Fitness Kills: A Nora Franke Mystery

Helen Barer
Thomson-Gale (2007)
ISBN 9781594145858
Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (9/07)

When I received Helen Barer’s “Fitness Kills” in the mail one Tuesday, I had my day all planned out. There were things I didn’t particularly want to do, but they needed to be done. But every new book is like a Christmas gift to me, so I opened this book in a striking green dust jacket, thinking I’ll read a page or two and then get going. Four hours later I got up, absolutely enchanted with the book I’ve just read – and could not put down.

Where should I begin? I loved the book on so many levels… The heroine, Nora, is somebody I would love to meet in real life. She is brave and spunky and funny – and 30 pounds overweight after her recent “sort-of-a-break-up-and-then-maybe-not.” Ms. Barer’s portrayal of the New York food writer, turned into a sleuth, is absolutely brilliant and seeing the life in a posh spa in Baja California through Nora’s eyes is a candid and colorful experience. We get to see, feel and definitely smell it. 

The story line is engaging and Nora’s quest for the killer produces a fair share of nail-biting moments. The best part of it is probably Nora’s refusal to take herself too seriously and her refreshing lack of cunning as well as the refusal to believe that people are anything but good. Some would probably call her naïve, but I prefer to think of her as good and honest.

Then there are Ms. Barer’s wickedly funny descriptions of spa staff and guests, the daily routine of the spa’s “torture” (Liquid fast, anybody? How about a hike at dawn?) and Nora’s daily struggles to fulfill her role as a menu consultant for the ranch. Some of my absolutely most favorite pages are those where Nora tries to deal with the unsurprisingly temperamental chef or when she cooks or thinks of food. And while I probably won’t be tempted to make almond milk – and yes, you should read the book to find out why - I have already made a spicy pumpkin soup.

“Fitness Kills” was a wickedly funny and intelligent read, which I would wholeheartedly recommend to lovers of good mysteries and strong female characters. You will not be sorry that you picked it up and if you are anything like me, your only regret will be that it is not longer. But then the notes on the dust jacket inform the reader that Ms. Barer is already writing the next Nora Franke mystery. I’ve learned my lesson already – I will know better than to schedule anything else on the day I receive it.

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