Lethally Blond - Kate White

Lethally Blond
Kate White
Warner Books

Mystery

Bailey Weggins is turning her life around after a couple of setbacks. She’s left Gloss magazine to work for Buzz, a weekly gossip magazine. Bailey covers the celebrity crime beat. And she’s single again, not very happily so, after breaking up with filmmaker Beau Regan. When one of her colleagues shows her a story about a new crime show and possible next-big-thing called “Morgue,” Bailey is surprised to see a former almost-boyfriend, Chris Wickersham, is in the cast. After thinking about him all afternoon, she’s even more surprised to get a call from him. To her short-lived dismay, he wants her help, not a date.

Chris is worried about fellow cast member Tom Fain. The show “Morgue” debuts soon, is still in the midst of shooting episodes, and this is Tom’s big break in the business. But Tom has disappeared without a word to anyone. While looking through Tom’s apartment, Chris and Bailey find evidence that Tom was having an affair with the girlfriend of the producer. Not a great way to ensure that your small recurring role on a series continues to recur. Finding his corpse isn’t exactly unexpected; according to Chris, nothing but death would keep him away from shooting the show. When another cast member ends up dead, it can’t be a coincidence.

Once again, Kate White delivers a pitch-perfect depiction of life among the famous, and those who cover the exploits of the famous. Bailey is a fun and relatable character. She takes her investigations seriously, but still worries about her job and her love life. The circumstances here aren’t too gruesome to scare away fans of chick lit looking to branch out a bit, but they’re complex enough to entertain mystery fans. Following Bailey is a great way to spend a day at the beach, or an evening recovering from one.

Rating: 8
June 2007
ISBN# 978-0-446-57795-3 (hardcover)