October 30, 2006
Ghostwriter Lee Bartholomew leaves London for Long Island to attend her mother's barefoot commitment ceremony in McIntyre's second engaging romp to feature the self-proclaimed neurotic (after 2005's How to Seduce a Ghost
). Lee also hopes to snag a memoir gig from reclusive rock legend Shotgun Marriot, but faces competition from fellow scribe Bettina Pleshette. When the body of Marriot's son washes up on the beach, and then Pleshette's corpse is discovered on Marriot's East Hampton estate, the suspects include not only Marriot but also Lee's stepbrother's girlfriend, Frannie, whose fibs and shady past put her in the spotlight, as well as Frannie's son, caretaker of the Marriot estate, who's burdened by his own bumpy history. A strange Miss Havisham–like seamstress, who happens to have a riveting and dangerously familiar manuscript for Lee to critique, complicates Lee's hunt for the killer. This funny, complicated and wise mystery is sure to gain the author new fans.
November 15, 2006
Lee Bartholomew is back in McIntyre's second of the series, and while not quite as neurotic as she was in the first ("How To Seduce a Ghost"), she still has her share of problems. Lee has arrived in the Hamptons to witness her mother's commitment ceremony. Though she is ambivalent about her mother's new relationship, she does welcome the opportunity that the new location offers. Living nearby is the reclusive former rock star Shotgun Marriott, rumored to be in need of a ghost writer for his autobiography. Lee is determined to beat her rival, Bettina Pleshette, to the star, whose career ended when he was accused of murdering a groupie. After her competition turns up dead, Lee's new job seems to be assured. The only thing holding her back is that Bettina's death is somehow tied into Shotgun's own problematic past. Investigating a murder begins to appeal when Lee's personal life becomes too complicated. The prickly and neurotic Lee vacillates about her love life yet is still an appealing protagonist. Her real intelligence and curiosity serve her well in solving this finely crafted mystery. Recommended. [See Prepub Mystery, "LJ" 9/1/06.]Jane Jorgenson, Madison P.L., WI
Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
November 15, 2006
Business and pleasure bring Londoner Lee Bartholomew to the Hamptons in McIntyre's frothy follow-up to " How to Seduce a "Ghost (2005). Lee, a ghostwriter, is slated to serve as maid of honor at her mother's commitment ceremony to Phil (a man so rich Lee has dubbed him the Phillionaire) and interview aging British rocker Shotgun Marriott, a guest at the affair. Shortly after her arrival, two suspicious deaths wreak havoc with Lee's plans: Shotgun's estranged son, Sean, washes up on the shore (in a wedding dress, no less) and the body of rival ghostwriter Bettina Pleshette is found, pierced with an arrow, in the nearby woods. Bettina, it turns out, had already secured a deal to pen the story of Shotgun's life. Lee (imagine Bridget Jones, but without the food and cigarette addictions) sets her mind to solving the murders as she takes over the writing of Shotgun's biography. Though the mystery here is fairly lightweight stuff, the pseudonymous McIntyre vividly portrays the East End of Long Island and the eccentric characters who live there, any one of whom might be capable of murder.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)