Book Review: The Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Susan McBride (Debutante Dropout Mysteries #2)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters and good story...

Cons: ...slowed down by a boring first quarter.

The Bottom Line:

Patience rewarded

With strong characters and a

Murder mystery

Slow Start to a Good Mystery

The Good Girl's Guide to Murder is the second book in the Debutante Dropout Mystery series. The series follows the adventures of Andrea "Andy" Kendricks. Andy turned her back on her own debut as a teenager and, much to her mother's chagrin, makes a living designing websites. She can't quite seem to leave the world of the rich and powerful behind, however, and finds herself pulled back in often, usually by her mother.

In fact, it's because of her mother that she's redesigning the website for Marilee Mabry, a local celebrity. Andy is working hard to get the website ready for Marilee's nationwide debut. She's just sold the syndication rights to her TV show, "The Sweet Life," and is hoping to give Martha Stewart a run for her money.

However, trouble is lurking in the Dallas, Texas studio. A poisonous spider has found in Marilee's desk. A studio light came crashing down, just missing the star.

This doesn't slow Marilee down in the least, and she charges full speed ahead with a web cast party to celebrate the new deal. Against her will, Andy finds herself attending the party only to witness in horror as the night takes several turns for the worse. There's an unhappy chef and an egotistical star. And that's before the fire starts. Andy knows Marilee is not a pleasant person to work for. Andy is the fourth web designer Marilee has had in six weeks, and she is more then ready to quit herself. But who could have it in for the woman?

After a short first chapter told in third person, the novel picks up with Andy's first person narration. It has a nice, breezy style that pulls the reader in, and Andy's asides on the action add to the enjoyment.

This is important because the first quarter of the book is pretty slow. Andy starts delving into memories of her relationship with her parents and worrying about accepting a gift from her mother. I was beginning to get a little bored when the action started.

Once the story moves to the party, it picked up speed quickly. I easily got engrossed in the events happening and had a hard time putting the book down. I saw a couple twists coming and should have seen more, but I was surprised by the events of the climax.

Adding to this are the characters. Not only are Andy and the other returning characters fully developed, but so are the slate of new characters. I found myself getting emotionally involved in the story, so when I reached the climax, it really hit me hard.

It's worth the time getting past the beginning to find the heart of the story. I am glad I persisted with The Good Girl's Guide to Murder. I've already bought the next in the series and plan to read it soon.