SO PRETTY IT HURTS - A KATE WHITE MYSTERY: REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

 GIVEAWAY ENDED 
SO PRETTY IT HURTS
A Bailey Weggins Mystery 

BY KATE WHITE

ABOUT THE BOOK:

At long last, the New York Times bestselling author of The Sixes and the editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan brings back the sassy crime writer turned amateur sleuth Bailey Weggins in an addictive story involving the mysterious death of a supermodel.

Bailey Weggins, the Manhattan-based thirtysomething true-crime journalist, is in a good place. She's enjoying her regular gig at Buzz, a leading celebrity magazine, getting freelance work, and hoping her first book will garner attention. In the love department, she's finally back in the game with her recently-turned-exclusive boyfriend, Beau Regan. When Beau heads out of town one early December weekend, Bailey accepts an invitation from her office friend Jessie to a music mogul's house in the country, hoping for a fun, relaxing getaway. But a weird tension settles over the houseguests—a glamorous crowd that includes the famously thin supermodel Devon Barr. An impending snowstorm only adds to the unease. So when Devon's lifeless body is found in her bed, Bailey immediately suspects foul play: she can't stop thinking of the day before, when a frightened Devon shivered in the woods and pleaded, "I have to get out of here. . . . It's not safe for me." When Bailey starts to nose around, she finds herself a moving target—running closer to the truth and straight into danger. With her trademark irreverent wit, Bailey is a heroine who keeps us laughing while on the edge of our seats. New and longtime fans alike will devour this eagerly awaited mystery.

PRAISE FOR SO PRETTY IT HURTS:

“Delicious . . . inspired and breezy . . . a delight.”

 — People

“Sex and the City meets Dirt as the intrepid Weggins prowls the streets and high-thread-count bed sheets of Manhattan. . . . Smart [and] stylish.” 

— Entertainment Weekly

“Sex, drugs, celebrities, murder. . . .Weggins can’t resist. You won’t be able to either.” 

— Redbook Magazine

“[A] delicious tale.”

— New York Post

“Intriguing, well-developed characters and fast-paced action make this mystery an entertaining read."— Romantic Times“Entertaining. . . . A fast-paced insider look at the seedy underworld of fame. Fans of the series and readers who love tabloid drama will be enthralled.”

— Publishers Weekly

“After two stand-alones from White, it’s good to have Bailey back in her sixth outing (after Lethally Blond, 2007). She’s a smart, sexy sleuth with a growing fan base.”

— Booklist 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kate White is recognized internationally as not only the veteran editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan, the bestselling women’s magazine in the world, but also as the critically acclaimed author of both fiction and nonfiction books. Few high-profile editors have successfully balanced the rigors of overseeing a major magazine title with a thriving and independent writing career.

It all began when Kate won Glamour magazine’s Top Ten College Women contest and appeared on the cover. Kate earned a position at the magazine and quickly rose from editorial assistant to feature writer and columnist. After holding key jobs at several national magazines, she became an editor-in-chief, running four magazines (including Redbook) before taking the helm at Cosmopolitan in 1998.

Drawing on experiences from her successful career, Kate published the bestselling career bibles Why Good Girls Don’t Get Ahead…but Gutsy Girls Do in 1995 and 9 Secrets of Women Who Get Everything They Want in 1998. Her most recent nonfiction book, You on Top: Smart Sexy Skills Every Woman Needs to Set the World on Fire, was published in 2006.

But Kate also has a passion for writing fiction. In penning her first novel, If Looks Could Kill, in 2002—which was selected as Live With Regis and Kelly’s first Reading With Ripa Book Club pick—Kate introduced her gutsy and irreverent sleuth, Bailey Weggins. Ms. Weggins went on to solve more grisly murders and entertain readers in A Body to Die For (2003), ‘Til Death Do Us Part (2004), Over Her Dead Body (2005), and then again in Lethally Blond (2007), all New York Times bestsellers. These books were recently optioned by Lions Gate Pictures.

Kate’s highly anticipated first thriller, Hush, with her new publisher HarperCollins, will be available in bookstores March 2010. Hush marks Kate’s entry into a whole new genre. Set in the world of fertility clinics and hailed as a “pulse-pounding, chilling, and provocative” read, it’s the story of an ordinary woman who flees the scene of a murder and realizes it’s not just the law that is hunting her.

Kate’s writer’s eye has been described by the New York Times as “scathingly observant,” capturing “the mood…with a verisimilitude some of her peers might recognize.” The Los Angeles Times says of Kate’s work: “It’s like devouring a box of chocolates!”

Through her magazine work and books, Kate White has influenced at least two generations of women with her unique honesty, passion, and imagination. She is the winner of the Matrix Award for Outstanding Achievement in Communication, as well as the Woodhull Institute Award for Ethical Leadership.

Kate currently resides in Manhattan with her husband and two children.

SOME OF THE OTHER BOOKS BY KATE WHITE:

               

            

           

           

MY THOUGHTS/REVIEW:
Fans of Kate White are sure to welcome back Bailey Weggins in White’s new mystery, SO PRETTY IT HURTS. The story revolves around Bailey who is a journalist that writes about true crimes for a publication in New York called BUZZ.  While her current love interest is out of town, she accepts an invitation for a weekend house party outside manic Manhattan. Expecting some fun and relaxation, Bailey is in for a surprise when the home of high profile music entrepreneur Scott Cohan is the scene of a murder. There goes the relaxing weekend for Bailey!

Super model, Devon Barr, is the victim. She was there to launch her singing career by performing for the celebrated, eclectic group in attendance. She had told Bailey the day before the murder that she didn’t feel safe there and needed to get out. Bailey thought about it but with all of Devon‘s quirks, flirts, and an eating disorder, she discounted it only to feel badly later on that she didn‘t take Devon seriously. A horrendous winter storm settles in and everyone is stuck at Cohan‘s home while it also keeps the authorities from getting to them as quickly as they should. When they do, Devon’s death is ruled an accident due to complications from her eating disorder.

Bailey doesn’t buy it. There were too many people who had something to gain by Devon’s death. Bailey questions several things but it is all brushed aside and before she knows it, Bailey finds herself being targeted as well. After an “accident”, Bailey returns to the city but is still intent on investigating Devon’s death. This, along with trying to keep things on an even keel with Beau and at Buzz, begins to be too much and Bailey finds herself in a quandary. How does all this affect Bailey’s personal and professional life? Will she be able to keep her work separate from her own investigation? How will her job and love interest play into her desire to solve the mystery surrounding Devon’s “accidental” death? And is Bailey right, and if so then who murdered Devon and why?

Kate White holds true to her Bailey Weggins mysteries by keeping the reader entertained and guessing. Reading on to find out how things turn out is enhanced by the intriguing and well-developed characters White creates in her mystery. Successful with all her books, White’s fans are surely most excited, however, to be back with Bailey Weggins and her exhilarating, inquisitive, and witty personality

 GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO DANIELLE AND THE FINE FOLKS

AT HARPER COLLINS, I HAVE ONE COPY OF 

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