A Body to Die for

Thirty-three-year-old amateur sleuth and crime journalist, Bailey Weggins, is back, and she's up to her old tricks. When Bailey is invited to stay at her friend, Danny's spa, the Cedar Inn and Spa, in Warren, Massachusetts, she jumps at the chance to leave her fast-paced Manhattan lifestyle behind, along with the drama with her on again, off again lover Jack Herlihy, a thirty-five-year-old professor of Psychology. So she packs up her things and heads for the rural Inn, where she plans on getting a little R & R, and a few good massages. However, when she arrives at Cedar Inn, she is shocked to find a mummy-wrapped corpse in one of the many treatment rooms at the spa. Before she knows it, Bailey's vacation/weekend of rest is out the window, and she is fully immersed in solving the case. Soon she is uncovering all types of secrets about Cedar Inn, such as a shady ring of employees, a spurned lover, and a sleazy husband. However, with a totally good-looking cop, Jeffrey Beck, by her side, she knows that everything will work out for the best. Unless the killer comes after her next...As I was a HUGE fan of Kate White's IF LOOKS COULD KILL, I eagerly awaited the paperback release of A BODY TO DIE FOR. While the wait was long, it was well worth it. Bailey's quirky personality, is one of the most pleasurable things about White's writing, and is a gift to be able to read again. White is magnificent at describing the fast-paced world of journalism, seeing as how she's the Editor-in-Chief of COSMOPOLITAN magazine, and she is amazing at weaving together an amazing story filled with the strangest twists and turns at every corner. Her ideas are remarkable, and will have even the savviest mystery reader stumped by who the murderer is. A must have book, do not miss it.Erika Sorocco

Popular stage, television and film actress Kate Walsh has numerous roles to her credit. Perhaps best remembered for portraying Drew Carey's girlfriend on The Drew Carey show, she is also recognized for appearances on TV's Norm and Law and Order. This wealth of experience is brought to her articulate reading of Kate White's latest action packed adventure. Protagonist Bailey Weggins, a crime reporter for a high end magazine, returns to super sleuth again. When a friend invites her to enjoy a gratis few days at a posh spa in Massachusetts Bailey can't get there fast enough. She's ready to be pampered, pedicured, and polished. Amenities vanish when she discovers a corpse trussed like a mummy in a treatment room. What kind of treatment is this? And, who administered it - a tossed aside lover, double-dealing ex, a number of other assorted characters? If you know Bailey, you know there's romance mixed with murder - this time in the form of a good looking detective looking into the slaying. However, there's not much time for moonlight and roses as Bailey tracks down leads only to find herself a target. Another yarn both suspenseful and sensual from Kate White. - Gail Cooke

I was really looking forward to reading this book since I had enjoyed "If Looks Could Kill" so much....and I wasn't disappointed! I was hooked from the first sentence. Can't wait for Kate White's next one!

Well, Bailey is at it again and this book was alot better then the first. I really enjoyed it. I couldn't put it down. It takes place in a spa and it has all kinds of twists and turns. A great read!!

"When I think back on everything terrible that happened that autumn --- the murders, the grim discovery I made, the danger I found myself in --- I realize I probably could have avoided all of it if my love life hadn't been so sucky." So begins A BODY TO DIE FOR. Author Kate White continues this amiable, breezy style throughout this fast-paced story.Bailey Weggins lives in New York City and is a freelance writer --- of crime stories mostly --- with an occasional contracted article that is meant to expand the horizons of women who read Gloss magazine. She has an optimistic outlook on life and is immediately likeable. A friend invites her to spend a weekend at the spa that she owns and although Bailey is not into most of the "goofy" spa stuff, she does enjoy a good massage. And besides, her mother has been worried about her and thinks a vacation could cheer her up. So she jumps in her Jeep and heads up the Connecticut Turnpike to be pampered for the weekend.Amateur detective novels can be implausible at times, what with psychic cats and stuff, but here the tie-in with her job lends credibility as Bailey discovers a dead body within hours of arriving at the Spa and then spends the next few weeks tracking down clues to discover whodunit. Like a professional detective, Bailey is methodical in her investigation, constantly reviewing clues she logs in composition books and following threads of evidence that she keeps pulling at until the whole mystery unravels.Mysteries are so popular and there are hundreds of good writers out there, but only a few stand out above the rest. What set them apart are the additional strengths that go beyond telling a good story. Top writers create memorable characters, people who readers can love or hate or identify with. They write dialogue that sounds realistic, and they put into words insights and observations that cause the reader to smile in agreement or nod knowingly. For example, Bailey is thinking about the hunky cop she just met and she decides "...it was a complete aberration --- like one of those blinding pains you get in your temple one day that convinces you (that) you have a brain tumor the size of a beefsteak tomato but never occurs again..."A BODY TO DIE FOR, which follows Kate White's successful debut novel, IF LOOKS COULD KILL, is the second of a great new series for us fans of Sue Grafton, Janet Evanovich, and the two Roberts --- Crais and Parker. --- Reviewed by Maggie Harding