A Body to Die For

The noise must have flipped a switch in my brain, because suddenly I recalled the thud I'd heard when I'd first gone looking for my watch. Had it been the sound of a struggle, I wondered, of someone holding the dead woman down as he tried to wrap the paper around her? Or was it her flopping on the floor, trying to free herself after he'd fled? I felt a wave of guilt roll over me. At the time, I'd told myself the thud might be from someone cleaning up--but then I'd discovered that the spa was empty. If only the sound had raised more of an alarm in me, if only I'd informed the front desk about it. If I'd done something, the woman in the massage room might still be alive.

Freelance reporter Bailey Weggins is more than happy to go visit her old friend Danny Hubner. She's fresh from some rather nasty adventures, (as detailed in If Looks Could Kill) as nasty heartbreak, and just generally stressed out. Danny is the owner of a trendy spa that is some parts Asian themed, some parts chic bed and breakfast, and while Bailey isn't thrilled about sitting around wrapped in gourmet sounding concoctions, she really could use a massage.

But there's always a catch, isn't there? And this one is a doosey...when Bailey returns to her room after getting a late massage, she notices that her father's watch -- a keepsake that is invaluable to her -- is missing, and she thinks she must have left it behind in the massage room. She finally convinces someone to take her into the now-deserted building to get it, and discovers a dead body, wrapped like a birthday present. Her failed attempts to save the young woman, a popular, if cold in demeanor, massage therapist are not the only things that makes Bailey feel like she has an investment in solving the case. Her mother, who is also a friend of Danny's (they were room mates in college) warned Bailey that something was wrong with their friend. Bailey not only has to discover who killed Anna, but if there are any other shady dealings going on behind Danny's back.

Bailey, since her forte is investigational reporting, (mostly crime stories and a few human interest pieces) seems to be perfectly prepared to deal with this. Figuring out possible embezzlement schemes and murder plots are pretty easy...compared to trying to figure out what's going on with the men in her life. The romantic subplot adds a lot to the story...not only because of the tension and other elements inherent in a romantic sub plot (It's typical feast or famine for Bailey as she struggles with her attraction to the sexy lead detective on the case, Detective Beck, and the renewing of her flame with Jack, whose recent actions have left her wondering if there is a relationship left at all.) but because the way she talks about it. As with everything she speaks about, her tone is sassy. Fun, sensible with a definite sarcastic edge. For instance, when Jack comes back into her life for the first time:

"It's really great to see you, Bailey," he said.

"Thanks," I said. It was sort of a dumb reply, but what should I have said -- "it's great to see you, too?" Seeing him made me sad and mad. Plus, I had no idea what bomb he was about to drop. Maybe he wasn't here to officially dump me. Maybe he figured we were long past that and he'd come for something else, like a favor. Maybe he was planning to move to the city and wanted me to suggest a freakin' real estate agent or a decorator."

A voice like this also lends a great deal of intimacy to the prose. I felt like she was a person like me, dealing with the same often times silly, often times awkward things that we deal with every day. Except, thankfully, I've never found a dead body. It's a very attractive narration because it lends itself to deadpan humor as well as closeness. It's very hard not to care about what's happening with her, whether it be someone following her in the woods, or if she's going to get her article turned in on time.

The mystery itself unravels fairly well. The clues she follows lead to some pretty good twists...the voice combined with this makes it pretty hard to put down. Also, when you take into account the author's own experiences (she's the Editor in Chief of Cosmo) you see that she brings some fun and interesting perspectives in with her that add nice touches to the story.

This is a very good book...and a very girly one. I think that's wonderful, because it has the chick lit quality combined with a great mystery. It will definitely appeal to fans of both genres.