Overview
Tucker Sinclair's life has returned to normal after her first misadventure with murder in FALSE PROFITS. But that's about to change when her old college flame, Evan Brice, strolls back into her life after a 10-year estrangement that began when he dumped Tucker to marry her closest friend. Evan is now a successful Hollywood agent who has acquired many mistresses and a love affair with drugs. When Evan is found brutally murdered, the police quickly close in on the victim's widow, who turns to ex-best friend Tucker for help. Soon, Tucker runs afoul of the detective in charge of the case and finds herself at odds with a biker gang and a narcissistic soap opera star in a race to sort the innocent from the guilty.
Synopsis
Tucker Sinclair's life has returned to normal after her first misadventure with murder in FALSE PROFITS. But that's about to change when her old college flame, Evan Brice, strolls back into her life after a 10-year estrangement that began when he dumped Tucker to marry her closest friend. Evan is now a successful Hollywood agent who has acquired many mistresses and a love affair with drugs. When Evan is found brutally murdered, the police quickly close in on the victim's widow, who turns to ex-best friend Tucker for help. Soon, Tucker runs afoul of the detective in charge of the case and finds herself at odds with a biker gang and a narcissistic soap opera star in a race to sort the innocent from the guilty.
Publishers Weekly
Smiley's amusing second mystery to feature L.A. business consultant Tucker Sinclair (after 2004's False Profits) offers appealing characters and semiplausible Hollywood hijinx. When someone stabs to death Tucker's college heartthrob, Evan Brice, a failed poet turned successful film agent, in the seedy apartment he'd rented for quiet "work" sessions, the police call on Tucker. Tucker severed all ties with Evan after catching him in flagrante with her best friend, Cissy, whom he later married, but a love poem to Tucker discovered at the crime scene suggests Evan had his regrets. When Tucker pays a condolence call on her old friend, Cissy begs her to close up the illicit apartment. Cissy, as the chief suspect, has further need of Tucker's help in convincing the skeptical police that she's innocent. Predictable mayhem ensues after a prima donna soap star, one of Evan's ex-lovers, leads Tucker to a biker bar, a hostile environment for a nosey parker. Fans of Janet Evanovich (who praised False Profits) will find a lot to like in this entertaining romp. Agent, Scott Miller at Trident Media Group. 4-city author tour. (Nov.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.