by Kathleen Costa
& Gemma Haliday

This week we have a review of Suspect in High Heels by Gemma Halliday, and a fun fashion related guest post by Gemma. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win an ebook copy of Suspect in High Heels, and a link to purchase it from Amazon.

Suspect in High Heels: High Heels Mystery by Gemma Halliday
Review by Kathleen Costa

It’s All About the Choo-s…and Murder!
Starting out with Spying in High Heels (2010) and followed up with a dozen more “Killer,” “Mayhem,” and “Deadly” adventures, Maddie Springer was a struggling shoe designer and a high heel connoisseur from Monolo’s to Jimmy Choo’s to Michael Kors’! However, she also found she had a knack at amateur sleuthing discovering suspicious deaths, getting into personal peril, uncovering the truth, and helping make sure someone went to jail. She’s often joined, willingly or not, by L.A. Detective Jack Ramirez with whom their love/hate relationship has gone from annoyance to dating to wedding to marriage to parenthood. Sidekicks are a plenty with long-time BFF Dana, over-the-top Marco, and often Maddie’s mother for good, maybe bad, measure. Hilarious. Engaging. Fun.

Goodreads List—High Heels Mystery

Suspect in High Heels earns 5/5 Murderous Heirlooms…Engaging Fun!
Maddie is a somewhat unenthusiastic participant tagging along with her mother and friend Mrs. Rosenblatt to the Antiques Extravaganza show, and even with a vintage pair of Chanel two-toned pumps in hand, she’s not sure the trip will be personally rewarding. However, Mrs. Rosenblatt hopes to wow the experts with her green, African fertility statue, and her mother, with a priceless family heirloom, is sure it will be considered a fantastic find garnering her an on-camera appraisal. Mr. Peter Carrington, a professional appraiser of jewelry and accessories, impatiently yawns at Maddie’s mother’s recall of the family providence on a jewel encrusted hat pin. She details its century-old history and connection to Josephine Bonaparte, but the less-than-convinced expert pronounces, “It’s a [1920s] reproduction.” Maddie had to intervene as her mother took a swing at him with her purse. She’ll regret her loss of control when the offending expert ends up dead by her hat pin!

Entertaining in High Heels! Gemma Halliday’s tenth full-length cozy in her High Heels Mystery is another entertaining adventure. Gemma follows the traditional cozy formula that I love by starting right off with the conflict and murder and implicating a “close to home” person, then delving into the various alternative suspects. The murder mystery itself is a clever one with a wide range of suspects and motives to entertain and challenge one’s inner Sherlock. Of course, there’s Maddie’s mother and her anger over the insulting appraisal, but what about the ethically-challenged partner, fan turned stalker, begrudged auction house owner? Greed, jealousy, and revealed secrets are engaging, but it’s Halliday’s sense of humor that keeps me entertained…just plain challenged detectives, aura cleansing, surprise party planning, and twin toddlers. Well written using an enjoyable first-person narrative from Maddie’s perspective, the setting and characters come alive with descriptive language and the tone and personalities are well illustrated with the dialogue. Clever story! Great characters! Wow ending!

Be a Big Fan!
New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Gemma Halliday pens other popular and entertaining series cozy fans will enjoy. My favorite series is this Wine & Dine Mysteries, but I greatly enjoy her other series that combine full-length books and some entertaining short stories. Check out her exciting cozy series: High Heels Mystery, Hollywood Headlines with #6 Hollywood Revenge out this year, Jamie Bond, Marty Hudson, and Tahoe Tessie Mysteries. Coming this year is her thriller Dead to Rights from her Anna Smith & Nick Dade series.

Like, Visit, Follow!
Facebook–Gemma Halliday
Website–Gemma Halliday
Twitter @gemmahallidayca

Kathleen Costa is a long-time resident of the Central Valley, and although born in Idaho, she considers herself a “California Girl.” Graduating from CSU-Sacramento, she is a 35+ year veteran teacher having taught in grades 1-8 in schools from Sacramento to Los Angeles to Stockton to Lodi. Currently Kathleen is enjoying her retirement revitalizing hobbies along with exploring writing, reading for pleasure, and spending 24/7 with her husband.

Essential Footwear for the Stylish Crime Fighter
by Gemma Halliday

1) Strappy Slingbacks
In a pinch these stylish heels convert into excellent slingshots for catching a suspect on the run.
P.S. The elastic ones work the best!

2) WovenWedges
This soft soled, sophisticated style is perfect for a breezy summer day…or for sneaking up on suspect unawares.

3) Knee High Lace-up Boots
Not only are these boots incredibly chic, but the laces also come in very handy when tying up an assailant. (Or naughty boyfriend…)

4) Patent Leather Platforms
The ultimate in high heels, platforms give that extra height to peek over windowsills and doorways when spying on—er, observing a suspect.

5) Spiky Stilettos
Sleek, sexy, and deadly. When swung with enough force, the heels are the perfect weapon.

To enter to win an ebook copy of Suspect in High Heels, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, with the subject line “heels,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen October 19, 2019. Only US entries. If entering via comment please include your email address. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

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Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.