Looks to Die For

RenÄe Raudman gets better with every book. She puts such charm and charisma into her portrayal of heroine Lacy Fields that you immediately fall in love. Lacy, the wife of a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, is accused of murdering a porn star. Because of Raudman's performance, you're working with Lacy every moment as she tries to find the real killer. But Raudman doesn't neglect the minor characters. Lacy's children are typical kids; the men, even the villains, ring true. Raudman doesn't make the villainess a witch, just a wicked and calculating woman. The splashy climax, in which Lacy fights for her life, is a showstopper. Kaplan has crafted a good book, and Raudman gives it a superstar quality. M.T.B. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

Starred review from December 11, 2006
Having collaborated on three books with Lynn Schnurnberger (The Men I Didn't Marry, etc.), Kaplan flies solo in
\t\t this zany crime novel introducing ace amateur sleuth Lacy Fields. A well-heeled
\t\t Los Angeles matron and celebrity interior designer giddy about clothes,
\t\t furniture and keeping up with the Joneses, Lacy adores her children and her
\t\t glamorous hubby, Dr. Dan, a popular plastic surgeon known as the "Saint of
\t\t Hollywood." When Dan's arrested for the murder of Tasha Barlow, a young
\t\t actress, and the police and even Dan's attorney believe he's guilty, the
\t\t devastated Lacy launches her own no-holds barred investigation. Lacy survives
\t\t tangling with an ex-con, arriving at George Clooney's movie-set trailer in
\t\t nothing but La Perla lingerie, finding a dead body in the trunk of her Lexus
\t\t and wrestling with a crazed commercial producer. Name-dropping, price-quoting
\t\t Lacy is a hoot as she makes the best of many tight situations, like the time
\t\t she wore "that size 6 Dolce & Gabbana gown to a charity ball." Suspense
\t\t fans looking for frothy, wacky fun will be well rewarded.
\t\t 8-city author tour.