After a few stand alone books (Hush and The Sixes), Kate White brings to us another installment in the Bailey Weggins series.

Synopsis:

Bailey Weggins, the thirty-something, true crime journalist for Buzz, a leading celebrity magazine, needs a break. Plenty busy with her day job, her freelance work, and trying to get her first book noticed, she barely has time for her recently exclusive boyfriend, Beau Regan, much less herself. When Beau goes out of town, Bailey accepts an invitation with her friend Jesse to a music mogul’s weekend house in upstate New York.

But, the relaxing weekend getaway turns out to be more like an Agatha Christie whodunit. A weird tension has infected all the guests—a glamorous crowd of journalists and models, including the famous, and famously thin, supermodel Devon Barr. An impending snowstorm only adds to the tension. When Devon’s cold, lifeless body is found in her bed, Bailey immediately suspects foul play: she can’t shake the memory of a fearful and angry Devon shivering in the woods outside the house, whispering , “I have to get out here . . . It’s not safe for me.”

When evidence goes missing from the crime scene, Bailey once again finds herself a moving target—running closer to the truth and farther from safety.

Review:

While I have read several of the other books by Kate White, this is the first of the Bailey Weggins series that I have read.  I normally like to read books in order so jumping in at #6 is a little out of my comfort zone since I didn’t have any history with this character.  Not to worry, there is enough background in the book that you don’t feel like you have just jumped into the middle of the series.  Granted I would have liked more history, but that is a personal preference.  The characters are interesting and complex and round out the storyline very well.  I never suspected who was involved and I like that because it means there are enough red herrings to throw you off into another direction for awhile.

All in all I enjoyed the book and will probably be going back and starting with book 1 to really catch up on Bailey and see how she came to be in this series.

The Giveaway:

Fill out the form below for a chance to win the book that they sent me to read and review.  Must be a resident of the US and the contest will end on May 6th.  So sign up for a chance at this book!

Kate White is best known as the editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine and several bestselling career bibles including Why Good Girls Don’t Get Ahead…but Gutsy Girls Do and 9 Secrets of Women who Get Everything They Want. Then in 2002 she decided to try her hand at mystery novels and scored a hit with If Looks Could Kill featuring Bailey Weggins. There have been several follow up books in the series which have also hit the bestseller list and the books have been optioned by Lions Gate Pictures.  Then last year she wrote Hush which I reviewed and now she is back with The Sixes and it is another page turner!

From the back of the book:

Phoebe Hall’s Manhattan life is unexpectedly derailed off the fast track when her long-term boyfriend leaves her just as she is accused of plagiarizing her latest best-selling celebrity biography.  Looking for a quiet place to pick up the pieces, Phoebe jumps at the offer to teach in a sleepy Pennsylvania town at a small private college run by her former boarding school roommate and close friend, Glenda Johns.

But behind the campus’s quiet cafes and looming maple trees lie evil happenings.  The body of a coed washes up from the nearby river, and soon hidden secrets begin to surface among the students:  rumors of past crimes and abuses wrought by a disturbing secret society known as The Sixes.

Determined to find answers and help Glenda, Phoebe embarks on a search for clues – a quest that soon raises dark memories of her boarding school days.  Plunging deeper into danger with every step, Phoebe knows she’s close to unmasking a killer.  But with truth comes a deeply terrifying revelation: the past can’t be outrun…and starting over can be a crime punishable by death.

My Review:

When I was asked to review this book I had this feeling that it would hook me from the first chapter and I wasn’t wrong.  I belong to a sorority but The Sixes are nothing like a sorority and don’t cross them because they won’t forget it and will seek retaliation even if it is subtle!  There are many characters thrown in to the mix and while you might think one person is involved in the happenings on campus and in town, you might be right and you might be wrong.  Kate brings to this story a mix of complex characters and entertwining their lives so that you don’t know who is a good guy and who isn’t.  I found myself going back and forth on various characters and who might be involved and I was right on a few but not all!  There is even some romance thrown in, but not without some suspicion on Phoebe’s part.

I definitely recommend this book and suggest you pick it up when it comes out on August 2nd.  Or you could win a copy here!

So here is the contest:

I have been given 2 copies of Hush and 1 copy of The Sixes to give away.  I will sweeten the pot and also offer my copy of The Sixes (ARC).  So that is 4 books that I’m giving away!  It is open to all residents of the US and Canada.  Just leave a comment so that you can be entered.

I will even offer a 2nd entry if you blog about it or post it on Facebook.  Just leave a second comment with your blog listing or your Facebook posting link.

The contest will close on Sunday, August 7th.

Kate White is best known as the editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine and several bestselling career bibles including Why Good Girls Don’t Get Ahead…but Gutsy Girls Do and 9 Secrets of Women who Get Everything They Want. Then in 2002 she decided to try her hand at mystery novels and scored a hit with If Looks Could Kill featuring Bailey Weggins. There have been several follow up books in the series which have also hit the bestseller list and the books have been optioned by Lions Gate Pictures.

In her new novel, she breaks from her series involving Bailey Weggins and introduces us to Lake Warren.  Lake is in the process of divorcing her husband and gearing up for a fierce custody battle.  At least she had a good job in a fertility clinic as a marketing consultant but a one night fling with the flirtatious Doctor Keaton turns her world upside down when he is found murdered and Lake fears becoming the prime suspect.  When things at the clinic get strange, Lake looks into the murder herself because somebody is hiding something…but she may be in for more than she envisioned.

My Review:

I could not put this book down, it had me hooked from about chapter 4 when Lake found Keaton murdered in his own bed.  As I continued to read I tried to figure out who was behind everything.  I would think it was one character or another at various times but I was never right and the ending was quite a surprise.  I do think that Lake put herself into more jeopardy than necessary by not informing the police of what had happened at various times throughout the book but understood why she may not have wanted to put herself under scrutiny by police that might act first and think later.

The Giveaway portion:

I have a copy of this book to giveaway to any resident of the US & Canada.  To enter, leave a comment with your email address, no email address, you aren’t entered!

You can gain a second entry if you have a blog and blog about it and send people here to sign up.  Leave a 2nd message with your blog info so I can check it out.

This contest will run until Sunday, April 11th.

Good Luck