Monday, May 27, 2013

BOOK REVIEW: BAD PUBLICITY by JOANNE LESSNER





Synopsis:

In the world of PR, there's only one crime worse than killing a deal:  killing a client.

Aspiring actress and office temp Isobel Spice finds a warm welcome at Dove & Flight Public Relations, thanks to her old school friend Katrina Campbell. However, the atmosphere chills considerably when Isobel unwittingly serves an important client a deadly dose of poisoned coffee. Her stalwart temp agent, James Cooke, rushes to her aid, but balks when he learns that the victim was the fraternity brother who got him expelled from college. News that Dove & Flight is being acquired by an international conglomerate quickly supplants the murder as the hot topic of office gossip, but Isobel is convinced the two events are related. When all roads of inquiry lead back to Katrina, Isobel is forced to consider the possibility that her friend's killer instincts go beyond public relations.

badpublicity-widget


Author Bio:                                      


Joanne Sydney Lessner is the author of PANDORA'S BOTTLE, a novel inspired by the true story of the world's most expensive bottle of wine (Flint Mine Press, 2010), which Paperback Dolls named one of the top five books of 2010. THE TEMPORARY DETECTIVE (Dulcet Press, April 2012) introduces Isobel Spice, aspiring actress and resourceful office temp turned amateur sleuth. Isobel's adventures continue in BAD PUBLICITY. No stranger to the theatrical world, Joanne enjoys an active performing career, and with her husband, composer/conductor Joshua Rosenblum, has co-authored several musicals, including the cult hit FERMAT'S LAST TANGO and EINSTEIN'S DREAMS, based on the celebrated novel by Alan Lightman. For more information, please visit http://joannelessner.com.

Reader review . . . 

What are the odds Isabel would find another dead body on another temp job?  Hmm...the odds must have been higher than Isobel thought.  This time, a friend from college helped her land a position at Dove & Flight Public Relations Agency, and everything is going great until she finds a client dead in the conference room.  Since Isobel was the one who served him coffee, and he doesn't appear to have died of natural causes, she decides it's in her best interest to find the killer.  

The second installment in Lessner's Isobel Spice Mysteries series, this novel is sure to please current fans and bring on new ones.  Isobel and her friends are all delightfully quirky, adding humor to a murder mystery.  Thanks to Isobel's attraction to two different men at once, there is plenty of romantic tension to add to the story.  I am happy to say that the mystery is not quickly solved by the reader (or at least not this one), so I only began to figure things out in the last few pages and did not guess all the details on my own.  

While this novel feels like a cozy mystery, the strong language could surprise some cozy mystery readers.  But if it does not offend you, it's a really fun novel and I look forward to more of Isobel's adventures.

5 stars

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Cozy Mystery book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” 

  

1 comments:

Jane R said...

I love the color that was chosen for this book. I'm looking forward to reading the series. Thanks for the review!

AddThis

Pin It