Summary: In this debut mystery set in Santa Barbara, movie stars are in town for the film festival, powerful business interests are at stake, and detective Nola MacIntire and her partner, Tony Angelotti, must solve the complicated puzzle behind three seemingly unrelated deaths in this idyllic beach town. This mystery has got it all: snappy dialogue, memorable characters, and a captivating web of intrigue to untangle. Det. Nola MacIntire and her partner, Det. Lt. Anthony Angellotti, are called to investigate a dead body in front of the courthouse in sunny Santa Barbara, CA.
Kirkus Reviews
Smart cop Nola needs a Skinnygirl™ Margarita to get through a series of seemingly unrelated murders. The fact that she's the deputy chief detective for Santa Barbara's finest isn't going to stop the sass of Nola MacIntire's mouth as she deals with suspects in her superficial town. Luckily, her partner, Detective Lt. Tony Angellotti, is one of the few men able to match her fast talk, even though their efforts spent trying to take their relationship to the next level have completely fizzled. Their His Girl Friday, blink-and-you'll-miss-it banter serves as the background for their attempt to solve the murder of a music man, a sweet street busker found with two slugs in him without apparent reason. Before they can find anyone who might offer information—apart from the garden-variety meth fiend perseverating on the same meaningless version of events—Nola and Tony have another case on their hands: the death of a formerly wealthy businessman wiped out in the market crash. His distraught trophy wife has Tony wrapped around her finger even if, as Nola's intuition insists, she's set up her husband's murder as a suicide. Clearly, whoever's behind the fatalities isn't afraid to get dirty to make sure his or her reputation stays clean. But how are the two cases connected? Pulling that string tangles Nola and Tony in a ball of yarn they may not be able to untangle. The dialogue is the high point of TV writer Flett-Giordano's debut, though the fast-paced banter does make characters blend together and make you wonder if everyone in Santa Barbara is the same brand of smartass. Copyright Kirkus 2015 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved.
Check Availability
