A Little Trouble with the Facts

A hybrid of a vintage detective novel and breezy chick-lit, this production is a pleasant diversion. Allyson Ryan is a confident narrator whose voice easily handles the shifts in the novel's tone, which varies widely from mysterious to humorous. Protagonist Valerie Vane plays the roles of both a spoiled gossip columnist and an old-school detective. When she's demoted to obituary writing, she never expects that it will lead to a future as an actual journalist--who investigates a murder. The novel features thoughtful insights and snappy repartee but also has slow moments and some one-dimensional characters. Overall, however, Ryan's skill makes this blend of genres a worthwhile listen. L.B.F. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

December 24, 2007
Chick lit meets Raymond Chandler in this slick debut about a Gotham gossip girl’s rise, fall and resurrection in New York circa 1999. Sassy, brassy journo Valerie Vane—née Sunburst Rhapsody Miller, born to a pair of hippies—wants to be famous and does so the old-fashioned way: by tossing gossip bricks. She’s quickly scooped up by the style section of the Paper
(a thinly veiled New York Times
), but becomes undone by cocaine nights and her social-climbing no-good boyfriend. After a drug-fueled rage that gets her mug on all the trashy tabs, Val is relegated to the obits desk. There, the disgraced writer learns to be a real reporter, investigating the mysterious death of revered graffiti artist Malcolm Wallace. In the hunt for his killer, aided by her dark and handsome source, Cabeza, Val uncovers corruption that will put her name back on page one—and her life in danger. Siegal, a former journalist, blends glamour and gutter into a delicious cocktail, equal parts behind-the-scenes dish and crime novel. With a tantalizing if undeveloped side plot involving Val’s long-lost relatives, a sequel would be both logical—and welcome.