I'd Kill for That

This novel has 13 chapters, each written by a different author. Gayle Lynds starts off with chapter one, and each subsequent author adds details and new directions to the plot. It finally reaches an explosive climax in the final chapter written by Katherine Neville. I had started reading the mystery a chapter at a time, but when I got into the final chapters it was hard to put down. The chapter about the church service, by Julie Smith, was a real hoot. The final chapters get into intrigue and machinations by some of the nouveau riche. Some people seem obsessed with wealth and social trappings. What shallow lives some people lead. Like collections of short stories, the novel gives some leads on authors to check out further. It is a good mystery to read on a rainy evening, and I finished it curled up on the sofa as cold rain poured down outside.

This is a really good book! I laughed from beginning to end. Even though it was written by 13 different women with 13 different writing styles, it flows smoothly, but you still get tantalizing hints of each author's individuality -- Kathy Reich's forensics expertise(of course!), Heather Graham's background writing romance novels, Julie Smith's knowledge of Santeria, Jennifer Crusie's trademark wit, Anne Perry's psychological insights, and so on. Gayle Lynds sets the plot in motion -- Gryphon Gate residents are receiving threatening faxes -- and the story gallops along from there. Katherine Neville, best known for her sprawling historical novels, wraps everything up in a most entertaining and satisfying way. I wasn't familiar with some of the authors, but will definitely be looking for their books in the future.

Okay, I admit it. I'm a guy and I only picked up this book because one of my favorite thriller writers, Gayle Lynds, wrote the first chapter. But after that, I was hooked. This zany send-up of modern suburban life will appeal to everyone, not just those of us who live in gated communities like (well, not exactly like, thank goodness!) Gryphon Gate, the setting for this novel. You won't be able to get some of the characters out of your mind -- Col. McClintock (self-appointed organizer of the managed deer hunt), the widow Toni and her daughter, Miranda (who want to save Bambi's mother), ruthless developer Vanessa, tortured Roman Gervase, the sex-starved Rev. Peter Armbruster and his pinch-faced wife, Laura ... And the book also features one of the most unusual murder methods I've ever heard of. Buy the book, fix yourself a tall glass of iced tea, settle down in that beach chair by the pool and ENJOY!

I met the author/editor and picked up a copy of I'D KILL FOR THAT at the Bethesda Literary Festival. Wasn't sure I'd like a "serial novel" -- each author writes a chapter -- but I started the book and read it straight through, thoroughly enjoying every minute of this rolicking, irreverant tale of murder and mayhem in an exclusive gated community somewhere in Maryland. Gayle Lynds introduces the first of what will be a succession of interestingly complex and zany characters, while it falls to Katherine Neville in chapter 13 to tie up all the loose ends, which she does with skill and tongue-in-cheek humor. Julie Smith's and Jennifer Crusie's chapters had me laughing my head off, while Anne Perry's chapter, quietly introspective, brought tears to my eyes.I'll have to run out and get NAKED CAME THE PHOENIX, the previous serial novel collaboration put together by author Marcia Talley, who deserves major credit for weaving chapters by 13 individual authors into one smooth, nearly seamless read! Brava!

Gryphon Gate is an affluent gated community in the rich part of Maryland. This waterfront property of mini-mansions is home to senators, industrialists and pop icons and all of them have secrets they would kill to keep. One night at least four of the residents receive a fax telling them to be on the sixth tee of the golf course. Embedded in the messages is the name of a person that frightens each recipient so they are forced to comply.When one of the ladies arrives she finds the body of one of the residents, a harmless nerdy sociology professor who was the confidant of many of the residents but also wrote down whenever he was told or observed. Three other murders quickly follow and the police don't have a clue as to who did it because almost every resident had a motive and the opportunity to do the deed. The only fact that the police are sure of is one person did the killings.I'D KILL FOR THAT is a collaborative serial novel in which one writer pens a chapter and another author crafts the next chapter. This police procedural is written by twelve female mystery and suspense notables that include Rita Mae Brown, Kathy Reichs, Anne Perry and Kay Hooper. The community of Gryphon Gate is a miniature Peyton Place complete with bed-hopping, criminal activity and a man who thinks and behaves like a werewolf at the time of the full moon. Each chapter flows smoothly into the next so that it feels like one author wrote this tale. Marcia Talley and her dozen cohorts deserve kudos for this successful project.Harriet Klausner