Customer Reviews

A Killer Workout: A Fat City Mystery

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The second book in the Fat City Mystery series is another fun read. Kathryn Lilley spins a great story about Kate Gallagher's weight loss pursuit, weaving some characters from the previous book "Dying to be thin" into this tale. We learn more in this book about why Kate's father is so protective of her - her mother was killed in a armed robbery of a bakery -(can this lead to the next book?)

When I read the first installment of the Fat City Mystery series, I had some second thoughts about Ms. Lilley's abilities as a mystery author. She proved me wrong with this second novel featuring Kate Gallagher, investigative reporter.

Whereas previously there were a lot of plot points that were very easy to pick out from the very beginning, in A Killer Workout that was not the case. Ms. Lilley managed to throw enough curveballs to keep me guessing with this one.

I really liked the fact that this wasn't a straight "who killed whom" mystery story. The added layers of insurance fraud, arson and narcotics rings served to provide the reader with plenty to contemplate.

As before, Kate didn't disappoint in the humor department either. She delivered several one liners that forced me to laugh out loud, causing my husband to give me several strange looks from the opposite end of our couch.

And, best of all, her romantic involvements took a turn for the better in this book (at least in my mind). Here's hoping that this particular pairing holds firm the next time we see Kate during her Fat City antics.

It is not easy being a plus size female TV reporter as Kate Gallagher knows first hand from the not so supple hints about her weight from the suits. She decides to trim down so goes to Body Blast run by her old South Boston friend Riley Matthews whose partner is his lover Kahn.. The place is run like a boot camp more than an exclusive exercise spa, but Kate finishes the obstacle course. Her roommate Marnie Taylor fails. The next morning, Kate awakens to find Marnie gone though her bed looks used.

Marnie's body is found on the wall in the obstacle course. Although the evidence points heavily towards murder, the authorities treat the incident as an unfortunate accident. Kate sees the connection between the death of her "body buddy" and another woman who died lat year; the latter's parents sued Body Blast for negligence. Kate asks questions even as someone goes through her things in her room. Kate remains determined to solve what she now believes is two homicides although by continuing to sleuth she could end upping the murder count with her death.

It is fascinating to learn how a television news story comes together even before the on screen journalist gives the report on the air. Late is a complete professional who knows she needs to lose weight if she wants to move on to the big city TV news shows, but isn't panicking to do so as she is overall comfortable with herself as she is. Her investigation is fun to follow as she uses her investigative news skills in search of a killer.

Harriet Klausner

She's back and this time our friend Kate Gallagher is determined to lose the unwanted weight even if it kills somebody. Kate is a lovely auburn haired, blue eyed, full figured investigative reporter who would love to move to a bigger market and become an anchor. She has the talent, the wit and even the looks from the neck up for the job, but lacks one thing--being a size 2 or smaller. Even her most loyal viewers are now trying to help with her weight issues by giving her unwanted advice. They email and call in their advice on what they think will help in her audience approval ratings.

As with some of us, Kate sometimes uses food as comfort, but as she struggles to drop the weight, she decides that she needs more than some fancy smacy spa. She needs to work it off in a no holds barred workout situation, and she knows just the place, boot camp. Her longtime friend Riley and his partner Kahn run Body Blast a no nonsense boot camp that Kate feels will whip her into shape. Little did she know that a weekend at Body Blast would be like spending the weekend with the Marines.

As with her first book, the author Kathryn Lilley inserts little interesting diet tidbits. She also infuses laughter along with the suspense.

In the first couple of chapters we learn more about Kate's background, and how her self- image has been molded by life circumstances. This book has murder, in fact it has two murders, a home break in, a pot growing business, embezzlement and much more which seems like a lot, but Ms. Lilley keeps it all straight and easy to follow.

Kate may be a yo yo dieter, but she is a straight forward, no nonsense investigative reporter so when her roommate is found dead on the obstacle course she goes into investigative mode and is hungrily on the trail of the killer. Ms. Lilley takes us along with Kate as she tries to bring her story to her viewing audience.

Through this adventure Kate will have a little romance, a little laughter and a lot of suspense. She may just work so hard that she just forgets to eat.

As the story of Kate continues, I give this book a rating of 4 stars.

Reviewed by Marcia D. C. Johns
For BBW Reviews

Hey, this is not great literature, but it is fast paced and funny and fun to read.
I gave it 5 fun stars.

This is the second in her Fat City Mystery series. Kate Gallagher, a plus-sized investigative reporter signed up for a weight-loss boot camp experience. She needs to lose weight in order to maintain air time, as was strongly hinted at by her boss. She enrolls in the camp owned by a childhood friend, Riley. Once again, Kate finds herself amidst a murder investigation. She also must come to terms with the men in her life. This was a delightful read. It has the right mix of suspense, mystery, humor and romance.

A Killer Workout centers around the deaths of two women at Body Blast, a fitness camp run by her friend Riley, and covers everything from molestation of a teenager to catty rivals, arson, drug rings, an engagement ring, and whoopee pies. Kate Gallagher is a reporter, not a detective, but when her roommate at Body Blast (where she's gone to shape up to keep her viewers content) dies mysteriously, she's not only reporting the story, but part of it, especially when she discovers there's been a previous death at the same location.

Lilley weaves many possibility villains into her plot, making us keep guessing until the end, and her ending is not only satisfying, but plays into the themes of weight she covers in the book. The mystery takes numerous twists and turns, with characters who all, if you think about them too hard, seem a little shady. Lilly does a great job conveying Kate's aggravations on the job, attempts to puzzle out seemingly random clues, and battling not just the bulge, but those who are more than happy to highlight her shortcomings.

The subplots, such as Kate's would-be fiancé Leo who's really into her, except for the whole size thing, give this a sweetly romantic tone, while Kate proves herself a heroine who can not only stand up for herself in the newsroom and go up against bad guys who burn cigarettes into her palm, but can take a chance on love. This was my first Fat City mystery, but I look forward to reading the others--and getting more motivating little workout tips. A great book to work up a sweat while reading on the elliptical (which I did).

This book was very enjoyable. I liked it so much that I ordered the rest in the series! (Can't wait for the upcoming release...)

After reading the first in the series, "Dying to Be Thin", I was excited to read this entry. It did not disappoint. This book was full of mystery, humor and even romance. I was pleased with the character development, plot lines and sub plots. I liked that we learned more about Kate's past and her mother's murder. All in all it was a great read.

I cannot wait for the next one in the series. Here's hoping that this series continues for a while.