To the dismay of her high society motherCissy, Dallas heiress Andy Kendricks wantsno part of the Junior League life — opting instead for a job as a website designer and a passel of unpedigreed pals. Now her good friend Molly O'Brien is in bad trouble, accused of killing her boss at the local restaurant "Jugs." Though no proper deb would ever set foot in such a sleazy dive, Andy's soon slipping into skintight hot pants and a stuffed triple-D bra to gain employment there and somehow help clear Molly's name. But Andy's undercover lark is soon bringing her into too-close contact with all manner of dangerous adversaries — including a shady TV preacher, a fanatical Mothers Against Porn activist ... and a killer who is none too keen on meddling rich girls.
Music played in the background, a soft tinkling of piano keys that filtered into the yellow-walled dining room at the Palm, a swanky restaurant with white linen tablecloths, pricey lobster and steak, and an even more expensive clientele that Mother had selected for what she'd told me was a "girls' night out."
Ha.
I could swear the tune that teased my ears was "Mack the Knife," a fitting soundtrack for the murderous thoughts running through my head, though I could hardly hear the notes over the careful rise of her voice.
"Did I tell you, Andrea, that Trey has a Ph.D. in philosophy from Southern Methodist?" Cissy drawled above the hum of surrounding conversation, laying a smile so thick on Haskell E. Maxwell III that he blushed and nearly fogged up his Coke-bottle lenses.
"Hmmm," I turned away from Mr. Maxwell entirely to plant a glare on my mother that could've set her fashionably styled blond hair on fire. "Come to think of it, I don't believe you told me anything at all about Trey. "
She fluttered her eyes, playing innocent. Badly. "Oh, didn't I? Just an oversight, darling, I swear."
I swore as well. At her, under my breath.
Her "oversight" had started with a lie about dinner this evening -- "Oh, it'll be fun, Andrea, just us girls at the Palm, what do you say?" -- never letting on for a moment that -- surprise! -- our reservation would include a ménage à Trey, as it were. A blind date for moi. My prospective match, not surprisingly, was the son of a bosom buddy of Mother's. He was nearly forty, rather gawky (I'm being kind), and never married, which might be a chronic problem for him if what I'd seen so far was any indication.
"He's a musician, you know."
"Oh?" I arched an eyebrow at Trey, studying the long face, drooping hair, and geeky specs with black rims. Did he secretly wield a Fender Stratocaster for a rock band when he wasn't off philosophizing? For a moment, he almost seemed interesting.
Until Mother answered, just a tad too brightly, "He happens to be a brilliant pipe organist."
My eyebrow fell, along with any spark of intrigue that had flared at the idea of Haskell III as a closet Rolling Stone.
"It's a difficult instrument, Andrea, sweetie, one that requires years of study. Trey is nothing if not dedicated, and that's such a rare quality in men of your generation." She put the hard sell on me, like a Mary Kay cosmetics lady just a lipstick shy of a pink Cadillac. "Did I tell you he played the most breathtaking rendition of 'Ave Maria' at Highland Park Presby last Christmas?"
Cissy clasped a beautifully manicured hand to her silk-covered heart at the memory, drawing my eye to the triple strand of pearls at her throat so that I found myself wondering how tightly I'd have to pull them to cut off her oxygen.
"Please, Mrs. Kendricks, you're embarrassing me," Trey feebly protested, and I wondered how a man who'd grown up on a Texas cattle ranch the size of Rhode Island could be so meek and pale. Someone obviously hadn't eaten his Wheaties.
"A doctor of philosophy who plays the pipe organ. How ... unusual." I glanced at the bespectacled buttoned-down fellow across the table without a drop of my mother's enthusiasm, all the while thinking that a Ph.D. in basket weaving might have been handier. But, then again, Trey had a trust fund that could pay off the federal deficit, so employment probably wasn't his biggest concern.
"And he's a member of Mensa, if that isn't enough."
"Oh, it's enough already," I murmured and felt the pointed toe of a Prada pump poke me in the shin.
Cissy Blevins Kendricks strikes again.
How like her to fix me up with a guy who thought he was smarter than everyone else, played the organ (which doesn't sound like a good thing any way you put it), and who could quote Plato ad nauseam.
Perfect.
He fit right in with all the others she tried to foist on me when I least expected it. Last month it was an investment banker who wore a black eye patch but "had an impeccable nose for IPOs" and collected Lladro figurines. The month before, it was the heir to an ostrich farm whose long neck, receding hairline, beaked schnozz, and supersized Adam's apple lent him a striking resemblance to his feathered beasts. Though I was the one who'd wanted to bury my head in the sand.
I wished my mother could just let me be. It's not as if I were an old maid or anything, at least from my perspective. I was still on the sunny side of thirty and not desperate enough to settle for money instead of love. For Mother, good bloodlines superseded matters of the heart. Any son of Ross Perot would do, even if that meant her grandchildren would have Dumbo ears and a squeaky drawl that made nails on a chalkboard sound pleasant in comparison.
Trying to change her mind was a hopeless cause. Sort of like investing in Enron while they were making packing material out of financial reports.
Part of me wondered why I hadn't stayed in Chicago instead of coming home again, though I'd felt so guilty for leaving Mother alone and going off to art school after Daddy died that I'd nearly succumbed way back then and remained in Dallas to attend SMU. Cissy had her diamond-studded arrow badge ready to pin on me, expecting I'd go through sorority rush and pledge Pi Phi, as she did. But my father had always insisted I follow my dreams ...
Blue BloodAnonymous
Posted June 30, 2005
I thought this book was great. It had everything to like in a book. I would definately recommend this book to someone who wants to and likes to read great books.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted August 13, 2005
'Blue Blood' is a chick lit mystery set in the high society of Dallas, with a twist. No, it doesn't discuss who shot JR. It has an underlying message of true friendship. Andy Kendricks in the typical woman trying to live a life the opposit of what her mother wants. Her seemingly inocuous job gives her help in ways she'd never gess. Each suspect elimination somehow links to the creastion of another. The interesting plot kept me asking the queston 'What could happen now?: A good book that looks at the meaning of true friendship, evading inborne society upbringing, and the lighter side of murder.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 15, 2004
Andy Kendrick receives a desperate call from Molly O¿Brien. She hasn¿t seen or heard from Molly for ten years. They were best friends in school even though they were not of the same social class. Molly was a scholarship student. Andy was a debutate, although she never really ran in her mother¿s high society circles and is now a debutante dropout. Molly is being charged with murdering her boss, Bud Hartman. She asks Andy to help her out. Andy gets her mother Cissy, much to her chagrin, to call a lawyer for Molly. Andy ends up dropping off Molly¿s six-year-old son David at Cissy¿s doorstep while she tries to help get Molly out of jail. Brian Malone does not impress Andy as a go-getter attorney. She doesn¿t feel he is really looking out for Molly¿s best interests. So, Andy decides to go under cover as a waitress at Jugs, a Hooters-type restaurant, where Molly had worked. For some reason Julie, Bud¿s girlfriend who now runs Jugs, takes a liking to Andy. She ends up inviting her to Bud¿s funeral. Why would Reverend Jim-Bob, a well-known televangelist be willing to preside over Bud¿s funeral? Then there¿s the Mothers Against Pornography run by nurse Peggy Martin. Why is she so adamant against Jugs? Where is this waitress that left overnight a few weeks before? Why did she leave and never even return for her paycheck? Andy finds herself in some interesting and even dangerous situations as she tries to discover who really killed Bud and framed Molly. This is the first book I¿ve read in this series, but it won¿t be the last. I truly enjoyed Andy and her antics. I think she and Malone will make a good team in future books. They feed off each other really well. Her mother really adds character to the story as well. I found myself laughing out loud several times while reading this book. I highly recommend it.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 25, 2004
Great book! Author wrote me personally back and says 'it's the first in a new series. The next book, THE GOOD GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER, will be out in February of 2005.' Funny, interesting and will keep the pages turning. Absolute delight to read! I encourage you to give this one a try.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 27, 2004
Andrea 'Andy' Kendricks had never been the deb her mother, Cissy Kendricks, had hoped for. Andy was a web designer who enjoyed taking care of herself and living in a small place, rather than being pampered and living in a mansion. ..................... When Andy¿s old college roommate, Molly O¿Brien, was accused of killing her boss, Bud, Andy rushed to help. Molly had worked at Jugs, a type of restaurant where the waitresses made those at Hooters look like children. To prove Molly innocent, Andy must go undercover¿padded bras, tight pants, layers of cosmetics, and all! ........................ **** This is the first of a new mystery series. The author gives the reader a bit of humor to tweak the seriousness of typical mysteries. The result is a delightful new type of mystery that will entice its readers and leave them eager to see what Andrea will do next. Recommended! ****
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 20, 2003
BLUE BLOOD kept me turning pages faster than my brain could absorb the words. It's that good! Andy Kendricks will be at the top of your list for favorite 'accidental sleuths'right away. She's savvy, sassy and hilarious, and she sizzles better than a hot Texas night. Great plot, super supporting cast and a surprise ending that took me by surprise...and I'm a mystery writer who should know better!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 7, 2003
Although she grew up with a silver spoon in her, mouth Andrea Kendricks prefers stainless steel. She was a debutantte drop out who never came was presented to society and works for a living instead of relying on her trust fund. Although she went to a preppy private school, her best friend was scholarship student Molly O¿Brien who was raised not in a manor like Andrea, but in a series of foster homes. <P>The two friends went to the same middle class college together before Molly dropped out to follow her artist boyfriend to Europe. Andrea had not heard from Molly for over a decade when she calls up to ask her to take care of her son because she is in jail on a murder charge. When Andrea visits Molly in jail and hears her story, she knows Molly is no killer and sets out to prove it by going undercover at Juggs where the waitress dress in the bare minimum. Since it was Molly¿s boss who was killed, Andrea figures she has a very good chance of finding out who wanted the owner dead. Her allies in their endeavor turn out to be Molly¿s cute lawyer and Andrea¿s sociable mother. <P>BLUE BLOOD is a refreshing and entertaining amateur sleuth tale starring a blue-blooded heroine who embraces the middle class lifestyle. She is the type of woman people want as a best friend; a person who loves her mother even if she dislikes her mom¿s lifestyle and who will go the extra mile for a friend she has not seen in years. Susan McBride has written a who-done-it that will appeal to a broad base of mystery fans and will be the winner of many awards because this book is a gem. <P>Harriet Klausner
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted October 27, 2008
No text was provided for this review.
Overview
To the dismay of her high society motherCissy, Dallas heiress Andy Kendricks wantsno part of the Junior League life — opting instead for a job as a website designer and a passel of unpedigreed pals. Now her good friend Molly O'Brien is in bad trouble, accused of killing her boss at the local restaurant "Jugs." Though no proper deb would ever set foot in such a sleazy dive, Andy's soon slipping into skintight hot pants and a stuffed triple-D bra to gain employment there and somehow help clear Molly's name. But ...