Customer Reviews

Mayhem in High Heels

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

 

 

I have enjoyed all the HIGH HEELS books. In fact, if this had been the first one, I probably would have enjoyed it much more than I did, but Ms. Halliday has spoiled me. To me, this one seemed as if the writer were on autopilot, not really polishing the humor as she had in previous books in the series.

And I agree about the guest list. On the same page, it's mentioned the invitations have gone out--then she starts cutting the list. Certainly her own mother knows she can't afford 400 guests. Yes, I know this is a humorous novel, but the reader stops to wonder because the humor isn't grounded and has little motivation. Also, I couldn't believe the wedding was so soon--and she hasn't tasted the cake or chosen place cards or had the final fitting of her wedding dress? And certanly her friends know what she wants for her wedding, so when they completely change the bridesmaids' dresses--WHAT?

All in all, Ms. Halliday has stretched for the humor that seemed to flow so easily (and I know humor isn't easy)in the earlier books. This felt like the last in a series, as if the author is looking ahead, anxious to start something new.

Maddie Springer is getting married in this last installment in the HIGH HEELS series by Gemma Halliday to the hot, sexy homicide detective Jack Ramirez. When her wedding planner is found murdered all mayhem breaks loose. Will Maddie's wedding day be flan or flambé?

MAYHEM IN HIGH HEELS is a hilarious, suspenseful murder mystery. It is brimming with all the key characters from the HIGH HEEL series. Maddie Springer is anxious; hiccups ensue, as she tries to locate a killer after her stylish wedding planner, Gigi, is murdered. Maddie's fiancé Ramirez is in charge of the case. As the two of them work against time to solve the murder, bets are made, and they learn that their love for one another runs deep. Maddie's best friends Dana and Marco assist her with her wedding and unraveling the murder mystery much to her apprehension. What a hilarious pair of friends, but they are true friends in every sense of the word!

I love how Gemma Halliday intertwines laughter and romance with grit, suspense and murder. Her characters have incredible depth, which makes you feel like you know them on a personal level. Her story, MAYHEM IN HIGH HEELS, sparkles with charm unlike any other murder mystery. Each story in this series is exceptional and adds edgy style to today's romance mystery genre. This madcap tale of an offed wedding planner with romance and suspense contains more laugh-out-loud antics than a Peter Sellers, Pink Panther movie!

I'm hopeful this is the last book in the High Heel series, because the characters have run their course and become quite .. boring. Unfortunately, you have a main character - Maddie Springer - that continues to pursue murder suspects despite the fact that her fiancee - Jack Ramirez - is a police detective who continually warns her off the case. The whodunit this time is about a wedding planner who was offed in some icing. The wedding planner - Gigi- happens to be Maddie's wedding planner, so Maddie has a personal interest in the case and knowing who killed her. The mystery itself is pretty generic, and we follow Maddie up and down streets and freeways that only people from Los Angeles will be able to identify with - the descriptions of the setting (i.e. street names, freeways, etc.) are too exact. Anyway, the main problem with the book is that Maddie and her fiancee Ramirez are an extremely poor match; he constantly refers to her as a bimbo and generally thinks she's not very smart. Great catch, right? And Maddie has agreed to marry Ramirez while she secretly harbors a crush on Felix Dunn, and investigative tabloid reporter. Her 'better' match is actually Felix but ... he's going to have his own series according to the information at the end of the book. I hope Maddie and Ramirez sail off into the sunset and never return - their stories are weak and the writing isn't great. There are some amazing cozies out there - despite the inviting cover this isn't one.

I hate to be a downer. I've read the whole series, and I liked the other books. I really did! But I found this one to be a bit of a dud at the end.

I don't want to spoil it, but it seemed anti-climactic and a little too boring after the previous cliff-hanger proposal that I honestly didn't see coming. I was hoping for another surprise or at least a little twist. Instead, it was just another ending to another story.

I can't pan the whole thing based on the ending, though. The first part of the book was entertaining. It just wasn't as entertaining and witty as the previous book.

I guess my advice is go ahead and read it to find out the end to the story, but don't expect fireworks or much suspense, especially when it comes to the ending.

Los Angeles Homicide Detective Jack Ramirez and shoe designer Maddie Springer were in Paris causing the usual MAYHEM IN HIGH HEELS (see ALIBI IN HIGH HEELS) when he proposed and she accepted. Maddie expected nuptial problems from her mom, but did not anticipate wanting to name a hemorrhoid after her. Mom wants to invite half the planet including people neither Maddie nor mom have spoken with in the last decade or so.

To keep the ceremony under control and not need the Coliseum, Maddie hires wedding planner Gigi Van Doren to take care of the gala, but especially to run interference with her mom. Maddie and Jack arrive to test taste their wedding cake in Gigi's Beverly Hills studio; only instead of a sweet and a planner they find a corpse. Someone stabbed Gigi in the back leaving her face buried in the butter cream frosting. Maddie's friends Dana and Marco replace Gigi as the planners while Jack leads the official investigation into the murder. Maddie knows when he works a case he has tunnel vision so to insure he makes it to the ceremony, if for no other reason than not having to explain otherwise to the mother of the bride from hell, she decides to solve the case assisted by her new wedding planners.

The fifth "High Heels' amateur sleuth tale ( see ALIBI IN HIGH HEELS , KILLER IN HIGH HEELS, SPYING IN HIGH HEELS and UNDERCOVER IN HIGH HEELS) is the usual madcap amusing investigation.. As always Maddie's chick lit big mouth manages to get her into trouble with the cops. However, much of the amusing asides come from mom who wants her daughter's nuptial to be the wedding of the century rivaling last century's biggest one, Luke and Laura. Although the usual dueling homicide investigations (amateur and professional) are a bit thin, fans of the series will enjoy the latest hilarious "High Heels" hi-jinx.

Harriet Klausner

As I have said in previous book reviews, I like these, but I hate the careless mistakes the author makes, and why oh why doesn't her editor catch them? Maddie freaks out when she finds out her wedding has 400 plus coming, she goes through the list cutting her third grade ballet teacher, ONE WEEK before the wedding, one has to hope the invites were sent six weeks before the wedding day, and it is too late to edit, seriously, when did these go out? Why is Maddie so clueless about her own wedding? I appreciate light reading, and I don't mind the total lack of reality regarding poilce procedures, it is the sloppy editing I hate.

WARNING: INCLUDES SPOILERS

I typically do not like to include specific plot information in my reviews because I do not want to spoil the book for anyone. However, as I was trying to decide how to review Mayhem, I could not figure out a way to explain myself without including details.

This is the fifth book in the High Heels Mysteries by Gemma Halliday featuring main character Maddie, who is best described as a hot mess. Throughout the series, I have struggled to actually like Maddie, with her lack of reasoning and propensity for over-reaction. However, Halliday's humorous writing style has her coming off like a fashionable train wreck, where I just cannot look away.

Overall, this is my least favorite of the High Heels Mysteries so far. Maddie's neurotic worry about her fiancé's lack of interest in wedding minutia tips the scales toward me not liking the character. I am also, still not sold on the compatibility between Maddie and her primary love interest, Ramirez. Over the course of the series, they spend most of their time arguing, lying to one another, and exhibiting total lack of trust. In fact, strong physical attraction seems to be the extent of their compatibility. This book is no exception, except they trade out the lying for lack of respect for one another's career.

I can admit that my dissatisfaction with the "happy couple" stems in part from my disappointment that she does not end up with Felix, with whom the author created even more chemistry and compatibility. I felt kind of cheated by the whole Felix sub-plot in this book. I know the author felt the need to resolve this thread, but it felt like a quick fix. In the previous two books, Halliday had developed his character beyond the sleazy portrayal of the second book, making him much more complex and endearing. So the quick fall for the cute girl with boobs seemed to turned him into a silly and shallow caricature.

And then there is the wedding nonsense. I know that everyone loses their mind a bit when it comes to weddings, but all of the last minute changes seemed a bit ridiculous. Especially the ones thrown in by Ramirez's family a few days before the wedding, and yet he does nothing to stand up for their plans.

The mystery that unravels through all of this relationship and wedding mayhem is pretty solid. It unfolds in a whirlwind of hilarity and accidental discovery that characterizes the other books. In fact, even with my frustrations noted above, it was still a really fun read, enough to make me buy book 6, anyway. Although, I think I am going to need more going forward to hold my interest.

Halliday dazzles the reader with her charming characters Maddie Springer, a creative and gifted shoe designer and soon-to-be groom, Jack Ramirez, a police detective. Maddie and Jack are happily planning their welding until their wedding planner is murdered!

Amidst the suspenseful drama of finding out "who done it," Maddie and Jack place a personal bet that keeps the reader turning page after page.

If you're looking for several hysterical laughs and unexpected twists and turns, then this is definitely the book for you! And if you're getting married soon, be sure your cake doesn't have a wedding planner on top of it, lol. You'll have to read the book to get that one.

I love this series because it is light and entertaining and yet the mystery is never that obvious.

Spying in High Heels is one of my favorite mystery/chick lit series and Book 5 doesn't let down. I would recommend this to any fan of mysteries and chick lit.
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