02/25/2019
Bestseller White’s highly entertaining eighth Bailey Weggins novel (after 2017’s Even if It Kills Her) takes Bailey on assignment for the online magazine Crime Beat to Lake George, N.Y., to look into the disappearance of 34-year-old Shannon Blaine. Shannon and her husband, Cody, a successful beverage distributor, seem to have had a perfect life—happily married, two darling children, respected in their idyllic community. As the police investigate where and how Shannon vanished one day on her morning run, Bailey seeks to learn what may have recently changed in the Blaine family. The one significant thing that Bailey uncovers is Shannon’s recommitting herself to the Catholic Church. Bailey teams with local reporter Alice Hatfield, and both find cracks in the Blaines’ lives that could have been a factor. The ethical and tenacious Bailey soon earns the respect of the local police, who come to see her as an ally rather than an intruder. Readers will cheer her every step of the way. Agent: Sandra Dijkstra, Sandra Dijkstra Literary. (May)
What’s not to love in Kate White’s latest? . . . . Such A Perfect Wife is deep and dark and twisty, and packed with a delicious array of questionable characters, each harboring their own secrets.” — Entertainment Weekly
“Intricately plotted. . . . [an] intense page-turner that never lets up.” — Library Journal, Starred Review and “Pick of the Month”
“Intrepid—and stylish!—crime reporter Bailey Weggins finds herself on the front line of a murder investigation. . . . Fun and fast-paced. . . . Bailey is fearless, determined, and always fashionable. A grown-up Nancy Drew for grown-up girl detectives.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Highly entertaining. . . .The ethical and tenacious Bailey soon earns the respect of the local police, who come to see her as an ally rather than an intruder. Readers will cheer her every step of the way.” — Publishers Weekly
“An always-entertaining series.” — Booklist
What’s not to love in Kate White’s latest? . . . . Such A Perfect Wife is deep and dark and twisty, and packed with a delicious array of questionable characters, each harboring their own secrets.
An always-entertaining series.
2019-02-17
Intrepid—and stylish!—crime reporter Bailey Weggins finds herself on the front line of a murder investigation in White's (The Gutsy Girl Handbook: Your Manifesto for Success, 2018, etc.) latest.
When news of missing jogger Shannon Blaine goes viral, Bailey heads to upstate New York to investigate and report for online magazine Crime Beat. Beautiful Shannon appears to have led an ideal life; she had a handsome, successful husband, two adorable kids, a condo in Florida, and a schedule flexible enough for the ritual of her daily jog. But of course there were also some red flags. She had recently started attending Catholic services after years of lapse, and her best friend noted that she seemed "kind of off" when they spoke early on the day of her disappearance. Then Bailey and local reporter Alice Hatfield get an anonymous tip that sends them to an abandoned Catholic retreat center where they discover Shannon's body—as well as two others—wrapped in trash bags and hidden in a closet. Racing against time as the story cools, Bailey must discover the truth behind Shannon's perfect facade—before the murderer decides to get rid of loose ends. There's not much depth to White's mystery or to Bailey, though she does suffer some loss during the course of the book, but it's fun and fast-paced, easy to read. Bailey is, in many ways, a 21st-century descendant of Edna Buchanan's crime reporter Britt Montero, who ran around Miami for her true-crime scoops. The setting may be colder, but like Britt, Bailey is fearless, determined, and always fashionable.
A grown-up Nancy Drew for grown-up girl detectives.
An always-entertaining series.
Cynthia Farrell's straightforward narration, especially her calm, confident tone, assures listeners that no matter what struggles present themselves, Bailey Weggins will prevail. This crime series introduces the crime beat reporter and occasional sleuth. Farrell portrays her as pragmatic, analytical, determined, and, most importantly, likable. The story begins with the murder of a well-liked, church-going soccer mom who is out for her morning run and ends with deadly secrets revealed and justice served. This is a good example of a strong psychological suspense told in a clear, rich voice. D.L.G. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
Cynthia Farrell's straightforward narration, especially her calm, confident tone, assures listeners that no matter what struggles present themselves, Bailey Weggins will prevail. This crime series introduces the crime beat reporter and occasional sleuth. Farrell portrays her as pragmatic, analytical, determined, and, most importantly, likable. The story begins with the murder of a well-liked, church-going soccer mom who is out for her morning run and ends with deadly secrets revealed and justice served. This is a good example of a strong psychological suspense told in a clear, rich voice. D.L.G. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
