Cross Your Heart and Hope to Die (Blackbird Sisters Mysteries, No. 4) [Mass Market Paperback]

Nancy Martin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 7, 2012

You could say my sisters and I are hot-blooded bluebloods with a flair for fashion—and for solving crimes. But things have NOT been going well for us Blackbirds: Emma has busted out of a very exclusive clinic. Libby’s hormones are in overdrive from selling paraphernalia for Potions and Passions, a company that promises its customers full satisfaction. And I’m still dating mobster’s son Mick Abruzzo, which keeps me in a permanent tizzy. At least, nobody in my vicinity has been knocked off lately. Oops—looks like I spoke too soon…

A TEMPEST IN A C-CUP

Nora’s next journalistic assignment: the unveiling of the most miraculous bra in fashion history. But before Nora can hand in her uplifting story, her boss is found shot execution-style and trussed up in expensive panty hose—an Abruzzo family trademark. Now Nora must find the killer before her innocent lover takes the rap. That means shadowing the most glamorous suspects in Philadelphia—including a bad-boy designer, a former child star, a high-strung ad exec, and a pair of luscious twin models. Though Nora’s accustomed to upper-crust murder, cross your fingers for the Blackbird sisters, because this time, high society has never seemed so low-down dirty.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The three high-flying Blackbird sisters make their hardcover debut in their fourth mystery (after 2004's Some Like It Lethal), a blend of fashion-forward romance and witty suspense. When not assisting Kitty Keough, a Philadelphia society columnist, former debutante Nora Blackbird strives to save the family farm after the sisters' parents "spent our trust funds faster than drunken lottery winners could buy a fleet of Cadillacs." Meanwhile, wild baby sis, Emma, escapes rehab with a media cowboy, and fertile sis, Libby, keeps popping out babies. Assigned to cover the Philly launch for Brinker Holt's revolutionary Brinker Bra ("No need for straps or uncomfortable wires"), Nora recalls Brinker was the creepy preppie who once assaulted Emma and tortured other kids for fun. When Kitty, whom Brinker barred from the show, turns up dead on Nora's doorstep, Nora's lover, Michael Abruzzo, becomes the primary suspect due to his mob connections. Nora, Libby and ace crime reporter Richard D'eath's efforts to investigate more likely suspects lead to a madcap dénouement just in time for Nora's annual New Year's Eve bash and a sparkling but bittersweet surprise. Martin's wicked tongue-in-cheek satire will appeal to fans of Jennifer Crusie, who provides a blurb, and Janet Evanovich.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Nora Blackbird is no singing star, but she knows how to act like a diva, complete with the designer clothes and the little dog in her arms. But Nora is one thing most divas are not: she is broke. Determined to save the family manse outside Philadelphia, frittered away by her parents, Nora is forced (shudder) to get a job. As an assistant for fashion-writer Kitty Keough, she does grunt work for little recognition--such as covering the unveiling of the hot new "Brinker bra." After fighting the crowds for a seat, Nora is shocked to find that her sister Emma, supposedly in rehab, is the top bra model. She is even more shocked to return home and find her boss, Kitty, dead on her doorstep. It's perhaps not quite so shocking to learn that her "mobbed-up" boyfriend is the prime suspect. This third in the Blackbird Sisters series (and first to appear in hardcover) is a laugh-out-loud comic mystery as outrageous as a pink chinchilla coat. Jenny McLarin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Signet (August 7, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 045121532X
• ISBN-13: 978-0451215321
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #180,507 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #74 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > General > Comic

More About the Author

I wrote romance novels for years, but I finally had enough sex--at least on paper!--and decided it was time to start killing people.

So now I write funny, sexy murder mysteries. Check out my website for more details: www.nancymartinmysteries.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the Best Blackbird Sisters Mystery Yet!, April 9, 2005

By 

L. Kelly (Lakewood, CO) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cross Your Heart and Hope to Die (Blackbird Sisters Mysteries, No. 4) (Hardcover)

The outrageous pink coat that Nora Blackbird is wearing on the front cover of this book really sets the tone perfectly for this hilarious romp. "Cross Your Heart and Hope to Die" is all about an innovative new bra design, Nora Blackbird's continuing struggle to make ends meet and make her relationship work with her boyfriend Mick Abbruzzo, and, oh yes, the murder of Nora's boss, the newspaper's high society editor Kitty Keough. Kitty's body is found on Nora's front porch, shot execution style and trussed up with a pair of panty hose, which just happens to be a signature of an Abruzzo family hit. Nora's boyfriend Mick Abruzzo is immediately taken to the police station for questioning, so Nora goes to work to find out who really killed Kitty Keough, and just as importantly, why Kitty was killed. The plot is an excellent one, with lots of unexpected twists and turns. Author Martin's descriptions of the moneyed society families of Philadelphia are great. The resolution of the mystery was well-done and tied the many sub-plots together nicely.

My only reservation about this book is the silly job that Nora's sister Libby has taken, which is selling adult sex toys. There were a few good laughs in the book from this new job, but I though I should mention this sub-plot in case anyone might be offended by this subject.

I'm looking forward to the next story in this series, as the reader is left with several cliffhangers about Nora's future.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great light-hearted fun, March 2, 2005

By 

Jenny P. (Lansing, Mich.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cross Your Heart and Hope to Die (Blackbird Sisters Mysteries, No. 4) (Hardcover)

I've read other Blackbird Sister mysteries, and this one is the best yet -- full of Nancy Martin's trademark humor. She creates another delightful collection of characters and packs the book with witty observations about the high-society people Nora Blackbird encounters on her way to solving a mystery that's full of surprise twists. This book is pure pleasure.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nancy Martin Rocks!, March 22, 2005

By 

C. Engele - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cross Your Heart and Hope to Die (Blackbird Sisters Mysteries, No. 4) (Hardcover)

I thought this was a great little mystery. It had it all - romance, laughs, and a great who done it. It you haven't read this series, get out to your local bookstore or library NOW and start reading!