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43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Smart, Sophisticated, Sexy New Mystery Series!, April 16, 2003
Nora Blackbird's parents left the US for a sunny, tax evaders resort leaving Nora's sister Emma with the art collection and her other sister Libby with the furniture collection. All Nora gets is the property that has been in her family for generations - and a two million dollar tax bill. For the first time in her life, Nora, a former socialite, is forced to *gasp* work. Rory, an old friend of the family who owns a Philadelphia newspaper takes pity on her and hires her as a society page columnist. This is not quite as much fun as it could have been because Kitty, the reigning queen of the society column, believes that Nora is trying to take over her job and gives her all of the bad assignments - like the opening of the monster truck dealership on land that Nora was forced to sell. I mean, its bad enough that Nora sold land that had been in her family for generations, but she sold it to the son of a rumored New Jersey crime boss who sells trucks! To top off her day, Nora discovers the body of her employer and family friend at a party that evening. Nora quickly realizes that the police are out of their depth when it comes to dealing with high society and tries her best to help them out. However, she keeps getting distracted by her flaky sisters and their problems, a slimy art dealer, and the bone-melting come ons she can barely resist from Abruzzo, the suspected crime boss... First of all, in case the synopsis didn't tip you off, this book is not for the hard-core mystery lover. It is kind of a cross between a romance and a mystery novel and fits quite neatly into the "mystery cozy" genre. This is a fun, fast read for those who enjoy their mysteries filled with comments about clothes, food, romance, socialites, art and weird families. Nancy Martin has a nice, smooth writing style and the plot unfolds nicely. I also loved her characters. I mean, where else do you find a reclusive billionaire who collects erotic art, a brother-in-law who dresses up in full Confederate regalia for formal occasions, two flaky, funny sisters, a baby-faced detective who is a lot sharper than he seems, and hosts of other entertaining characters. Sound like fun? This book definitely is!
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fun new series, January 3, 2003
Nora Blackbird's world has been turned upside down. Her husband was killed during a drug deal and her socialite parents have fled to a tropical tax haven to escape creditors. Her sisters got the furniture and art collection and Nora got the family farm and the two million dollar tax bill. She manages to get a job as a social reporter for a family friend's newspaper, but the friend ends up murdered at a party. Nora's curiosity gets the better of her, especially when a folio of erotic art is given to her by her sister to return to the estate. Nora wants to know who killed Rory and why. She has the help of Mick Abruzzo whether she wants it or not. This is a promising new series. The three Blackbird sisters are very quirky from Emma's horse obsession to Nora's fainting spells. The plot is entertaining without being too far fetched and I look forward to the next installment of the series.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Meet the Blackbird Widows!, July 17, 2003
The first book in the Blackbird Sisters mystery series introduces us to a sleek, yet unlucky sleuth trying to stay on the top of the social ladder. The narrator, Nora Blackbird, is a widow (her husband died in a drug deal gone bad) with a $2 million tax bill left to her by her free-spirited parents. When her parents left the country to avoid paying back taxes, Nora got the property (with the tax bill as an added bonus) and her two sisters got the furniture and the art collection. Swallowing her pride, Nora takes a job (albeit a swanky one) writing for the gossip/society page at one of Philadelphia's newspapers. She owes this cushy job to family friend and newspaper owner, Rory Penderghast. However, when she attends a party thrown to honor the newspaper and its lengthy history, she has the unfortunate honor of finding Rory dead in his room. Believing that he could have never killed himself, Nora is determined to find a killer and keep her family's good name in the process. Even though the premise of the series is a bit implausible, I loved this book about these hilarious sisters! They were plucky in the face of doom (how could you ever repay $2 million?) and were determined to triumph over the hard times in their lives. I was glad to see that Nora did not have a completely naïve attitude about money (she did wear her grandmother's evening gowns to parties) but there is something odd about a woman who acts nonchalantly about millions owed to the IRS. Nevertheless, I found this book fun and interesting, and would definitely recommend this book for a lighthearted, fun read. Enjoy! A Cozy Lover
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