Dead Ex [Hardcover]

Harley Jane Kozak (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 7, 2007

Wollie Shelley—the endearing, idiosyncratic heroine of the award-winning Dating Dead Men and Dating Is Murder—returns in a funny murder mystery set in the world of television soaps.

When David Zetrakis, the producer of a popular soap opera, is found shot to death the day after Christmas, Wollie Shelley finds herself caught up in the murder investigation. Zetrakis was one of the many Mr. Wrongs in Wollie’s career as a serial dater, and her friend Joey has emerged as the media’s prime suspect. A hot-tempered celebrity who had dated Zetrakis and was fired from his show some years ago, Joey has inherited a million-dollar Klimt from him. But Joey is not the only potential suspect. Zetrakis left lots of nice bequests to the cast and crew of the show. And as the dating correspondent on a talk show called SoapDirt, Wollie, who’s required to dine and dish with the stars, quickly discovers that the behind-the-scenes intrigues of television soaps are as highly charged as the on-screen shenanigans.

When Wollie is not trying to protect Joey from an onslaught of predatory reporters, she’s helping her brother make the transition from a mental hospital to a halfway house and negotiating her relationship with Simon, her FBI-agent boyfriend. Dead Ex is another full-out romp of a mystery sure to please Kozak’s many fans—and win her many new ones, too.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Holy Hollywood! In actor-turned-author Kozak's witty third crime caper (after 2005's Dating Is Murder), wild Wollie Shelley must solve the cold-blooded murder of terminally ill David Zetrakis, producer of the popular TV soap At the End of the Day. Tall, unarmed and sometimes very dangerous if provoked, Wollie's an underemployed greeting card artist who starts moonlighting as the dating correspondent for the talk show SoapDirt. Getting the dirt on David's killer, however, proves to be a major challenge. Wollie and her best friend, fellow Day actress Joey Rafferty, had both dated David, and Joey becomes the LAPD's top suspect when it turns out David bequeathed her a valuable Gustav Klimt painting. Wollie's faith in her friend is further tested when Joey's husband dies in a suspicious surfing accident and Joey disappears. A Greek mythology twist and crackling insider insight into the fascinating soap opera world enhance this clever whodunit. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Kozak's third mystery starring greeting-card designer and muralist Wollie Shelley delivers an enjoyable mix of melodrama and mirth. This time around, Wollie helps investigate the death of a beloved soap-opera producer who is also one her former beaux. Chief among the suspects is her best gal pal, Joey, a onetime soap-opera actress inclined to promiscuity and illegal substances--but not, Wollie is convinced, murder. Meanwhile, Wollie signs on as dating correspondent for the tabloid TV show SoapDirt, a decision her possessive FBI agent boyfriend is none too happy about. Kozak (Dating Is Murder, 2005) has appeared in feature films and on the soap opera The Guiding Light; her keen insight into show business adds sass and spice to this Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity award-winning series. She vividly evokes a world where seemingly innocuous missteps (a bad dye job, for example) can get folks into a lather. Fans of Jennifer Crusie's heroines are sure to like witty, well-meaning Wollie, who plays like a less-cynical version of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum. Allison Block
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1 edition (August 7, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385518021
• ISBN-13: 978-0385518024
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.2 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,088,124 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intelligent, Fast-Paced Amazing Mystery, August 8, 2007

By 

Sarah Strohmeyer (Vermont) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dead Ex (Hardcover)

I can't say enough good things about this book. Where so many mysteries pander to the mundane or brutal, Kozak's latest excels in its intelligence, wit and charm. It's not just the mystery that's compelling - it's the characters like unique Fredreeq, drunken Joey and Wollie, the protagonist who thinks in greeting card captions, who set this book apart. Plus, there is an underlying theme of Greek classical literature. Yes, it's also peeks into the world of soap operas and Hollywood and that would be enough. But this has Kozak's sparkling dialogue and hysterical asides. It's funny. It's sexy. It's smart.

There are so many awful mysteries written these days. This is not one of them. That's why Publisher's Weekly gave it a starred review. Enjoy!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable, but not the best in this series, June 1, 2008

By 

CJ-MO (Missouri, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Dead Ex (Hardcover)

I liked the behind the scenes looks at the world of soaps, but I found my attention wandering before the end of the book. I enjoyed the previous Wollie books more than this one. I really don't care for the relationship between Wollie and Simon and am hoping that Doc makes a surprise return for the next book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars At the End of the Day, I Liked this Book, September 10, 2007

By 

Mark Baker (Santa Clarita, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dead Ex (Hardcover)

The day after Christmas, terminally ill soap opera producer David Zetrakis is found murdered in his Los Angeles mansion. That actually means something to greeting card designer Wollie Shelley since she dated him for a few months. But the sense of loss she feels is nothing compared to that of her friend Joey Rafferty who had stayed friendly with David after her own breakup with the man. In fact, she was at his house just before he died.

And that's why the police zero in on Joey as their prime suspect. When they begin questioning her, they quickly realize she is hiding something. But what? As Joey begins to act more and more strangely, Wollie realizes she is going to need to step in to solve the crime.

Fortunately, Wollie has just been handed the perfect platform. She's been asked to become the dating correspondent on SoapDirt. And her first dates are with the men of David's soap, At the End of the Day. Unfortunately, this new job doesn't sit when with Wollie's boyfriend, FBI agent Simon. But he's started acting strangely himself. Beside, Wollie has enough to figure out. Why would someone shoot a man about to die anyway? Did one of Wollie's new men commit the crime? And what is Joey hiding?

As with the first two books, this is a fun mystery. Wollie narrates the events with just the right dose of sarcasm when needed. And who doesn't need it when dealing with soap opera stars? The characters, both returning and new, leap off the page. The plot dragged some in the middle, however. And the denouncement seemed rushed to me. The ending itself was very suspenseful and I was turning pages as fast as I could. And the dating tied in better with the overall mystery then it did in the last book.

The book is fun and well worth reading for any of Wollie's many fans.