Rating: 
Summary: A young Mary Higgins Clark...
Review: Great fun. Debut mystery by a young editor with a wicked sense of humor, an insider's take on the world of women's magazines, an eye for detail, and a great sense of pace. Its gloss (and I mean this in a complimentary sense) reminded me of Mary Higgins Clark -- perfect for a laid-back summer read. The heroine is appealing, and the book is well-plotted for the most part...though some of the characters are exaggerated to the point that relationships (e.g. Bailey and K.G., Cat and Bailey, Cat and Jeff)are a bit hard to believe. Enjoy it for what it is....
Rating:
Summary: Bridget Jones meets Sue Grafton with nice results
Review: I was sort of hesitant to read this one but I couldn't help my curiosity. I'm glad that I read it because it is a nice guilty pleasure. I've been a fan of Janet Evanovich and Sue Grafton for a while now and what I really like about this book is that it combines the best of those two lead characters (Stephanie Plum and Kinsy Millhone respectively) into the fun but serious Bailey Weggins. She is easy to like and her life is not so outrageous as to be unbelievable. It would be very easy to follow her exploits further, so I hope that the fact that the cover advertises If Looks Could Kill as 'a Bailey Weggins mystery' means that there is more to come. As for the writing Kate White does a masterful job plotting out her mystery, leading you in many directions without confusing you and throwing in just the right amount of twists. My one complaint would be that the ending seems to happen pretty quickly, but that hardly takes away from the book and actually leaves you interested in what happens next. All in all this was a thoroughly enjoyable read.
Rating: 
Summary: More than Cosmo's editor!!
Review: I found this quick-read to be very intriguing. It's the kind of book that gives you the heebie-jeebies enough to look up from the book and all around you to make sure you're not the next victim. I literally couldn't put it down. I thought I knew 'whodunit' several times throughout the book, but was surprised in the last 15 pages to find it was none of my suspects. I reccommend this book to anyone who likes a good murder-mystery or a quick read.
Rating: 
Summary: Totally Forgettable Book
Review: I bought this book after Kelly Ripa recommended it as her first "Beach Trash" selection expecting a quick, exiting read for summertime. What I got was a very slow-paced, boring story with such forgettable characters, that I can't even remember them as i'm writing this.
It's being described as a "murder mystery", but that's hardly the case. Yes, someone dies, and someone else is in search of a killer. But throughout the entire book, I found myself not really caring who the murderer was and since the list of suspects was longer than a grocery list for a family of 5 who hasn't eaten in over a month...there was really no point in even guessing who it was. And when you finally get to the end and the killer is revealed, you're like "Huh?! Who the heck was that person?!" I had to go back just to remember who the killer was in relation to the whole story.
Long story short, the book sucked. Kelly Ripa picked a really bad first selection and I think was just trying to make sales for Kate White, who's a first time author. (She should stick to Cosmopolitan or Vogue magazine, or whatever it's called and stay away from fiction writing forever.)
Now if you want truly trashy, fun, light summer reading with lots of humor & sex, pick up "It's My F---ing Birthday" by Merrill Markoe. The title obviously caught my attention in the bookstore, and I was hysterical laughing from the first page and kept laughing after I brought it home. Check it out it you really want summer trash!!!
Rating:
Summary: Good Book!
Review: I really enjoyed this book. About two thirds of the way through I thought the plot got a bit convoluted, however.
Would like to see more in this series!
Rating:
Summary: Fun Mystery
Review: This book was fun to read. I usually don't read mysteries, but this one is entertaining. It kept me guessing who the killer was until the end.
Rating:
Summary: And She's Offfffffff!
Review: "If Looks Could Kill" by Kate White had me swiftly turning the pages! A wonderful who-dun-it!Fast paced action a-plenty lie in wait for the reader of this engaging mystery. The characters are fun and easy to relate to, the plot keeps the reader guessing, and the suspense will have the reader hanging on to the edge of their seats up until the final sentence has been read! Thie first time author has a real winner on her hands to be sure! Congratulations Ms. White on a job well done -- 'Take '10' you've earned it!
Rating:
Summary: Great Debut
Review: Here's the kind of debut novel that I'm always on the look out for. A great story told with a flair for the comical mixed with a solid and intriguing story. Kate White obviously calls on her experience as a magazine editor to present to us Bailey Weggins. This is a murder mystery with plenty of suspects and a plot that is sure to keep the reader entertained. My own radar on how much I enjoy a book is the time it takes for me to read it. If I rip through in no time flat then it's surely a sure-fire winner and that's exactly what happened this time. Humour and a good mystery are a great combination and done very well here.
Rating:
Summary: Very Boring Book
Review: This book was way too boring. Most characters are forgettable and uneventful. I am shocked that anyone would rate this book with 5 stars. Save your money and borrow it from the library! The story moves along a a crawling pace and you can skip pages at a time and not miss a thing.
Rating:
Summary: KELLY RIPA PICKS A WINNER
Review: I'd be the first to admit that I truly enjoy reading books along with a group. When Oprah announced the possible end of her six-year book club, it was a sad day for me. The sadness, however, was replaced with joy as other TV shows and newspapers jumped on the bandwagon and started their own book clubs. While Regis jokes that Kelly's book club could be better known as "beach trash reading," this statement couldn't be further from the truth with Ripa's first pick. Prior to this, I had never heard of Kate White and this is one of the reasons I love book groups....you get introduced to authors whose books you might not have picked out on your own. I'm happy to report that White's book is informative, enjoyable and an overall excellent "who done it." I read about fifty books in the mystery/thriller genre each year and I must admit that she had me guessing until the very end. IF LOOKS COULD KILL is set in Manhattan where the main characters work together at "Gloss Magazine." The author gives the reader a great inside look at both the magazine as well as the fashion industry. Her characters navigate different parts of the city from Greenwich Village to Tribeca to Chelsea to Central Park West in search of their stories and photo shoots. I particularly loved her descriptions not only of the locales but of the outfits worn by her characters as well. It was like being in a Sex And The City episode but, instead of following Carrie Bradshaw around, we get to tag along with Bailey Weggins, the crime story journalist for "Gloss. Since she writes about crime, her boss Cat Jones thinks she'll be perfect for trying to solve the mystery of "who killed Cat's nanny" and remove some of Cat's fears that she, herself, was really the intended victim. In order to get to the bottom of this fiasco, Bailey will travel out of Manhattan into beautiful Bucks County, PA, which, coincidentally, is the home of this reviewer. Imagine my surprise as Bailey drove into my hometown on a picture perfect day. Unfortunately, her trip wasn't as enjoyable as it might have been but you'll have to read the book to find out what happens. So, all in all, I give this book a solid 5 stars in comparison to other books in this genre. I understand the author is working on another book with Bailey Weggins as the main character and I look forward to its release. It was nice for a change not to be reading about the male, alcoholic, divorced, bad-tempered, wisecracking private eye that so many authors are relying on nowadays to sell their books. Instead, we are given a female, who is a loser at love, dresses well, has an exciting job and thinks about things that we readers can associate with on a daily basis. Kudos to you Kelly Ripa for a fine first pick and congratulations to Kate White for being the beneficiary of this notoriety....and well deservedly so, I might add.
|
