Curse of the Kissing Cousins

Freelance reporter Tilda Harper was giddy over her last assignment, tracking down the stars of the family sitcom Kissing Cousins, as she was a devoted fan of the re-runned syndicated show that featured three Stepford-ish siblings being raised with their three "weird" cousins. What completely consumes Tilda though is the unexpected truthfulness to the "curse" her editor titled her article when a third member of the cast, Holly Kendrick dies following the drug overdose of Jim Bonnier and the hit-and-run motorcycle crash of Alex Johnson. Prodded by her friend and even more obsessive fanboy Vincent, Tilda decides to track down the one missing member of the cast, Mercy Ashford, who played Gothgirl Mercy and was Tilda's favorite character and the inspiration that led her to entertainment reporting. Since Tilda was able to hunt down three seasons of Capt. James T Kirk's conquests she should have no trouble with the star of a cult sitcom, right? Wrong. You would think that with gossiping makeup artists, money-chasing agents, unions, publicists, casting agents, fan websites, and souvenir sites that it would be easy to track down a child star. But Mercy seems to have left no trace of her whereabouts, and Tilda begins to fear that time is running out before the curse can fall upon her favorite star. Tilda navigates her way through a maze of intriguing, bizarre, and always hilarious characters, including her own mooching roommate (her fourth in four years), a rival star-chasing reporter, her former editor who lives enshrined in her apartment with a rotating cast of boytoys, and Nick Tolomeo, the son and partner of the private investigator who once bodyguarded for the elusive Mercy. The author of the Laura Fleming mystery series and a popular paranormal short story writer, Toni L.P. Kelner introduces a very lively new series that continues to prove her skill at writing humorous, delightfully plotted mysteries. The quirky yet entirely realistic characters never overwhelm the plot, and the television lore contributes to the compelling story. The only negative to this series is that the sequel won't arrive in bookstores until 2010!

I just finished this book yesterday and I loved it. I read it very fast, it's one that is really hard to put down. My only complaint is that Ms. Kelner needs a better editor because there were too many simple mistakes in the book that should have been fixed before publishing. I am looking forward to the next book in this new series. As someone who grew up watching reruns of The Facts of Life, Charlies Angels, and the Brady Bunch I could truly appreciate the old time tv show aspect of the mystery. The writer uses great dialogue with very interesting characters. I figured out who the bad person was but I really enjoyed the how and why of the whole story which was written perfectly. I can't wait to read what's next for Tilda and the hottie Nick.

Boston based freelance celebrity author Tilda Harper recently wrote a where are they now article on the former cast members of '70s sitcom Kissing Cousins. Her article published in prestigious Entertain Me magazine focuses on the "Curse of the Kissing Cousins"; as two former cast members starring respectively as Brad the jock and Damon the freak recently died. When paranoid fanboy Vincent Peters claims a third cast member starring as Sherry the cheerleader was murdered and that a serial killer is bumping off the cousins, Tilda takes him seriously as he is her best tipster when he insists Mercy Ashford is next as they are being killed in chronological order. Tilda's first investigation into the cousins led to her easily finding everyone except Mercy, who walked off a movie set and disappeared without a trace; she has never picked up her rerun checks. However, this time going through her boxes of 1970s fan junk Tilda considers a different approach to finding the missing cousin who was her idol when the reporter was a teen. Tilda is unaware that someone is watching her moves following her to New York because she is the best chance of finding the fourth victim. WITHOUT MERCY is an enjoyable journalistic investigative tale starring a likable heroine. Her behavior towards Vincent and her sister shows she is a caring person; her actions towards an obnoxious last Entertain me reporter is amusing and on target. Fans who appreciate the Scooby Doo mysteries will enjoy this fun homage to Geeks and Freaks. Harriet Klausner

I love Toni L P Kelner's books and this one is sure to be one to die for! OK- maybe not die for really, but one to die to get your hands on and read fast! A totally new book- hopefully a series, by one of my favorite authors in this genre. Get this book, read it, review it, love it, and read it again! If you love a good mystery and want to get in on the beginning of what I hope is a long lived series, this is one you can't miss. The whole concept is new and unique! Laura The More Books the Better http:/gedsternguide.blogspot.com

Toni L.P. Kelner's new book, the debut of a promising series, is well-written and entertaining. Her protagonist, a journalist who tracks entertainment has-beens, is a lot of fun. I loved this book. Charlaine Harris