Dating is Murder

Starred review from February 7, 2005
Having survived serial dating in Dating Dead Men
(2004), Kozak's Wollie (short for Wollstonecraft) Shelley takes on a new challenge by participating in Biological Clock
, a reality show featuring women "d'un âge certain
," in her stellar second adventure, set against the L.A. backdrop her actor-creator knows so well. The goofy TV production is yet another means to help Wollie save her greeting card line (Good Golly Miss Wollies) and care for her mentally ill brother, P.B. In the midst of all the wicked dating fun, Wollie finds herself looking into the disappearance of Annika, a German production assistant who also works as an au pair for Maizie Quinn, a glossy Encino supermom. The hunt for Annika, who's also Wollie's math tutor, proves to be far more intriguing than being one of three women dating three men while waiting for the audience's verdict "on which combination of genes should produce a child." Wollie's investigation soon brings her onto the radar of a sexy pseudo-stalker federal agent, who keeps warning her off the case, to no avail. As witty as early Evanovich and as irresistible as current Crusie, Kozak establishes her unique voice in Wollie's wistful, self-deprecating but stubborn working-class persona that fans of diva lit (chick lit that's grown up and added a body count) will love. The pace of this quirky cool mystery never falters, and the breezy characterizations will inspire more than a few to ask the author, "So, you gonna play Wollie in the film or what?" Agent, Renee Zuckerbrot.

September 1, 2004
Wollie Shelley is back from Dating Dead Men, ready to try again. Here, she gets involved in a reality TV show but is sidetracked when friend Annika disappears.

Copyright 2004 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2004
Wollie Shelley, the appealingly quirky heroine of Kozak's first mystery, " Dating Dead Men" [BKL N 15 03], has just had her heart broken by her fiance, Doc, who has left L.A. to be with his daughter in Japan. Wollie has been persuaded by her friends to take part in a reality dating show, " Biological Clock," where the audience chooses the best potential parents among three couples. But Wollie is distracted by the disappearance of Annika, an au pair who was serving as Wollie's math tutor. A frantic call from Annika's mother worries Wollie, but when she goes to the police, they are completely uninterested, so Wollie takes it upon herself to search for the girl. Her quest to find the supposedly clean-cut au pair leads Wollie to a possible drug connection and some questionable men, including a handsome thug who starts tailing Wollie. This delightful follow-up to Kozak's first outing surpasses its predecessor and will have readers anticipating Wollie's third adventure.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)