Cross Your Heart and Hope to Dieby Nancy Martin
Rating: ★★★★
isbn: 9780451213952
Series: Blackbird Sisters #4
Publication Date: March 6, 2005
Pages: 262
Genre: Fiction, Mystery
Publisher: NAL / New American Library
A TEMPEST IN A C-CUP
Nora’s next journalistic assignment: the unveiling of the most miraculous bra in fashion history. But before Nora can hand in her uplifting story, her boss is found shot execution-style and trussed up in expensive panty hose—an Abruzzo family trademark. Now Nora must find the killer before her innocent lover takes the rap. That means shadowing the most glamorous suspects in Philadelphia—including a bad-boy designer, a former child star, a high-strung ad exec, and a pair of luscious twin models. Though Nora’s accustomed to upper-crust murder, cross your fingers for the Blackbird sisters, because this time, high society has never seemed so low-down dirty.
Probably the edgiest of the series, the storyline of this book delves into bullying and just brushes the edges of sadism, with a cast of characters that are anything but cozy and charming, yet the author still manages to keep the overall tone of the book from becoming too dark, although at times it’s definitely difficult to read. Martin also uses this book to both redeem and get rid of a loathsome recurring character, which frankly made me happy as I don’t really like the nemesis trope much.
The plotting got the job done. I’m not sure if I was surprised by all the revelations the first time I read the book – it’s been too long – but on the second read, everything clicked along without any shocks; it wasn’t transparent, but it all made sense in the end.