop.

Kelly Masters was the ex-wife of one of Brett's rival tattoo artists. But why was Elise using Kelly's identity when in Las Vegas? Especially since Elise was supposed to be making the final preparations for her pending wedding back home in Philadelphia. When Brett discovers another murder victim, things get very complicated, very fast.

Brett uses her connections in the tattoo world to assist her brother, LVPD Detective Tim Kavanaugh, in investigating the crimes. She sticks her nose a bit farther into the case than he would like, but it's hard to stop Brett when she's determined to do something. As Brett delves deeper into Elise's world, she meets an intriguing Englishman, resort/casino manager Simon Chase. Too bad he's one of several suspects in the murders.

Was Elsie a runaway bride? Where is she and is she still alive? Why was she looking to get a tattoo with the name of a man who isn't her fiancé? Brett's getting close to finding out the answers and someone is intent on keeping her from doing it. Will Brett's curiosity be the death of her?

Ms. Olsen has penned a winner in her new Tattoo Shop mystery series. Brett is a likable, albeit unusual heroine. I'm looking forward to seeing more of her and her zany cohorts in future books. Give THE MISSING INK a try if you're a fan of character-driven mysteries or Vegas-set stories.

Book Summary

Murder leaves a mark

Brett Kavanaugh is a tattoo artist and owner of an elite tattoo parlor in Las Vegas. When a girl makes an appointment for a tattoo of 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 client, and the name she wanted on the tattoo isn’t her fiancé’s...