If Looks Could Kill

October 7, 2002
Audio reviews reflect PW's assessment of the audio adaptation of a book and should be quoted only in reference to the audio version. Fiction IF LOOKS COULD KILL: A Bailey Weggins Mystery Kate White, read by Parker Posey. Time Warner Audio Books, abridged, four cassettes, 6 hrs., $25.98 ISBN 1-58621-481-0 At first, it would seem to make sense for Parker Posey, the acclaimed actor who has played memorably ditzy dames in movies such as The Anniversary Party
and Waiting for Guffman, to read Cosmopolitan
magazine editor White's sexy new mystery novel. But White's heroine, Bailey Weggins, a 33-year-old true crime writer for Gloss
magazine, is anything but a flake. She's a shrewd freelancer with a gift for catching the dark side of gender crime. And although Bailey is slightly frazzled from the Gotham dating wars, she's definitely not one of the walking wounded looking to Gloss
(and its acerbic editor, Cat Jones) for life-changing advice. Posey's softness and Valley Girl intonations tend to defuse whatever strength White's story—about a murdered nanny and a plot to knock off the editors of top women's magazines—has to offer.
Although the book has strong appeal, this production doesn't have enough oomph to captivate listeners. Based on the Warner Books hardcover (Forecasts, Apr. 8).

Starred review from April 8, 2002
Bridget Jones meets Nancy Drew in Cosmopolitan editor-in-chief White's impressive debut novel, which provides plenty of New York glamour and glitz, besides a smart, sexy heroine and a cleverly constructed murder mystery. When Cat Jones, editor of Gloss
magazine, calls, employees jump. And when she calls freelancer Bailey Weggins on a Sunday morning with a frantic plea for assistance in a personal matter, Bailey responds quickly. Cat has found her live-in nanny, Heidi, dead. When it turns out that Heidi was poisoned, Cat freaks out and insists that Bailey, whose specialty is true-crime reporting, help her discover who's done it. Though Heidi was the victim, Cat may well have been the intended victim. Either way, there are plenty of suspects among the guests who attended Cat's party the night before. The Gloss
media world offers plenty of sex, greed, money and cutthroat maneuvering—and few reliable friendships. Bailey navigates this universe with pluck, luck and savvy, and emerges as a viable candidate for rookie sleuth of the year. Bailey not only plays detective but also manages to juggle her freelance assignments and her rocky romantic entanglements in entertaining fashion. Best of all, on top of the dead-on depiction of the media world she knows so well, White keeps both sleuth and reader guessing until she's ready to rip away the blinders and reveal the clues hidden among the school of (red) herring. Agent, Sandra Dijkstra. (May 3)Forecast:With an author as media savvy as her heroine, BEA and ALA appearances and a five-city tour, this Mystery Guild featured alternate and Doubleday Book Club selection is going to sell a lot of copies, not just to celebrity hounds but to mystery regulars who appreciate quality.

May 1, 2002
When her young nanny dies of poisoned chocolates meant for her, magazine editor Cat Jones enlists the help of freelance crime writer Bailey Weggins. Bailey's not really an investigator, but she knows the procedure: scope out the crime scene, interrogate possible suspects (including Cat's attractive photographer husband), reconstruct the victim's last hours, consult with pals, etc. Bailey's attention soon turns toward Cat's conniving colleagues at the magazine and farther afield. A down-to-earth heroine, a sturdy story line, and breezy prose make this debut novel by the editor in chief of Cosmopolitan magazine a pleasure. [Mystery Guild and Doubleday Book Club featured alternates.]

Copyright 2002 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2002
White, editor-in-chief at " Cosmopolitan," captures all the hype and cattiness of the magazine world and offers an intriguing mystery as well. Her sleuth is Bailey Weggins, a thirtysomething feature writer for " Gloss "magazine, specializing in crime stories. Bailey's career has been built in part on loyalty to Cat Jones, her capable, beautiful, bitchy boss. So when Cat wants Bailey to find out who murdered her nanny, Bailey feels obligated to try. Then Bailey learns that the intended victim was Cat herself. Unlike in many mysteries, where the crime is obviously too complex for an amateur to solve, this puzzle manages to be challenging but not patently out of Bailey's range. In fact, readers will nervously follow the clues right along with the heroine. White is also very good at painting her world--the life of a single woman in high-powered New York--and this glamorous setting should attract a certain type of young woman reader, just the type who would read a magazine called " Gloss."(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)