Kate Flora

Education consultant and amateur detective Thea Kozak (An Educated Death, 1997), returns in a yawner set in Hawaii. Kozak, attending an educational conference in Maui, far from her home state of Maine and the embraces of her hunky boyfriend, Detective Andre Lemieux, finds herself reluctantly embroiled in a murder investigation. Conference director Martina Pullman is found dead in her hotel room, dressed in sexy lingerie and strangled with a stocking. Pullman, naturally, had made an enemy of every board member at the conference, not to mention the first wife of her husband, Jeff. When Pullman's assistant Rory Altschuler attempts suicide and when she herself is almost drowned on a scuba expedition, Kozak begins to suspect even those whom she longs to trust. Flora's verbosity fails to flesh out the characters, most of whom are stereotypical and shallow. Beautiful Maui features hardly at all as a backdrop. The one bright spot is 11-year-old Laura Mitchell, Kozak's self-appointed Watson, whose nose for detective work puts her in the path of danger as the murderers use her to get to Kozak.… (més)

A special thank you to SheBooks and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

GIRLS’ NIGHT OUT by Kate Flora is novella of delicious revenge, crime, payback, and full of chick-lit humor!

Boston jury has just found local attorney Jay Hanrahan, not guilty, in a date rape case that grabbed headlines throughout the region.

Ellen happened to be the victim and the BFFs are out for revenge and develop a scandalous plan of attack, when the legal system did not work--they are taking matters into their own hands.

Callie, Georgia, Suzan, Tess, and Ellen are BFFs, having met in college and have remained friends, now all professionals, from lawyer, doctor, social worker, artist, and finance with the IRS. All beautiful and smart. They are tired of abuse from men and want to take matters in their own hands. (Hillary Clinton, Marilyn Monroe, Eleanor Roosevelt, Betty Ford, and Queen Elizabeth).

They have a book club and meet to enjoy discussing books, eating great food, sipping wine, and catching up. Tonight is the night of developing the plan to get payback – girls’ night out at the bar where Jay does his dirty deed to get sexy gals in the sack by drugging them.

I loved everything about this e-short story, from the stunning front cover with the sexy and delicious martini, to the razor sharp humor! What a fun novella! We all have been there, as you get to the point, you do not trust anyone preparing your drink, as this happens more than you may know.

Loved GIRLS' NIGHT OUT, beautifully packaged and cannot wait to read more from this talented author!


http://www.judithdcollinsconsulting.com/#!Girls-Night-Out-/cmoa/DEE8D1AB-927B-46...
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I ran across Books in Motion a couple of years back. They apparently got their start catering to long distance truck drivers producing some very good original audio recordings with their own stable of readers.

A prominent medical doctor is discovered dead in his Mercedes with his "ahem" at full mast and several shades of lipstick on the more sensitive portions of his anatomy. Joe Burgess, the detective catching the case, soon learns from his young second wife of his predilection for the euphemistic BJ at night in his car. No one liked Dr. Stephen Pleasant and the suspect list grows. Even Joe had a reason to dislike him as the doctor had screwed up his mother's treatment. No point in recapping the plot. Engaging and well-read with a very likable protagonist.

It's always interesting to read a book of this genre by an author with credentials, and knowing what those are often sheds light on incidents which occur in the book. A little investigating revealed that Flora, author of several other mysteries and some true crime reportage, was an assistant attorney general in Maine so she knows Portland and the crime milieu well. In one scene, Burgess attacks his boss because the evidence relating to the murder and rape of a child was being lost or contaminated. Turns out the alleged perp was from a prominent family and could hire an expensive lawyer, so strings were being pulled in the rapist's favor. I wonder if Flora hadn't suffered through her own rage at the rich and well-connected's ability to get off.… (més)