You'll Be the Death of Me!

Allison Leavitt is a prolific mystery author who writes under the pen name of Al Leavitt. For more than 6 years, through 8 mysteries, she's written her ideal fantasy man into her protagonist detective, Ben Stark. Allison had envisioned Ben from the very first book, but no artist had ever been able to capture the likeness she saw in her mind. None of her book covers have ever included Ben's illustration, until now. A new artist has drawn him according to her description for the current book, still in progress. Allison's friend and neighbor Paige Hilton arranges for Allison to have a "fake" murder, setting up clues and shooting her with a paint gun. Their landlady finds the apartment door open, and summons the new tenant, police detective Jay Cantrell, new to Spokane after moving from L.A. following a scandal. Her first sight of Jay investigating in her apartment, convinces Allison this is her character Ben, come to life before her eyes! Jay is officially posted to the Spokane P.D. from his native Los Angeles as part of a task force to break up an automotive smuggling ring. Unofficially, his superior wanted him well away from L.A. after he fallen into a fatal-attraction type of affair with Melanie, wife of an assistant district attorney. Too late, Jay had discovered that Melanie's attraction to him was fueled by her obsession with Jay's twin Jeff, star of a popular British soap opera. Jay is now determined not to let any scheming female divert him whether it be his eccentric new landlady, Paige Hilton, matchmaking neighbor, or the gorgeous but reclusive Allison Leavitt. I really enjoyed You'll Be the Death of Me, with its quirky sense of humor and its cast of appealing characters. Ms. Wolf has a quirky sense of humor, which makes the story light-hearted as well as hopeful. Immediately I found myself "rooting for" Allison and Jay, both of whom have allowed negative relationship experiences to ice over their hearts. This is one of those books where the reader just wants the characters to achieve their goals and the dreams close to their hearts Annie Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed