Well Bred and Dead

November 27, 2006
Meet Pauline Cook, star of O'Connell's sparkling stand-alone. Cook, a widowed Chicago socialite, is devastated by the apparent suicide of her dear friend, gay society columnist Ethan Campbell. The police turn up a small stash of birth certificates in Ethan's apartment, and Pauline begins to wonder if her boon companion—always a bit cagey about his past—was who he claimed to be. Her search for answers takes her to England; Boston; Rochester, N.Y.; and Charleston, S.C. Along the way, several wealthy suitors woo Pauline—kudos to O'Connell (Skins
) for the frank, funny writing about middle-aged sexual desire. Character development proceeds along predictable lines. Despite being perilously close to running out of money, Pauline shops when the going gets tough. The surprising denouement includes a last line that's laugh-out-loud funny. Fans of Nancy Martin's Blackbird Sisters mysteries will enjoy Pauline's escapades.

January 1, 2007
After she discovers her best friend dead, an apparent suicide, widowed Chicago socialite Pauline Cook soon learns that she is also the executrix of his will, meaning that she will have to pay all his expenses. Pauline maxes out her credit cards while trying to solve the murder of a friend she didn't really know. Unfortunately, Pauline is not a very sympathetic character; seeing the world through her upper-crust eyes can be off-putting. An optional purchase. O'Connell lives in Aspen, CO.

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