"fine amateur sleuth"

Psychologist Dr. Rebecca Butterman is finally getting over the trauma of her divorce caused by seeing her husband having sex in their bed with another woman. She has a clinical practice and writes an advice column for an online women's magazine. One day when she comes home, police cars are at her next door neighbor's house. She finds out from the investigating officer that her neighbor Madeline committed suicide and left a note on her computer.

Madeline's mother, Isabel Stanton asks Rebecca to watch her late daughter's cat until she can place it with someone. She also asks the psychologist to find out if her daughter really committed suicide because she doesn't believe it. Not quite sure why she is doing it, Rebecca starts investigating and finds out that Madeline had a very erotic blog and secret love life. A forensic linguist that Rebecca asks to analyze the blog and the suicide note determines that different people wrote each of them. When Madeline's neighbor on her other side is bludgeoned, Rebecca believes the incident is linked to Madeleine's death and her nosing around almost costs Rebecca her life.

DEADLY ADVICE is a fine amateur sleuth mystery that has advice questions and answers throughout the book. They give credence to the heroine's career as an advice columnist with a psychology degree because her answers are always realistic. Rebecca is a strong-willed woman who is making a new life for herself after the debacle of her divorce. The only quibble is that the protagonist behaves like a trained cop, following the same path as a homicide detective. Could this mean police officers and psychologists think alike? Judging by the bickering between the sleuth and the shrink they act like two sides of the same coin. Readers will love this mystery because they know "dating can be deadly".

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted February 27, 2007

Read an Excerpt

Summary

When Dr. Rebecca Butterman returns home to find her neighbor an apparent suicide, she's wracked with guilt. As a psychologist and advice columnist, she should have been able to help. When the neighbor's mother suspects foul play and begs her to investigate, Rebecca puts this down to denial. Then she finds Madeline's blog, a zippy chronicle of dating adventures that suggests anything but depression. So when Rebecca's editor assigns her to do a column on the modern singles scene, Rebecca finds herself re-tracing Madeline's steps into the world of speed-dating and web-blogging, where no one is who they claim to be. Over-eager suitors are the least of her worries: Dr. Butterman is about to discover just how deadly some advice can be.

When it comes to murder, everyone could use a little help.