the Book Brothel

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 trouble

with 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 imagine

that,’ 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 with

her caramel-colored eyes as she thought.
‘I’ll be perfectly blunt. Hilary

is 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?’ she

blurted 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 my

co-workers were all thinking, but I kept my eyes trained on

Kimberly.
‘Did you have a confrontation with Mona on Tuesday night?’ I

said. 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;

Secrets of Women Who Get Everything They Want.

Author’s website:

href="http://www.katewhite.com/">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

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