"Fun, witty sleuth mystery that's a great read."

Mix together Dallas high society, the next Martha Stewart about to be launched nationally and a cast of characters with revenge in mind, and the result is an interesting murder mystery with a wickedly funny twist.

The tension can be cut with a knife on the set of "The Sweet Life with Marilee." Marilee Mabry has come from the humblest of beginnings to her present state of fame and riches. Along the way she's been deserted by her husband for a younger woman, dealt with her troubled daughter, taken on a boy-toy lover and made more than a few enemies with her nasty, power-driven personality. Her show is being slowed down lately by several mishaps on the set; the wardrobe mistress has been bitten by a brown recluse spider hidden in a pair of Marilee's shoes and the director has been bumped on the head by a falling boom microphone that narrowly missed Marilee. A coincidence? Or something more?

Andy Kendricks, aka Andrea Blevins Kendricks, is a rich Texas girl who wants to live the quiet life away from Dallas society. But try telling that to her mother, Cissy Blevins Kendricks, a woman who's never quite gotten over the fact that Andy is a debutante dropout. Andy finds herself smack dab in the middle of Marilee's mess when she's persuaded by her mother, a friend of the domestic diva, to take on the job of web master for Marilee's show. It doesn't take long for Andy to see how violently disliked Marilee is by everyone. Then a fiasco of an opening night for the new show and a near death bring the police into the very interesting equation.

This is a sharp, witty, totally enjoyable book. Ms. McBride has created a fascinating world of Dallas society and the wonderful character of Andy Kendricks to sleuth about in it. Thumbs up for a great read!

Reviewed by Mary Neal
Posted January 14, 2005

Summary

Website designer and high society rebel Andrea Kendricks would never have gotten involved with ego-in-pumps life- style hostess Marilee Mabry if it weren't for the underhanded machinations of Andy's upper crust mama. But thanks to Mother Cissy, Andy's donning designer duds to attend a launch party at the intolerable domestic diva's new Dallas TV studio -- and she's on hand to witness the celebration site go up in flames! Then a body turns up in the rubble, the victim, apparently, of some very foul play. Even though iron-willed Cissy isn't about to let her social calendar be upset by a little inconvenience like murder, her sometime-sleuthing daughter's got a more pressing engagement -- namely, hunting down a killer. But there are more than a few nasty messes tucked away in the Mabry closet -- and a craven assassin who has the Big D elite quaking in their cowboy boots may soon be burying Andy in hers!