Book Review: 'Strawberry Tattoo' (2012)

Sam Jones, the spunky British artist who moonlights as a detective in miniskirts (''What are you,'' one character queries, ''Miss Marple's punk granddaughter?''), takes on the Big Apple in Strawberry Tattoo, the latest mystery from Lauren Henderson (Freeze My Margarita). Invited to participate in a group show, our intrepid heroine quickly finds herself wrapped up in a murder investigation that moves from a tony SoHo gallery to the grungy East Village to Central Park's Strawberry Fields. In between sleuthing, Jones has ample opportunity to try organic soup, Rollerblading, and the cocktail-fueled Manhattan nightlife — to say nothing of a cardio and abs class followed by (horrors!) a juice bar. Tart-tongued Jones rises to each occasion with gusto; Henderson's dedication, in fact, could have come straight from Jones' mouth: ''To Manhattan. I bloody love the place.'' B+