Sam goes to extremes--in her dress, sex life, and drug use--but she's as cheeky as a London tabloid. New readers will want to track down her previous books, in which she's on her home turf. If you liked Absolutely Fabulous, you'll love Strawberry Tattoo. And if you're looking for other independent-minded female sleuths like Henderson's Sam Jones, Sparkle Hayter's Robin Hudson, Katy Munger's Casey Jones, and Laura Lippman's Tess Monaghan, check out Tartcity.com, a Web site devoted to tart noir, a genre composed of "neofeminist women, half Philip Marlowe, half femme fatale, who make their own rules, who think it's entirely possible to save the world while wearing a drop-dead dress and stiletto heels." --Jane Adams

Product Description
Sam Jones, sculptress and reluctant sleuth, can't resist the opportunity to do Manhattan when she's invited to New York for a group show at a gallery featuring young British artists. New York, loud and brash as Sam herself, welcomes her with open arms and plenty of her favorite margaritas. She's even reunited with Kim, a best friend from childhood who's transformed herself into a quintessential New Yorker, complete with weekly spinning classes and an East Village studio apartment. Despite Sam's promise to stay out of trouble, however, trouble keeps finding he -- one of the gallery's employees is found strangled in Central Park's Strawberry Fields not long after Sam arrives, and the gallery itself has been trashed with graffiti.

While Sam's new Manhattan friends pop Prozac and fret about the police investigation, the rest of the young Brits turn up in New York, including the one Sam drunkenly groped in a club not so long ago. Will the exhibition be a success? Will Sam's current boyfriend -- the dashing actor Hugo -- find out about her moment of abandon? And will the details of the strawberry tattoo give away the murderer's identity before Sam herself becomes a target?

STRAWBERRY TATTOO is a perfect Sam Jones adventure. It has everything Ms. Henderson's readers have grown to expect from her stylish and sexy protagonist.

Sam Jones is invited to New York City as part of a gallery display featuring the works of emerging British artists. Of course, with Sam Jones on the scene, one knows dead bodies are sure to follow. Sam, despite her promises to stay out of trouble, investigates the homicide. As Sam takes on Manhattan, everyone knows Manhattan doesn't stand a chance.

As with all Sam Jones novels, style matters as much as substance. Sam is a true original in mystery fiction. She is a strong, hip, and witty protagonist. Tart Noir is one of the freshest breezes to hit crime fiction in decades, and STRAWBERRY TATTOO is one of the best examples of this sub-genre.


What a great book!   September 25, 2000
 6 out of 6 found this review helpful

It was initially difficult to get the rhythm of this book (I'm American, and some expressions and spellings created little glitches which detracted from the smoothness of the read), but after a while, I just went wild for the style and humor of the main character. I can't wait until the next Sam Jones escapade!


Witty, sarcastic fun   February 28, 2001
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Sam is an artist, a sculptress who makes mobiles, who happens to run into a lot of dead bodies wherever she goes. She also can break a man's fingers, slug down martinis, mess around with hot pretty boys in club bathrooms, and make wisecracks which will leave you laughing aloud. This book is pure fun, with very strong and diverse characters. This is not your usual mystery... Sam is someone we can all identify with, try to avoid, and try to be like all at the same time.


Lucky Me!   May 18, 2001
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

I stumbled upon this book in a 5 minute book grabfest at my local library (with 2 little ones its hard to be choosy) and struck gold! As a 30something former party girl I was secretly wishing I was Sam Jones in NYC! ..I have never written a review for a book before but HAD to let anyone considering reading this book to DO SO IMMEDIATELY and order the other ones too because you'll be wanting more!


edgy fun   January 12, 2001
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This is a worthy addition to this series of mysteries. And the series is great. Don't be put off by the explicit sexual innuendo in the first chapter (though Henderson's hilarious when writing about situations that would be hard to actually visualize as anything other than grotty). Henderson's novels are sophisticated social satire, and her heroine doesn't just dress or undulate, she thinks and sculpts (mobiles, that is). Seeing things through Sam's eyes allows us as readers into a really alien world that we get to temporarily enjoy. In this episode, Sam does Manhattan as part of a collection of Young British Artists. Yep. We get to see both what a serious, absorbed sculptor thinks of her work, and her scathing opinions on others' trendiness. Note to publishers: please make the earlier works of the series available in paper. There's a backstory here that I want to know. Note to those new to series: I'd start with "Freeze my Margarita" [more on the London drama scene] rather than "Strawberry Tatoo".