House of Beauty
The Colombian crime sensation and bestseller
by Melba Escobar
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Pub Date 8 Mar 2018 | Archive Date 11 Jun 2018
HarperCollins UK, 4th Estate | Fourth Estate
Description
‘This delicate, merciless filleting of race and gender politics is highly recommended’ Guardian
‘A revelation. A rewarding read and an unexpected insight into a foreign society not often documented in novels. Treat yourself’ Crime Time
‘We thought we were bored of thrillers, but then we found House of Beauty … as gasp-inducing as a hot wax’ Glamour
House of Beauty is a high-end salon in Bogotá’s exclusive Zona Rosa area, and Karen is one of its best beauticians. But there is more to her role than the best way to apply wax, or how to give the perfect massage. Her clients share their most intimate secrets with her. She knows all about their breast implants, their weekends in Miami, their divorces and affairs.
One rainy afternoon a teenage girl turns up for a treatment with Karen, dressed in her school uniform and smelling of alcohol. The very next day, the girl is found dead.
Karen was the last person to see the girl alive, and the girl’s mother is desperate to find out what she knows. Most important of all: who was her daughter going to meet that night?
Available Editions
| EDITION | Ebook |
| ISBN | 9780008264253 |
| PRICE | £4.49 (GBP) |
| PAGES | 208 |
Featured Reviews
Kathryn M, Reviewer
A psychological mystery set in a beauty salon is an unusual premise, Such is the case of the aptly named House of Beauty from Colombian journalist turned author Melba Escobar.. Karen is a struggling young beautician who has moved to a Bogota for a better life. Despite the location, there is a universal feel to the descriptions of how her clients confide in her in the anonymity of the salon. When a client is murdered and Karen was the last person to see her alive we have the beginnings of the mystery at the heart of the novel. Karen is a very likeable character and her own story is well woven through the novel. This is an ambitious work and quotes form Sherlock Homes give it an extra gravitas. While the setting of a beauty salon is unusual, so to is the setting of Colombia especially where everyday life is depicted and depicted well.
In a world teeming with psychological thriller, it is refreshing to meet one where the twist is more the unusual setting.
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