Lethal [Paperback]

Shari Shattuck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 31, 2005

She's whip-smart and wise-cracking...

Los Angeles socialite Callaway Wilde is having her day in court -- on jury duty, that is: even supremely wealthy heiresses accustomed to the good life still have to serve in the name of justice. But on a break from the courtroom, while browsing the hushed, upscale shops of the city's Little Japan district, Cally encounters a crime-in-progress: a beautiful young Asian woman is being assaulted by a menacing thug -- and when Cally steps in to exact a little justice of her own, she takes a bullet for her troubles.

...and happy to be alive.

Luckily, the $600 Japanese art book Cally purchased on a whim deflected the round -- confirming the importance of impulse shopping. Unluckily, the mystery behind Aya, the alluring medical student Cally rescued, has only just begun. Uncovering Aya's shadowed past is a dangerous proposition for Cally and her irresistibly sexy detective-lover Evan Paley. An even more dangerous proposition is getting closer to Evan -- Cally knows he's the one, but is she ready to trade in their open-door policy for a lifetime commitment and risk needing someone that much? The future may be decided for her as she and Evan descend into a lethal world of drugs, murder, and the sensual secrets of the geisha....

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

What's a wealthy, gorgeous woman to do when she has a hunky, workaholic detective boyfriend, an overactive sense of good Samaritanism and too much time on her hands? Get in trouble, of course, and Cally Wilde does just that at the start of this improbable read. Set in Los Angeles-and populated by the kind of effortlessly rich, charismatic people who make Jeff Bezos look like an underachiever-the book opens with Cally saving a pretty Japanese woman named Aya from an abusive man. Cally gets grazed by a bullet in the process, but that doesn't stop her from befriending Aya or from coming to her rescue when her attacker returns. Before long, Cally and her colorful clique-including her well-off boyfriend, Evan; her mouthy girlfriend, Ginny; and her witless half-sister, Sabrina-are embroiled in a tangled web involving Columbian drug dealers, a possibly shady Japanese businessman and two enigmatic geishas. Reading this book is much like riding in the passenger seat of a sports car with a lead-footed driver at the helm. The momentum of the story keeps you nailed to your seat, but the ride is sometimes so chaotic that you long for solid ground. It's often not clear why Cally and her friends do what they do (e.g., shortly after deciding that they need to fake the death of one of the geishas they're protecting, Cally and Ginny go golfing), and the protagonists' innuendo-laced banter occasionally misfires. Nevertheless, this follow-up to Shattuck's Loaded is light, whirlwind entertainment for those who like the feel of the wind in their hair.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Shattuck's follow-up to Loaded (2003) finds independently wealthy sleuth Cally Wilde happily dating Evan Paley, the sexy detective she met on her first case. Her second adventure begins in the Little Tokyo district in L.A. where she comes upon a man attacking a young woman. Cally rescues the woman, whose name is Aya, and learns that the attack was in no way random after Evan gets shot in the leg, and Aya reluctantly reveals that her wealthy patron has another ward, named Shika, who is on the run from her former lover, a Colombian drug lord. But there's even more to the story than Aya is telling them, and Cally soon finds herself and her loved ones drawn into the web of a dangerous conspiracy. Unlike many heroines in chick-lit detective novels, Cally is never irritating or grating; instead, she is a fully formed, strong, and engaging character throughout this fast-paced and suspenseful mystery. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Books (May 31, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743463854
• ISBN-13: 978-0743463850
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #561,249 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fast Paced, Sexy Fun Summer Book, September 9, 2005

By 

Nicole J. Wilder - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lethal (Paperback)

If you are looking for a fun and engrossing mystery to read this summer (or even this fall), I highly recommend "Lethal" by Shari Shattuck. I bought the book on a whim at Barnes and Noble right before I headed off to Hawaii for a vacation, and couldn't take my head out of the book during the whole flight! I didn't know what to expect from the book being that I was unfamiliar with the author's previous work, but I wanted something fast paced, sexy with a good mystery thrown in, and that's what I got! Interesting plot twists and intrigue...It's a sassy, great book to read...I recommend it...

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fast-paced investigative tale, May 25, 2005

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lethal (Paperback)

In Los Angeles, Calloway "Cally" Wilde finishes her shopping at the Little Tokyo Plaza and heads towards her car, when she sees a man with a gun accost an Asian girl. She intercedes using her umbrella as a weapon, but the guy shoots her before fleeing the scene. Although not much more than a scratch, the potential victim Aya Aikosha insures Cally goes to the hospital.

As Cally and Aya become acquainted, she begins to realize that a seemingly everyday occurrence, a mugging, is just the tip of the iceberg. Soon with her beloved Detective Evan Paley at her side more to do the impossible and keep her safe, Cally investigates illegal drug activities, the Geisha and homicide. However, someone perhaps the guy with the gun who introduced her to Aya, wants to silent the nosy American. Even Evan may prove not enough.

LETHAL is a fast-paced investigative tale LOADED with plenty of action and strong characters especially the heroine, who is a Good Samaritan instead of the "Bad Girl" label. The story line grips the audience once Cally intercedes in the mugging and never slows down until Los Angeles residents will feel they were hit by an earthquake. Shari Shattuck writes a fine romantic mystery with the emphasis on the wild female champion digging deeper into what is going on as much as her own grave if she is not cautious (a word not fully in her vocabulary).

Harriet Klausner

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fabulous sequel!, December 2, 2005

By 

K. Mcelheny "K. McElheny" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lethal (Paperback)

I would say that "Lethal" (and its predecessor "Loaded")are very definitely more than a notch above your average romance novel. Likeable characters, (including some you like to hate!) sexy and fast-paced, it kept me interested and involved throughout. Great fun! Can't wait to see Ms. Shattuck stretch some more and bring us some other good yarns!