The Good Girl's Guide to Murder (Debutante Dropout Mysteries, No. 2) [Mass Market Paperback]

Susan McBride (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

McBride's second Debutante Dropout mystery (after Blue Blood) proves as alluring as an Estrada evening dress and as tempting as a slice of death-by-chocolate cake served by the exclusive Dallas Diet Club. The incorrigible Cissy Blevins hasn't given up on restoring daughter Andrea "Andy" Blevins Kendricks, who forsook her debutante season for art school in Chicago and a career as a Webmaster, to her rightful place in society. So when the new TV series The Sweet Life, starring Marilee Mabry, a Texan version of Martha Stewart, has an opening for a Webmaster, Cissy seizes the chance to advance her daughter. With disdain for Dallas high society but an enduring love for her meddlesome mother, Andy serves as the perfect guide to a lifestyle that's the contemporary Texas equivalent of upper-crust Regency. When Andy discovers Marilee's 18-year-old daughter, Kendall, near death on the night of her mother's grand TV debut, the fun really begins. The suspense builds as the do-gooder Webmaster unearths some unpleasant truths about Marilee, Kendall and their shared boy toy and personal trainer, Justin Gable. Though the mystery falters near the end, delicious dishing on social secretaries, Persian rugs and society rags more than compensates.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"Absolutely wonderful! Highly recommended." -- K. Blair for HuntressReviews.com (5 stars)

"Funny, compelling like a good soap opera and boasts an extremely likeable heroine." -- Romantic Times

"The book is a good read...and Andy is a very likeable heroine. The writing is crisp, fast moving and witty." -- Mystery News

"Wonderful and fascinating...[S]it back and let Andy take you on a fascinating trip through Chanel-land." -- Sally Fellows for The Mystery Bookstore (Omaha)

"[A] fast-paced and engrossing tale of murder and romance." -- Kathy Samuels, Romance Reviews Today

"[A] fun read, with charming, memorable characters." -- Wichita Eagle

"[A] good read...and Andy is a very likeable heroine. The writing is crisp, fast moving and witty." -- Mystery News

"[A] sharp, witty, totally enjoyable book. Thumbs up for a great read!" -- Mary Neal, TheBestReviews.com

"[A]s alluring as an Escada evening dress and as tempting as a slice of death-by-chocolate cake -- Publishers Weekly

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Avon (January 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060563907
• ISBN-13: 978-0060563905
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #958,779 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Susan McBride is the author of LITTLE BLACK DRESS (August 23, 2011, William Morrow), a tale of two sisters, one daughter, and the magical black dress that changes all of their lives forever. She has also penned THE COUGAR CLUB (HarperCollins, 02/10) named a Bookmarked Breakout Title by Target stores, selected as a Midwest Connections Pick by the Midwest Booksellers Association, and on MORE Magazine's list of "February Books We're Buzzing About." In addition, Susan has written five award-winning Debutante Dropout Mysteries for HC/Avon, including TOO PRETTY TO DIE (2008), NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEB (2007), THE LONE STAR LONELY HEARTS CLUB (2006), THE GOOD GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER (2005), and BLUE BLOOD (2004), and three books in The Debs young adult series for Random House/Delacorte: THE DEBS (08/08); LOVE, LIES AND TEXAS DIPS (06/09); and GLOVES OFF (pub date in limbo!). Two Maggie Ryan novels by Susan are still in print, but she isn't the author of the Doodle Books. That's another Susan McBride entirely!

For more scoop, visit http://SusanMcBride.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars an interesting idea not quite accomplished, September 24, 2005

By 

Ms. Ruth Akien - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Good Girl's Guide to Murder (Debutante Dropout Mysteries, No. 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

I really love murder mysteries although they do mostly follow the same structure ( sometimes this is nessecary) where by; a murder is commited (stage one) the detective interviews all the suspects/ follows leads (stage two) and (finally)reveals who the murder is, possibly whilst in danger.

In a good girl's guide to murder, Susan Mcbride instead starts by indicating who is going to be murdered (stage one) and what movives other people might have to do this (stage two) then (finally) 3/4 of the way through the book she stages the murder. This alternative structure allows Mcbride to show a more rounded charecter regarding the murder victim (including why she is so dissliked yet also the charecter's reasons for being so disslikable in more depth than is usually used).

Overall this book has engaging charecters and is easy get into but i did find the actual mystery easy to solve as the clues were not very well hiden and some vital motives were aluded to repeatedly .

This book good for someone looking to try something different but not radically different. It is not as suspenceful as works by other mystery writes (i.e. jerrilyn farmer and joanne fluke) but a reasonable addition to the genre.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Still Wildly Entertaining..., June 13, 2005

By 

Mackie "mackie3745" (Lancaster, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Good Girl's Guide to Murder (Debutante Dropout Mysteries, No. 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

Although this novel falls short in the mystery category, its characters and pace kept me interested until the end. I really didn't want it to stop. I knew many solutions to the twists long before they were revealed in the text, but there were still enough mystery elements left to surprise me. If you enjoy delightful characters, Texas-sized humor, and a lively story, you should enjoy this book!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book has it all -- plotting, characters, wit, romance.., April 4, 2005

By 

M. C. Crammer (Decatur, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Good Girl's Guide to Murder (Debutante Dropout Mysteries, No. 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

This book was a pleasure to read. Andy Kendricks, the "detective" of the series, is thoroughly likeable, not to mention smart, funny, well-grounded in her values, and gutsy. She grew up with Texas wealth and social credentials but shocked everyone by refusing to go through with the expected debut -- hence she is debutante drop-out. Her society mother is trying to marry her off to an eligible man and doesn't like the fact that Andy's boyfriend spends the night (why buy the cow etc.)

The plot involves a Martha-Stewart like character -- Marilu -- who alienates everyone -- except Andy's mother Cissy, who is a Marilu's friend (quite possibly her only friend). Marilu's daughter is an emotional mess and Marilu's employees are treated like dirt (but paid very well).

Cissy strong-arms her daughter into doing some web design for Marilu (she is the 7th in a series of web-masters). The actual murder in this book doesn't take place for quite a while, but you don't mind because you know that you're being introduced to the characters for a reason and it's all done with such wit and panache (the scene of Andy with the fireman is very funny).

I highly recommend this book, and if you haven't read Blue Blood, the first book in the series, you'll probably want to go back and read that too, although you don't have to read them in order.