Knock Off

January 22, 2007
With more than 25 contemporary romances (Automatic Proposal
, etc.) under the pen name Kelsey Roberts, Pollero makes her frivolous but fun mystery debut featuring Finley Anderson Tanner (F.A.T.), a 29-year-old West Palm Beach paralegal whose designer name-dropping prattle and discount shopaholism obscure her smarts. Bored silly by her job in the estates and trusts department, she agrees to help a senior partner handle a client convinced that her deceased husband didn't fall asleep at the wheel but was actually murdered. Finley's sweet but boring boyfriend is out of town, and her credit cards are maxed out, so she applies her bargain-hunting instincts to the investigation and finds a statistical improbability in the "accidental" deaths of several jurors after a medical malpractice suit. She meets the obligatory bad boy detective, Liam McGarrity, and wriggles out of several tight spots in this lighthearted romp.

February 1, 2007
Paralegal Finley Tanner is asked to placate a client of the high-powered legal firm where she works. The client is a widow who believes her husband was murdered in an automobile crash. No one takes her seriously, but as Finley begins to delve into the facts, she sees that there may be some truth in the widow's suspicions. Chick lit-mystery fans will love Finley's offhand mention of her Prada bags and her lusting after the one-dimensional hunk private investigator who is helping her. Her libido aside, Finley shows that she is intelligent as well as beautifully dressed. Writing as Kelsey Roberts, Pollero has produced more than 25 romances and won many awards. She lives in southern Florida.

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2007
When it comes to putting together a killer couture wardrobe on a tight budget, paralegal Finley Anderson Tanner knows exactly what she is doing. When it comes to catching a clever killer, Finley doesn't have a clue. But Finley's boss insists that she meet with Stacy Evans, who is convinced her husband Marcus' death was no accident. At first, Finley thinks the widow is just having a difficult time adapting to loss, but she discovers that not only was Marcus a juror on a high-profile medical-malpractice trial but also that several other of the jurors have recently died in "accidents." Pollero fashions the first volume in a stylishly entertaining new amateur sleuth series that is certain to be a runway hit with mystery readers who like a dash of chick-lit sass and a pinch of romance with their detecting.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)