Thursday, August 9, 2012

Review: No Way to Kill A Lady


No Way to Kill a Lady by Nancy Martin is the 8th book in the “Blackbird Sisters” mystery series. Publisher: Obsidian, August 2012

Nora Blackbird—the Bucks County ex-debutante with a haute couture wardrobe, a hot job as a glamorous society columnist and a stone cold bank account—might finally have her own life just right, but everyone around her is going down in flames. Her sister Libby seems destined to be the lead character in a tabloid sex scandal. Her sister Emma is expecting a mysterious love child. Her best friend, Lexie Paine, is serving time in the slammer. And now her mobbed-up boyfriend, Mick Abruzzo—who might actually be her husband—is conducting clandestine capers from Blackbird Farm while under house arrest. What’s a good girl to do? Find a killer, that’s what! Word arrives that the sisters’ great-aunt, Madeleine Blackbird, has died in a volcanic eruption on an Indonesian island and left her fabulous country estate, worth millions, to the three of them. But when the Blackbird sisters show up to claim their windfall, they find the house in a state of disheartening decay and all of Madeleine’s to-die-for treasures gone. Worse, the mansion has been hiding a grisly secret: the body of a woman who died there many years ago. All the evidence points to a high society murder. Nora’s special bond with flamboyant Aunt Madeleine compels her to seek out the truth. With her aunt’s amorous stepson dogging her footsteps, her unscrupulous lawyer acting like a skunk, and her devoted housekeeper not to be found, Nora’s investigation is going nowhere. Good thing Mick’s close by to offer Nora distractions both dark and delightful. And, as ever, her irrepressible sisters provide some unexpected—and highly unorthodox—assistance when she most needs it.

It’s been four long years, but the Blackbird Sisters are back and I love it. Nora, Libby and Emma just inherited their aunt’s property only to discover that someone has absconded with all the valuable property and left the house in ruins. It soon appears that something nefarious has happened within the walls of Quintain and the sisters with Nora leading the way are determined to unearth the truth. This was a fun read that I enjoyed immensely in this cleverly written mystery. The Blackbird sisters are as madcap as ever and at their best in this easy-flowing and charming whodunit and along the way, we meet an aging gigolo cousin, a crooked lawyer and Ralphie who is so adorable. Mick is home and lends a helping hand in this delightfully entertaining adventure. This is the best book yet in this fabulous series and I can’t wait for more good times with the Blackbird sisters.



--Dru



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