|
"When I think back on everything terrible that happened that autumn --- the murders, the grim discovery I made, the danger I found myself in --- I realize I probably could have avoided all of it if my love life hadn't been so sucky." So begins A BODY TO DIE FOR. Author Kate White continues this amiable, breezy style throughout this fast-paced story.
Bailey Weggins lives in New York City and is a freelance writer --- of crime stories mostly --- with an occasional contracted article that is meant to expand the horizons of women who read Gloss magazine. She has an optimistic outlook on life and is immediately likeable. A friend invites her to spend a weekend at the spa that she owns and although Bailey is not into most of the "goofy" spa stuff, she does enjoy a good massage. And besides, her mother has been worried about her and thinks a vacation could cheer her up. So she jumps in her Jeep and heads up the Connecticut Turnpike to be pampered for the weekend.
Amateur detective novels can be implausible at times, what with psychic cats and stuff, but here the tie-in with her job lends credibility as Bailey discovers a dead body within hours of arriving at the Spa and then spends the next few weeks tracking down clues to discover whodunit. Like a professional detective, Bailey is methodical in her investigation, constantly reviewing clues she logs in composition books and following threads of evidence that she keeps pulling at until the whole mystery unravels.
Mysteries are so popular and there are hundreds of good writers out there, but only a few stand out above the rest. What set them apart are the additional strengths that go beyond telling a good story. Top writers create memorable characters, people who readers can love or hate or identify with. They write dialogue that sounds realistic, and they put into words insights and observations that cause the reader to smile in agreement or nod knowingly. For example, Bailey is thinking about the hunky cop she just met and she decides "…it was a complete aberration --- like one of those blinding pains you get in your temple one day that convinces you (that) you have a brain tumor the size of a beefsteak tomato but never occurs again…"
A BODY TO DIE FOR, which follows Kate White's successful debut novel, IF LOOKS COULD KILL, is the second of a great new series for us fans of Sue Grafton, Janet Evanovich, and the two Roberts --- Crais and Parker.
--- Reviewed by Maggie Harding, who is a substance abuse counselor in Phoenix, AZ. Her reviews can be heard every Wednesday on BookCrazy.net. To contact Maggie, e-mail her at Magster2@cox.net.
• Click here now to buy this book from Amazon.
© Copyright 1996-2008, Bookreporter.com. All rights reserved.
Back to top.
|
