Killer in High Heels

Synopsis:

L.A. shoe designer Maddie Springer hasn't seen her father since he reportedly ran off to Las Vegas with a showgirl named Lola. So she's shocked when he leaves a desperate plea for help on her answering machine--ending in a loud band. Gunshot? Car backfire? Never one to leave her curiosity unsatisfied, Maddie straps on her stilettos and, along with her trigger-happy best friend, makes tracks for Sin City in search of her MIA dad. 

Maddie hits the jackpot, all right. She finds not only her dad, but also a handful of aging drag queens, an organized crime ring smuggling fake Prada pumps, and one relentless killer. Plus, it seems the LAPD's sexiest cop is doing a little Vegas moonlighting of his own. In a town where odds are everything, Maddie bets it all on her ability to out-step a vicious murderer. She just hopes her gamble pays off…before her own luck runs out. 

Review:

Once again another murder mystery with Maddie. I really liked the first book in this series, as I said in my earlier review of Spying in High Heels. I was super excited about this book, mainly because I had such a fun ride with the first book, and the authors tone is just so enjoyable to read. I have to say that I am glad to see that the authors tone has remained completely consistent, I love the humor infused through every aspect of the book. I could really see myself wanting to sit down and have dinner with Maddie, she's just so funny and likable. 

This second book is much more Maddie seeking out trouble, that trouble finding her. In the first book, he boyfriend just up and disappeared and she responding in a neurotic but somewhat normal girlfriend way. This book Maddie has to cross state lines to find the trouble, although in her defense she did just get a rather unnerving voicemail from her long lost father, so I can understand the desire to see him out. 

The one thing I didn't really enjoy about this book, and maybe "not enjoy" is to strong a term, but I felt like some of the threads in the story were not completely wrapped up. For instance, Maddie meets Felix, a writer for the tabloids, who helps/follows her around looking for his next story. When all the action is done, basically he disappears, Maddie picks up a paper and reads what he wrote. I could have done with at least some kind of after action interaction between the two of them, after all they did survive some pretty insane circumstance. 

Another thread that wasn't fully wrapped up to me, was the relationship Maddie has with her father. Again when all the action was over with, Larry leaves Maddie a phone message, and she listens to it, but that is kind of where things end. You don't see the two of them getting together and really talking, no working anything out, or even a promise to keep in touch; just an unreturned voicemail. 

Those two things aside, I really enjoyed the book. It was another really fun time reading along with Maddie's adventures. There was some really interesting new characters to pop up, most I assume only for this book. But some characters have the potential to continue on with the series, like Marco, who was amusing for me from the beginning. I can't wait to see how things continue forward with Ramirez, I really love the chemistry between him and Maddie. 

Overall, this was a really solid second book, and I would recommend it to just about anyone. Who doesn't love a good mystery with some humor thrown in?