SPYING IN HIGH HEELS

Author: Gemma Halliday ISBN: 0843957352 8/2006 CHICK LIT Publisher: MAKING IT!/DORCHESTER

L.A. shoe designer, Maddie Springer, lives her life by three rules: Fashion. Fashion. Fashion. But when she stumbles upon the work of a brutal killer, her life takes an unexpected turn from Manolos to murder. And things only get worse when her boyfriend disappears—along with $20 million in embezzled funds—and her every move is suddenly under scrutiny by LAPD's sexiest cop. With the help of her post-menopausal bridezilla of a mother, a 300-pound psychic and one seriously oversexed best friend, Maddie finds herself stepping out of her stilettos and onto the trail of a murderer. But can she catch a killer before the killer catches up to her?

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

In this cleverly fun mystery, Maddie, a LA shoe designer, determines to discover the reason behind her boyfriend's disappearance. In a series of zany episodes reminiscent of Stephanie Plum, Maddie turns amateur sleuth in hopes of finding her boyfriend before the LA cops. Sexy cop Jack Ramirez always seems to turn up just in time to witness Maddie's latest embarrassing escapade and to turn up the sexual heat. I chuckled through most of the story and several times chortled so hard I had tears in my eyes.

While not a completely original plot, Ms. Halliday has created some lovable characters, especially in Maddie that more than make up for that. Ramirez fills the position of sexy hunk, but seems to have more going on than just the typical "hot cop." I'll admit to being intrigued after the scene of dinner at his mother's house.

Brava to Ms. Halliday in introducing a delightful new series. As one of the funniest books I've read all summer, I highly recommend SPYING IN HIGH HEELS. I definitely want to read more of Maddie and Ramirez and I'll be first in line to read the next installment.

Kendra Patterson