Sam Jones is a metal sculptor who lives and works in a grim London warehouse and struts her sexy stuff in the hot spots of the city. In the tart noir tradition, Sam is tough, smart, flirty, and fabulous. She feels comfortable in a vinyl miniskirt or a welder's mask, though she wouldn't be caught dead wearing them together. But dead bodies keep turning up in her midst in all manner of dress. With brains, guts, and a keen artist's eye, Sam rises to the occasion, changing from sculptor to detective.

In Freeze My Margarita, Sam works with an old art school buddy on the sets for a new production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. The change of scene helps her shake creative doldrums and find new love. But when unsettling things happen in the theater, it's tough to sort it out among ambitious, ego-driven actors and techies defending their turf.

Freeze My Margarita's mystery, though well-crafted, is secondary to the characters, snappy dialog, and hip atmosphere. Though the author spends too much time describing what people are wearing, her detailed accounts of technical theater are fascinating. And as with many amateur sleuths, one wonders why on earth Sam is prying into this dangerous, shady turn of events. But one is mighty glad of it, because the novel is funny and outrageous, with a tense climax.

Lauren Milne Henderson, author of Black Rubber Dress, lives in London. She and fellow tart noir writers welcome cyberguests at their collaborative website, tart city.

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