Murder with Reservations

What to serve: Chinese food out of the carton.

What to drink: Box wine with an expiration date. Coffee. Real Florida orange juice.

What to wear: Florida vacation clothes: Sandals, shorts and loud shirts. T-shirts with sayings you’d never wear at home. Sunburns and sunglasses.

(1) America’s invisible people are one theme in this novel. Helen and Rhonda are invisible because of their jobs. The hotel’s businessmen are invisible because of their suits. Arlene is invisible because of her age. What happens when we see people, but do not recognize them? Does it affect them? Does it affect us? How?

(2) Do you tip your hotel maid? If so, how much do you tip? Will you tip more or less after reading this novel?

(3) Helen says people go to hotels to enjoy their fantasies. For some it’s sex. For others it’s the secret pleasure of being a slob. What’s your hotel fantasy?

(4) What do you think of Helen’s reaction to her ex-husband? Why does she want Phil to think Rob is attractive? If Helen could get away with it, do you think she’d kill him? Do you believe everyone, under the right circumstances, is capable of murder?

(5) Helen’s hotel used rubbing alcohol to clean the mirrors and glass. We used it at the hotel where I trained. It works and it’s cheaper than those blue window cleaners. What’s your favorite cleaning tip?

(6) Helen believes men are messier than women. She says if women drop wet towels on the floor, they tip to pay for the privilege. Men expect others to clean up after them. Do you agree with her statement, or do you think she’s unfairly stereotyping a gender?

(7) Do you believe Helen handled Cheryl’s situation justly? Was she right to act as judge and jury? Would you have taken a share of the money? Would you have turned Cheryl over to the police, as the law required? Did Helen’s actions help or hurt society?

(8) Helen describes the hotel cleaning smock as her “cloak of invisibility.” Do you think that’s true? Can you describe the server from your last restaurant meal? The maid who cleaned your most recent hotel room?

(9) Another theme in this book is the enduring nature of marriage – and divorce. Other things besides love can bind a couple together, including hatred, disappointment, revenge, the need to bring up their children together. Helen talks about divorce being more lasting than marriage. Is it possible to completely separate yourself from a former spouse?

(10) Helen says the word “cute”  has many meanings for women, depending on how it’s used. What’s your definition of cute? Can grown men be cute, or is that word best used for puppies and babies?

(11) Is Helen still in love with Rob? Does she hate him?

(12) Should Helen have tried to stop her ex-husband’s marriage? Did she have a moral obligation to tell him what she knew about his bride?

(13) What about Margery’s role in this novel? Did she arrange a marriage – or a murder? Do you think Margery deliberately set it up so Helen would feel less guilt?

(14) What do you think of Helen and Phil’s relationship in this novel? Do you believe their romance is developing and growing? Is Helen capable of loving another man after her traumatic marriage? Do you think she’ll marry Phil?

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Helen’s Florida Restaurants

Blue Moon Fish Co.: Helen and Phil enjoy lunch with a view of the Intracoastal Waterway and the drawbridge over Commercial Boulevard. Lunches at the Blue Moon are two for the price of one. Fish is the specialty, but there’s also meat on the menu. Save room for the two-for-one desserts. The Blue Moon is at 4403 West Trade Winds Avenue in the romantically named Lauderdale by the Sea. Trade Winds is a short street off Commercial just east of the drawbridge. For information call 954-267-9888.

Lotus Chinese Kitchen: Inexpensive, casual family-owned Chinese restaurant in Wilton Manors. Helen likes the snow peas and shrimp. Phil prefers the kung pao chicken. The Lotus is in a shopping center at 1434 NE 26tth Street. For information call 954-566-5565.

Mark’s Las Olas: One of the more expensive restaurants in Fort Lauderdale, but the chef has been praised by the New York Times. The menu changes daily based on local ingredients. Mark’s is at 1032 East Las Olas Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale. For information call 954-463-1000.

Murder with Reservations: a Dead-End Job Mystery
By Elaine Viets
ISBN: 978-0-451-22111-7
Hardcover from New American Library – $21.95