Red Hot Lies (Izzy McNeil Series) » (Original)

Laura Caldwell, who lives in Chicago with her husband, left a successful career as a trial attorney to become a novelist. She is the author of Burning the Map, which was selected by Barnes & Noble.com as one of "The Best of 2002" and A Clean Slate, which received a starred review from Booklist, as well as The Year of Living Famously, The Night I Got Lucky and a novel of suspense, Look Closely. She is a contributing editor at Lake Magazine and an adjunct professor of law at Loyola University Chicago School of Law.

They say bad things happen in threes. When her fiancé, Sam, disappears on the same day her mentor and biggest client is killed, hotshot Chicago attorney Izzy McNeil starts counting. But trouble keeps coming. Sam is implicated in the client's death, her apartment is broken into and it's not just the authorities who are following her.

Now, to find Sam and uncover her client's murderer, Izzy will have to push past limits she never imagined. Lucky for her she's always thrived under pressure, because her world is falling apart. Fast. And the trail of half truths and lies is red-hot.

Publishers Weekly

Former trial lawyer Caldwell launches a mystery series that weaves the emotional appeal of her chick lit titles (The Night I Got Lucky) with the blinding speed of her thrillers (The Good Liar). Young, sassy Izzy McNeil, lead entertainment lawyer at Pickett Enterprises, has earned envy for her success (much of which she owes to the patronage of CEO Forester Pickett) and cheeky manner, but she's starting to panic about her upcoming wedding to charming Sam Hollings. Then Pickett is killed and Sam vanishes, as do $30 million worth of Panamanian real estate bonds. Suspecting Sam, Izzy and the FBI promptly take up parallel and sometimes contradictory investigations. The somber ending is something of a letdown after the headlong chase, but readers will be left looking forward to another heart-pounding ride on Izzy's silver Vespa. (June)

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.