Elise Lyon was a Philadelphia Main Line girl engaged to be married to the son of a real estate mogul. The police, including Brett’s brother Tim, are very interested in the devotion tattoo Elise (calling herself Karen Masters) was planning to get. The name on the tattoo was to be Matthew, not the name of Elise’s fiancé, Chip, but the name of his driver and also that of the real Karen Master’s brother. 

When Brett is asked by rival tattoo artist Jeff Coleman to tattoo a “very important client” in his hotel room, she stumbles across another body and begins to wonder if and how Jeff might be connected to all these people. 

Being hounded by the press and the police, Brett and her eclectic staff provide the information they know, which is very little. A stalker appears in Brett’s life which makes her hunt a little harder, putting herself in the line of fire but also in the sights of sophisticated hotel owner Simon Chase, who may just like his girls with Monet’s Water Lillies tattooed on their arms.

 The Missing Ink is a fun read, the first in a new series. The characters are as quirky as Las Vegas itself, including Brett’s staff, feisty little person Bitsy, obese, clothes horse Joel and brooding Ace, not to mention all-American, red-headed detective Tim who tries to keep his sister safe and in line but knows it’s a losing battle. 

The plot is interesting with different levels of relationships between many of the characters.  Las Vegas is described well enough for those who have never been there, and is the perfect setting for these characters and a plot where nothing is quite as it seems at first.  The Missing Ink is edgier than the usual cozy; however, this series should have broad appeal with a main character that is both likable and down-to-earth and will have readers returning for more.                                                    

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry