Home :: Books :: Mystery & Thrillers  

Arts & Photography
Audio CDs
Audiocassettes
Biographies & Memoirs
Business & Investing
Children's Books
Christianity
Comics & Graphic Novels
Computers & Internet
Cooking, Food & Wine
Entertainment
Gay & Lesbian
Health, Mind & Body
History
Home & Garden
Horror
Literature & Fiction
Mystery & Thrillers

Nonfiction
Outdoors & Nature
Parenting & Families
Professional & Technical
Reference
Religion & Spirituality
Romance
Science
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Sports
Teens
Travel
Women's Fiction
If Looks Could Kill

If Looks Could Kill

List Price: $6.99
Your Price: $6.29
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 3 4 5 6 .. 10 >>

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Fine, but no Bridget, and no Grafton, either
Review: I enjoyed this book. It was certainly not up to the standards of my usual mystery novels, such as those written by Linda Fairstein, but it was a pleasant little read. I didn't dislike the characters as much as some reviewers seem to do, but I also will say that I don't think Kate White went very far in trying to disguise the characters from the people she knows in real life. Even the doctors Bailey talks to in the book have names and positions very, very close to the people that Ms. White thanks in the acknowledgement page - this, to me, is a sure sign of a first novel - where you can't think of names that aren't similar to your friends' (or enemies') names, jobs, descriptions, etc. Hopefully the next books (and yes, there is a least one more coming) will dampen down on that "drawing from life" tendency a bit.

Also, I was a little put off by some of the assumptions that the author makes about her audience's lack of knowledge. I grew up in a tiny town in Central Illinois, and will admit to having never been in NYC. However, I don't need to be told that "the Village" means Greenwich Village, or what the Hamptons are, or even what the Circle Line Tour is. I guess I assume that anyone picking up a mystery novel by the editor of Cosmo might have a working knowledge of the culture of NYC - especially when it's so touted as a "Sex and the City" type deal. The reviews and marketing all are aimed at a type of reader that probably knows this stuff. I felt a bit patronized with some of those basic explanations that really didn't seem necessary - it seemed like she was TRYING to cover all her possible audience bases, which distracted me from the story.

Also, I think that the fashion descriptions, while certainly something that Ms. White would be interested in, may not hold up if the book is ever reprinted in a few years. It's something that I notice when reading fluff - if the fluff is from the '80's, you notice and kind of mock the clothing descriptions. The best authors keep that kind of thing to a minimum, so that the book will hold up in the future.

That being said, the mystery was enjoyable enough, though most dedicated mystery readers will figure out all the plot twists about 2 pages ahead of the heroine. Still, it wasn't a waste of time if you're not expecting the "great American novel".

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: My FAVORITE Book!
Review: If Looks Could Kill is one of my all time favorites! It's so thrilling and exciting! It keeps u guessing until the very last page!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: More Sex and The City than a Mystery
Review: If Looks Could Kill is an ok effort, but falls kind of flat on it's face in the mystery department. Bailey Weggins is an appealing character, but the story itself does not hold up for her to shine. The book's main problem is the fact that it's not really centered on the mystery at hand but more on the nuances of the publishing world of magazines. Not to say that the magazine business is not an interesting topic but when it almost over shadows the story at hand, then there's a problem.

It's an ok effort but it should have been better. I will though pick up the next book in the series to see if the Character of Bailey Weggins get a better story to shine in.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I never read mysteries, but I am glad I made the exception!
Review: This book is great - fast-paced, interesting and NOT gory. I loved it. If you are like me, a voracious reader who doesn't choose mysteries 99.99% of the time, read this. You will love it.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Meet Bailey Weggins
Review: I knew the name Kate White sounded familiar, I just couldn't place the name with a face until I read the back flap of the book. Of course, she is the editor of Cosmopolitan, my favorite magazine! I was excited to read this book before, but I was really excited after knowing who the author was.
Meet Bailey Wiggins, a free lance writer for Gloss, a Cosmopolitanish magazine, that is run by a snibbish woman named Cat. Cat is a very smart, career lady who has made many people mad on her way to the top. Bailey considers her a friend, but really only when Cat needs something. So when Cat calls early one Sunday morning panicking about her Nanny, Heidi, not answering the door, Bailey figures she is just overreacting but decides to humor her. What Bailey finds when she enters the Nanny's apartment is not something she would never wish to see again. She finds Heidi dead after appartently being sick everywhere in the house. Since Bailey writes crime stories, Cat begs her to help find the killer. The things that happen to Bailey are suspensful and sometimes a little scary. In a book where everyone is a suspect, it is a huge who done it until the end.
The cover says A Bailey Weggins mystery so we can only hope that she appears in more books and they are just as good. I was not disappointed in this book and I was very glad that I took the time to read. I eaglerly await Kate White's next novel, but for now, I will just keep reading the Cosmopolitan and hoping the next book comes out soon!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Delicious mystery: done with style!!!! Unplug the phone!!!!!
Review: I love mysteries that do not seem like a Murder She Wrote episode. The murder of the nanny of a top fashion magazine editor begins this novel. The main character, Baily, is enlisted to help the editor, Cat, solve the crime so as to be one step ahead of the police. You will love running after Baily in her Manolo Blahniks to solve the Nanny Mystery!! Read it in one night because I couldn't put it down!!!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good!
Review: This book was good! It kept me guessing until the end. I had no clue who the murderer was. The author did a great job writing this book!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Loved it!!!
Review: I purchased this on recommenation from Kelly Rippa on Live with Regis and Kelly. It is funny and intriguing. I highly recommend this fast and entertaining read.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Great Story!
Review: This book was a great mystery and a nice look at the magazine industry as well. I hope Ms. White takes this very likeable character and makes this a series.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: If Looks Could Kill
Review: I have been reading the books recommend by Kelly Ripa's book club Reading with Ripa. If Looks Could Kill had a good story line. It was intriguing, suspenseful and it was written from Bailey Weggins point of view, which from my understanding is the hardest way to write. This is the first novel I have read that was written that way and it took me some time to adjust to it. I give credit to Kate White for writing that way. I really like Bailey, she is a very likable character. I agree with some of the other reviewers that the book was a little long. The chapters went on forever. The ending of the book was really good. If Kate White writes another book about Bailey Weggins perhaps maybe she should change careers and become a Private Investigator, she's pretty good at it.


<< 1 2 3 4 5 6 .. 10 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates