Reviewed by L.D.Y.
Hardcover, 374 pages, 2005
Rating: 8/10
Reason for Reading: Curiosity from the Cosmo magazine factor.
Synopsis: Bailey Weggins is a bit disappointed when she gets laid off from her previous journalism gig, but quickly settles in write about celebrity crimes for a gossipy magazine, Buzz. The biggest drawback of the job, besides the trashiness factor, is her boss, Mona, who picks off the weaker people on her staff and goes in for the kill. But it looks like someone has decided they can’t take Mona’s bad attitude anymore, and when Bailey walks in on Mona fighting for her life, she realizes her job is going to involve a lot more than reporting on celebrities who shoplift.
Why you should read this book: If you’re sick of the ‘single girl
working at a magazine’ theme of oh-so-many chick-lit books, why not try
throwing in a little murder for some added intrigue? With her character
Bailey, Kate White has created a smart, determined heroine worth rooting for
in her pursuit of a killer – not to mention a potentially explosive article
for her magazine. Reading Over Her Dead Body provides the same
feeling of guilty indulgence that you’d get from reading a magazine like the
fictional Buzz featured in White’s novel. There’s Bailey’s struggle
to find romance, preferably with the mysterious stranger roaming the
building; celebrities having screaming matches with each other in public;
friends that may not be true friends; and the feeling that the truth lies
beneath the grand deceptions of people who value their reputations above
all else. It’s not high art, but Over Her Dead Body is a great book
to reach for when you need to spice up a dull day.
Why you should avoid this book: White isn’t exactly undiscovered
serious literary talent – her writing is about on par with what you’d expect
from an article in Cosmo: entertaining but ultimately forgettable.
While the ending comes as a surprise, White’s methods of cloaking the
criminal’s identity get a bit annoying, as she has Bailey voice every single
possibility for suspects and situations, which feels a bit manipulative.
Most people will likely find this more of a ‘wait till it’s in mass-market
paperback’ type of book.
Opening paragraph:
What you see isn’t always what you get.
The troublewith clichés is that they’re so downright tedious, you fail to pay any
attention to the message they’re meant to convey. And sometimes you really should. I know because during a very hot and muggy summer in New York City,
that particular cliché jumped up more than once and took a large, hard
bite out of my butt.
Fabulous quotes:
‘Do you think Robby did it?’ she asked.
‘I can’t imaginethat,’ I said, shaking my head. But Jessie was smart enough to realize that
I’d already considered the possibility.
‘Tell me about Hilary,’ I said,changing the subject. ‘I’m going to interview her at three and I’d like to
get your take on her.’
Jessie rested her head on her hand, squinting withher caramel-colored eyes as she thought.
‘I’ll be perfectly blunt. Hilaryis a little bitch who’d run over her grandmother in a Hummer if she thought
she’d learn some salacious tidbit about a star.’
She cocked her head in a mocking way. ‘I don’t think so. Now
tell me: Who gave you my fucking cell phone number?’
‘Mona did,’ I said.‘After you were arrested.’ I wasn’t turning stool pigeon. I wanted to see
how she responded to Mona’s name.
‘Why doesn’t that surprise me?’ sheblurted out. ‘You worked for Satan, do you know that? And you oughta be
ashamed of yourself. Do you have any idea how much you fuck up people’s
lives? We’re just normal folks. Maybe we’re a little more talented than
everybody else, but we just want to lead normal lives and be left alone. And
then you go and mess that up.’
I couldn’t help but wonder what myco-workers were all thinking, but I kept my eyes trained on
Kimberly.
‘Did you have a confrontation with Mona on Tuesday night?’ Isaid. Might as well take the bull by the horns.
Also recommended: A Confidential Source by Jan Brogan;
Graveyard Shift by Kelly Lange; Watch Your Back! by Donald E.
Westlake.
Also by this author: Till Death Do Us Part; If Looks Could Kill;
A Body to Die For; Why Good Girls Don’t Get Ahead But Gutsy Girls Do; 9
Secrets of Women Who Get Everything They Want.
Author’s website: katewhite.com
Fun tidbit: White is the Editor-in-Chief of Cosmopolitan
magazine.
Would I read more by this author? I probably wouldn’t deliberately
seek out another of her books, but if I found myself with a copy I’d
probably read it.
© Lisa Yanaky 2003-2005