A Date You Can't Refuse

January 5, 2009
Wollie Shelley—reluctant dating expert, graphic artist and fledgling spy—goes undercover for the FBI to investigate MediasRex, a California media training company, in Kozak’s wild fourth caper (after 2007’s Dead Ex
). The company’s owner, Yuri Milos, hires Wollie to be a social coach and dating surrogate for such clients as clownish Zbiggo Shpek, a Moldovan heavyweight boxer. Wollie’s FBI agent boyfriend, Simon Alexander, is alarmed, even if her three-month gig will pay $50,000, since Yuri has dangerous Eastern European political connections. Inside MediasRex’s Calabasas compound, Wollie learns that the previous dating coach, Chai, a former America’s Next Top Model contender, was killed in a car accident, though Chai’s boyfriend insists she was murdered. Kozak keeps the laughs and chills in bewitching balance as Wollie uncovers the secrets of Yuri’s extended family—and suffers a first-time dating consequence in the surprising denouement.

April 13, 2009
Verdict: Kozak engages the emotions-one minute she sends fissions of fear up your spine, and the next, she tickles your funny bone. Fans of Janet Evanovich, Toni Causey, and Lisa Lutz will enjoy this latest journey into the wild and wacky world of Wollie Shelley, as well as her three previous adventures (Dating Dead Men; Dating Is Murder; and Dead Ex). Background: Trouble always manages to find Wollie, serial dater and greeting card artist-turned-amateur sleuth. Her latest job seems harmless enough. She's supposed to teach social graces to talented but rough-edged Eastern Europeans who want to make their way in the entertainment world. The pay's incredible, but the terms of employment include living on the boss's compound. One hitch: the FBI wants Wollie to spy for them while she's cloistered with Yuri Milos and company, because the feds suspect him of un-American activities. Witty dialog, madcap adventure, lots of danger, and unforgettable characters fill the pages of this wonderfully entertaining mystery.-Shelley Mosley, Community Coll. Lib. Media Ctr., Glendale, AZ

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2009
Greeting-card designer Wollie Shelley knows plenty about dating: she once dated 40 men in 60 days as part of a research project; she was a contestant on a dating reality show; and she was a dating correspondent on a talk show. Along with dates, she also attracts dead bodies. Her past lands her a new job as a social coach for a media training company. But this gig comes with strings: the FBI wants Wollie to find out what really takes place at the company compound. The reward will be a permanent home, provided by the feds, for Wollies schizophrenic brother, P. B. She begins by teaching three foreign celebrities how to fit in with Beverly Hills customs, improve their English, and become ready for celebrity interviews, American style, but soon enough, the inevitable dead body turns up on company property. Kozak continues to mix well-developed characters and madcap action in this enjoyable series. Beautiful, six-foot Wollie is a natural for Stephanie Plum fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)