Customer Reviews

Blue Blood: A Debutante Dropout Mystery

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

_Blue Blood_ is an amusing little story with an interesting narrator. Andy (Andrea) Kendricks is an upper-crust Texas society girl, who decides that charity events, fund-raising, and hunt balls are not her thing, and declines to "come out" despite her mother's plans. Now she's living the "normal" life, despite her mom's attempts to pull her back into the society whirl.

Andy's mom, Cissy Blevins Kendricks, is formidable; doing everything she can to introduce Andy to the "right" people, especially the right husband. The book begins with Andy in a restaurant with her mother and yet another prospective beau; the evening was presented to Andy as a "night out with just us girls." Andy is unstoppable in her own way: she will smile at her mother but do things her own way and in her own good time.

Then Andy hears from her best friend from her prep school days. Molly never fit in either, being the "scholarship girl" from a series of foster homes. The girls went off to art college together but Molly ran off to Paris with her boyfriend, got pregnant, and was dumped. Ten years later, Molly is calling Andy for help: she is accused of murdering her boss at the restaurant where she worked as a waitress. The restaurant is a hillbilly version of Hooters, and the boss not only hit on the staff frequently, he seemed to have plenty of enemies. But the police are convinced that they have arrested the culprit and Molly is denied bail, leaving Andy to take care of Molly's young son.

Andy isn't an investigator, she's a website designer. She asks her mother to hire a lawyer for Molly, and mother reluctantly complies. But the young man doesn't believe Molly is innocent, and doesn't seem to be trying very hard to help her. So it's up to Andy to find the real killer.

I enjoyed McBride's descriptions and characters more than the underlying mystery. Andy is haunted by her father's untimely death (right before her planned debut), and clearly has more in common with him than her society mother. But there weren't enough possible killers in the book to mislead me, the mark of a good whodunnit. I was able to identify the guilty party far sooner than I should have because one clue was far too obvious. The bad guys were coarsely drawn, with little nuance or any redeeming features. And too many intermediate clues were clear to the reader well before Andy picked up on them. I also felt McBride didn't convince me of Andy's expertise in her career as a website designer. Someone comfortable with digital photography and HTML code (or even MS FrontPage) should have had more computer skills and savvy than Andy ever demonstrated. The book could have worked just as well with Andy as a freelance writer or an accountant without changing anything else in the plot!

This a good, mindless, fun read, suitable for beaches or airplanes. But as a mystery it is lacking. mad-haus 1 March 2004

This new series is definitely a winner! Andy Kendricks is a gal we'd all love to have for a friend. Especially if we get into trouble! The lengths Andy goes to for her friend Molly is incredible and more fun than I can say without giving the plot away. Andy's mother is a hoot, and I hope she appears in each sequel. Don't miss this! BLUE BLOOD will keep you turning pages with a smile on your face. I read this in two sittings, that's how much I loved it!

Drop-out debutante Andrea "Andy" Kendrick receives a plea out of the blue from her former best friend from prep school. Molly O'Brien, whom Andy's high-society mother, Cissy, calls "that scholarship girl," has been arrested for murder and she wants Andy to take care of her little boy.

Though Andy hasn't heard from Molly in ten years, she jumps into the fray--rescuing the boy (and dumping him at her mother's Highland Park mansion, much to Cissy's dismay). She just knows Molly could never possibly kill someone under any circumstances, and she is determined to prove her friend's innocence. With the help of Molly's inexperienced (but cute) lawyer, Andy delves into the mystery, going so far as to get herself hired at the "Hooters"-type restaurant where the murder took place, and where Molly worked as a waitress. In purple hot pants and a stuffed bra, she gathers the evidence against the suspects, which include a randy televangelist, a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, a rabid activist who regularly pickets the restaurant, a mysterious silent partner, and a host of sexually harassed waitresses.

This is a cute read, with an amusingly eccentric cast of characters. Though I felt Andy was inexcusably reckless at times (like when she barges into a motel room where she knows the possible murderer is having illicit sex), I couldn't help cheering for her. And though the humor felt a bit forced in places, I did snicker out loud several times. This is a must-read for anyone within or on the fringes of Dallas high society. The author certainly nails that world.

Andrea "Andy" Kendricks has never felt comfortable in the high society life her mother had planned for her. Even before she blew off her own debutante ball, she had become best friends with Molly, the "scholarship girl" at Andy's exclusive high school.

Close during high school and the beginning of college, Molly and Andy lost touch over the years. Until one morning when Molly calls Andy from the police station. Molly's boss has been murdered and Molly is the police's only suspect. Not that it's too much of a wild conclusion since she was seen leaving the scene of the crime and her fingerprints are the only ones on the murder weapon.

With the police not looking at anyone else, Andy decides to go undercover at the restaurant to find the real killer. Poking around, she begins to find out that no one liked the victim. In fact, the list of possible suspects includes anyone who ever met the man. Andy's sure that Molly is innocent. But can she find the right piece of information to convince the police they have the wrong person behind bars?

The book starts off with a bang that draws the reader in quickly. Unfortunately, the plot is a little uneven, slowing down in the middle. Even so, the writing is so engaging and the characters so endearing it's hard to put the book down. The final third is a race to the finish.

As I said, the characters are also endearing right from the start. Andy and Molly's friendship seems so real even after the time apart, you root for things to work out. Cissy, Andy's mother, is shown to have a much bigger heart then Andy would lead the reader to believe. She's a great character and her scenes were laugh out loud funny. She should have had more page time.

Even though the plot got lost a time or two, this is still an entertaining read for anyone looking for a light book. The characters have worked their way into my heart, and I will drop in on them again soon.

I liked the fast-pace of the story, and McBride does a great job of meshing a mystery with chick lit. Which is nice, because one doesn't always want to read about post-menapausal little old ladies solving crimes.

So, as far as a beach read -- sign me up. It's really fun. Not a literary read. Not an Agatha Christie. But an entertaining read. I am looking forward to the rest of the series...if there's one thing I'd say on the other side, it's that I'm hoping there will be a little more mystery to the future Andy stories.

As a fan of the "Chick Lit" mystery's - this is ranked pretty high up there...

Very good, fast read with interesting characters and scenery.

Our book club read both this novel and the second in the series, "The Good Girls Guide to Murder" and enjoyed both. The only discussion was which one we liked the best. I think we are split evenly between the two although I enjoyed the second one the most.

I believe there are several more of these Deb Dropouts in the works and I can't wait for them to hit the shelves! Keep on writing Susan!

One of the strongest ties binding women is the basis of Blue Blood, friendship. I know it's cliché but not even time and space can affect it. Women have a way of picking up where they left off, even after many years apart. Women don't forget as is the case of Andrea "Andy" Kendricks and Molly McBride. According to Andy, their friendship was so strong because they envied one another, "which sealed our friendship tighter than spit or blood."

They met in the awkwards of high school. Andrea from the prim and proper high society and Molly from a low income family. Molly was the private and posh Hockaday School's charity case, having won a scholarship to attend.

After high school they shared a flat while attending an arts school in Columbia College. Andy finished and became a web designer but Molly ran off with the dark and mysterious Sebastian to Paris. Their relationship teetered off like most long distant friendships.

After ten years of separation Andy gets a desperate call from Molly. She needs help pronto. She's been arrested for the murder of her boss and her son David is stranded at the neighbor's. Wow. So much for "Hello, how are you?" Andy doesn't think twice but jumps into action. Her first priority is getting Molly a lawyer. Who better to enlist a lawyer than her socialite extraordinaire mother, Cissy. The fact she'll owe her mother big time doesn't stop her from making the call. Her mother is hesitant to help at first but as the novel progresses it's easy to see she's having fun with her daughter.

As I mentioned, Cissy is quite the socialite. Her full-time job is volunteering for causes and trying to get Andrea married, much to Andrea's chagrin. She discourages Andy's escapades but she is always there to provide money, a ride, a phone call to a high ranking member of society or to take in Molly's son David.

With the lawyer and sitter taken care of Andy has time to get down to business. Clearing Molly's name. Why? Because the police have already decided Molly's the criminal. All evidence points to her. Andy doesn't believe it for a second and sets out to find the real killer by going undercover at Molly's place of employment. Wait for it...as a waitress at "Jugs". That alone was a hilarity.

Susan McBride has created interesting characters that are easy to love (like the shy lawyer hired to help Molly) and a mystery that keeps you guessing until the final chapter. Blue Blood begins with a prologue introducing Molly seconds before her slimy boss corners her after hours. Once you start reading you'll want to know more.

What impressed me the most about this Chic Lit mystery was the story wasn't lost amongst "poor me" dialogue and a whole lot of hot and heavy side relationships with constant interruptions. The story focuses on the mystery, the friendships (new and old) and family. "Blue Blood" is really about solving the mystery with mild comic relief in between. Blonde moments ensue but not to the detriment of the story. They're more of an interesting sidebar than a distraction.

Andy is a role model for young girls and women. She's educated, loyal and willing to try any thing once as she follows her dreams. She's a no regrets kind of gal. Blue Blood is the first in "a debutant dropout mystery" and I'm looking forward to the next Nancy Drew moment Andy rushes into.

Review Originally Posted at http://www.linearreflections.com

Andy Kendrick receives a desperate call from Molly O'Brien. She hasn't seen or heard from Molly for ten years. They were best friends in school even though they were not of the same social class. Molly was a scholarship student. Andy was a debutate, although she never really ran in her mother's high society circles and is now a debutante dropout.

Molly is being charged with murdering her boss, Bud Hartman. She asks Andy to help her out. Andy gets her mother Cissy, much to her chagrin, to call a lawyer for Molly. Andy ends up dropping off Molly's six-year-old son David at Cissy's doorstep while she tries to help get Molly out of jail.

Brian Malone does not impress Andy as a go-getter attorney. She doesn't feel he is really looking out for Molly's best interests. So, Andy decides to go under cover as a waitress at Jugs, a Hooters-type restaurant, where Molly had worked. For some reason Julie, Bud's girlfriend who now runs Jugs, takes a liking to Andy. She ends up inviting her to Bud's funeral. Why would Reverend Jim-Bob, a well-known televangelist be willing to preside over Bud's funeral?

Then there's the Mothers Against Pornography run by nurse Peggy Martin. Why is she so adamant against Jugs?

Where is this waitress that left overnight a few weeks before? Why did she leave and never even return for her paycheck?

Andy finds herself in some interesting and even dangerous situations as she tries to discover who really killed Bud and framed Molly.

This is the first book I've read in this series, but it won't be the last. I truly enjoyed Andy and her antics. I think she and Malone will make a good team in future books. They feed off each other really well. Her mother really adds character to the story as well. I found myself laughing out loud several times while reading this book. I highly recommend it.

Kids today. You raise them to be Vera Wang-wearing debs in Dallas society, handpick them to star in charity fashion shows, and arrange blind dates with Ph.D.s who play the pipe organ for the Pope. And what do they do? They don lavender hot pants and whoop it up at a den of iniquity called Jugs, where guys go who, in the words of Mothers Against Pornography ringleader Peggy Martin, "get their ideas about relationships from dirty magazines, from strip joints," and apparently, from Janet Jackson too. Just ask Cissy Blevins Kendricks. The charity-loving smooth-talking secretly softhearted matron is the spiritual sister to Kitty Montgomery of "Dharma and Greg," right down to the Ferragamo shoes.

Cissy's hot pants-wearing daughter, artist and Web designer Andrea, has more sense than Dharma but as great a knack for trouble. The plot centers on Andrea's undercover activities at the Hooters-type joint Jugs, where Andrea's "scholarship girl" friend, single mom Molly O'Brien, supposedly killed Larry Flynt wannabe Bud Hartman.

The real heart of the story is Andrea's complex relationship with Cissy. Blue blood really is thicker than sparkling water. It would be easy to peg Cissy as just another snobby society matron, and although there's plenty of social satire here, Susan McBride never sacrifices character or the bittersweet warmth of the mother-daughter relationship. Two pink high-tops up!