Hot Ticket

Maybe I liked this book so much because I'm a musician -- well, I admit it: an over-the-hill ex-musician. Leslie Frost, the heroine of this book, is a world-class violinist, the widow of a European orchestra conductor, beautiful, athletic, intellectually brilliant, and an international spy! Much of the action takes place in *my* familiar ground of Washington, D.C. Leslie is pursued by the President (a hilarious cartoon of a person who has the brains of a bush and the concupiscience of a cigar-wielder of our experience); she has a stone hideout near Rock Creek and the National Zoo; she is a natural athlete. She meets a super-rich dude who is also a topnotch pianist, and as things unfold, she ends up with the money but not the marital duties. SHE gets pleasured, though. The plot doesn't have to be perfect to make me happy (and it isn't -- those who complain about the Belize segments are justified). This book is a laugh, a comic book, a hoot! Ladies, this is the James Bond life as lived by . . . .US! Not some man's fantasy of superwomanhood, a WOMAN's fantasy of superwomanhood! Go for it!

This book is witty and full of great humor. It is half parody, half serious... about a narcissistic maestro violinist who is also an expert spy. The story goes fast, and with Smith's wisecracks and sarcastic sense of humor it will leave you laughing aloud. Leslie Frost, aka Smith, is the perfect, smart heroine for the intensely serious espionage world.

I totally enjoyed this romp through the salons of Washington and the jungles of South America. Very timely topic, considering the horror currently occupying the White House. This book is perfect for a rainy weekend, a day on the beach or just an escape!

It has been almost ten years since concert pianist Leslie Frost began working as a secret agent under the auspices of Maxine, not so affectionately dubbed the "Queen" by her employees. Leslie's latest tour, starting in Munich, has been delayed as she is assigned to investigate the murder of a peer, Polly Mason, better known to Leslie as Agent Barnard. Maxine knows that Polly had shared a bath with the lecherous President Marvel, who only lives up to his surname when he chases after skirts.As Leslie seeks out the identity of a murderer, she constantly runs into the DC stereotype of the government official whose only mission is either advancement or being reelected. The trail soon leads to Belize and back to the White House. As she gets closer to the truth, Leslie needs to be extremely cautious because the killer has no compunctions of eliminating a second member of Queen Maxine's crack group.The fifth novel in the Leslie Frost "I Spy" series is a well-written thriller that will provide pleasure to the sub-genre fans, but sadly lands in the category of should-haves (novels that should have been a classic, but ...). The story line is loaded and the characters are engaging. However, HOT TICKET never makes up its mind as to whether its wants to be an espionage thriller or a political satire on the current DC head games (pun intended). In spite of that flaw, which takes little away from a fine novel, Janice Weber's tale is worth reading as Frost remains an interesting protagonist. Her previous exploits (see FROST THE FIDDLER) as a secret agent are also worth perusing.Harriet Klausner