To Thine Own Self Be True

May 29, 2006
Bikers and tattoos have something of an image problem, but Clemens's fun and surprising third Stella Crown mystery (after 2005's Three Can Keep a Secret
) goes a long way toward improving that image. Shortly before Christmas, Stella, a Harley-riding Pennsylvania dairy farmer, is getting a new tattoo at Wolf Ink, when the tattoo artist, Wolf, interrupts their session and takes off with his wife, Mandy. Stella falls asleep, and later leaves in a huff with only half a tattoo. Then the cops show up at Stella's door to report that Mandy has been found outside the tattoo parlor, frozen to death after being hit on the head. Wolf, who has disappeared, is the chief suspect in the murder, but the net expands to include shady fringe tattooists (who ink underage kids and "forget" to change needles) and legislators who wish to close down the whole industry for the sins of a few. As Clemens waxes poetic about tattoos, readers will view this subculture in a brand new light.

Starred review from July 1, 2006
While Stella Crown is getting a new tattoo, her tattoo artist is called into the back room by his wife, Mandy. Exhausted from managing her Pennyslvania dairy farm, Stella falls asleep. When she wakes up, the tattoo parlor is empty, so Stella goes home. Later that evening the police arrive to tell her that Mandy is dead, and Wolf, the tattoo artist, is missing. Describing the polar opposite worlds of the tattoo parlor and dairy farm, Clemens writes about a woman comfortable in both but unable to handle her own emotions. If only caring about people were as easy for Stella as riding a Harley or hooking up a milking machine. Featuring fast-paced prose and well-drawn characters who are mostly good people who help each other, Clemens's mystery also paints a complete picture of the hard work that goes into farming while educating the reader on the rules and regulations governing the tattoo business. The third entry in Clemens's Stella Crown series (after the Agatha Award -winning "Till the Cows Come Home", 2004, and "Three Can Keep a Secret", 2005) won't disappoint fans of the first two books. Strongly recommended. Clemens lives in Ohio.

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.