THE KEY

Author: Jennifer Sturman ISBN: 0373896034 12/2006 CHICK LIT Publisher: RED DRESS INK

Ever wished your boss would drop dead? Of course not. Well, not really. And neither had Rachel Benjamin—until she finds herself working for Wall Street terror Glenn Gallagher on his latest pet project. Rachel thinks the deal—and Glenn—are more than a little shady, but she has a promotion at stake. It's either keep her lips sealed or kiss her partnership goodbye. Or kill Glenn. (Just kidding!) At least she has Peter. Rachel's too-good-to-be-true fiance has moved in, and while his stuff is everywhere and he's strangely jealous of her friendly new coworker, she's confident they'll figure things out. It would help if Glenn's killer schedule didn't have Rachel working around the clock. Really, the man must be stopped. Rachel's jokes about killing her boss don't seem so funny when Glenn is murdered. And it's even less laughable when she becomes the prime suspect. With the police hot on her very stylish heels, and the threat of an unflattering orange jumpsuit in her future, Rachel's learning the hard way to be careful what you wish for. She needs to catch the true killer quickly, before the killer catches her.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Jennifer Sturman's third Rachel Benjamin mystery is the best yet by far. It's a fast, smooth read with engaging humor and abundant comic moments.

Investment banker Rachel Benjamin has her first live-in boyfriend, business owner Peter, and she's finding it hard to reconcile a small New York apartment, a crazy work schedule and a live-in fiancé. In her early thirties, and always a relationship escape artist in the past, she finds herself picking fights and making him feel unwelcome.

Unfortunately, the partner in charge of her latest deal is a sexually harassing jerk, though her coworkers aren't bad. They spend more time together than she spends with Peter. She feels comfortable enough to joke about killing the partner in an exotic way and the next thing you know, the guy dies in just that fashion!

Rachel goes on the run with the help of her fiancé and all her friends from the first two books in the series. She also gets help from a Deep Throat type who knows something about the deal she's been working on. The police have an uncanny way of finding her in every hidey-hole. Will she solve the mystery first, or will the police catch their suspect?

Heather Hiestand