See Isabelle Run [Hardcover]

Elizabeth Bloom (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 21, 2005

Combining thrills with attitude, this novel follows a jilted bride uncoveringsinister secrets at a multimedia empire.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It's hard to believe that the author of the Alex Bernier books (Ecstasy, etc., under her maiden name of Beth Saulnier) could produce this awkward mystery. Like a gawky teenager, there's some appeal here, but the self-consciousness and gaffes make it a little painful to witness. Isabelle Leonard has moved to New York City to be with her future husband only to be left at the altar. Broke and friendless, she lands a job at Becky Belden Multimedia, the eponymous Becky being a cross between Oprah Winfrey and Martha Stewart. Isabelle quickly becomes aware that employees are turning up dead left and right, a fact that apparently no one else has noted. Her instant best friend, a stereotypical gay co-worker, Trevor Hopkins, offers support but no help and, inevitably, meets an unfortunate fate, as does Isabelle's immediate boss. Meanwhile, handsome Max Collins, a Becky Belden executive, becomes a love interest tainted with a predictable measure of mystery and suspicion. Between Isabelle's juvenile handling of men in bars and her fiction writing, she picks up remarkably few clues, but eventually finds herself in an all-too-predictable showdown. Isabelle seems like a sweet kid, but she's a little tedious, and she's found herself in a story plagued with stiff and obvious plotting.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Bloom's freewheeling debut introduces a captivating protagonist named Isabelle Leonard. When her fiance dumps her at the altar, the feisty Isabelle doesn't fall apart. Instead, she dances on the table at her reception. Her actions earn a front-page mention in a major New York newspaper, and in the resulting 15 minutes of fame, decorating maven Becky Belden hires Isabelle to work at her magazine--part of Belden's vast media empire. It seems like a dream job until Isabelle's boss dies under odd circumstances, and Isabelle discovers that many of Becky's employees have died recently. Soon, Isabelle herself is targeted, and in typical hardheaded fashion, she begins a zealous investigation into the deaths. The more clues she discovers, the more likely it seems that her new executive boyfriend might be the murderer, or the one ordering the murders. Bloom adds just enough serious moments to keep the story from becoming too frothy, but Isabelle's quirky personality allows for plenty of fun. As the broke-and-beautiful heroine dashes through Manhattan to avoid being murdered, readers may be tempted to take up the media's cry of "Give 'em hell, Isabelle!" A first-rate flight of fancy. Jenny McLarin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Mysterious Press; First Edition edition (March 21, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892967854
• ISBN-13: 978-0892967858
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 1 x 8.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,801,512 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Grand romp!, July 2, 2005

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: See Isabelle Run (Hardcover)

've said it before, I'll say it again! I enjoy a good mystery but I love a good mystery that has some humor in it. And I also enjoy discovering new authors. The upside of finding new talent is the joy of reading what they've written. The downside is that I have to wait and pray that there will be more books to follow. Elizabeth Bloom, author of See Isabelle Run is an author to watch for.

Isabelle Leonard was left at the altar just moments before her wedding. But that didn't prevent her from going dateless to her reception, dancing on a table and ending up a New York news story. Then reality smacks her in the pocketbook. Without a husband and a job, she can't afford the apartment she's living in on the upper east side and doesn't know where her next meal is coming from.

Isabelle takes a job at Becky Belden Multimedia where the corporate culture is perky and creepy at the same time. Becky Belden, the creator and head of BBM is a Martha Stewart-like clone. Soon after joining the BBM family, Isabelle discovers that employees are dropping dead like flies. See Isabelle run as she becomes the next target for the killer.

This is a witty, well-written read. I must admit that I stayed up far too late finishing it. But that's a good thing. Elizabeth Bloom should only get better with subsequent books. If you want a fast, fun read, See Isabelle Run might just be what you're looking for.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Bring back Beth Saulnier!! She's better than Elizabeth Bloom!, July 22, 2005

By 

Danielle (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: See Isabelle Run (Hardcover)

Elizabeth Bloom is the married name of the author Beth Saulnier. I enjoyed all of Beth Saulnier "Alex Bernier" mystery books ... but See Isabelle Run was just not the best I've ever read. It seemed so fake and so predictable. I like it when I can't figure out who's done it ... with this book, I could figure it out all along. The plot and dialogue is reminiscent of a movie you might see on the Lifetime Network. Isabelle and Mac seemed exactly like the couple in the Alex Bernier books.

Elizabeth Bloom should have stayed single in Ithaca! Getting married and moving to NYC are not boding well for her writing. Bring back Beth Saulnier and the Alex Bernier stories!

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Romantic Suspense Novel, June 18, 2005

By 

Chris (Atlanta) - See all my reviews

This review is from: See Isabelle Run (Hardcover)

I don't know what the reviewer for Publisher's Weekly could have been thinking when he/she so thoroughly trashed this novel. It is delightful! Isabelle is a great heroine that most young, working women can identify with and the Becky Beldon Multimedia spoof of Martha Stewart Omnimedia is hilarious. The suspense portion of the plot is well done and a genuine puzzle, unlike so many other books in this category. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that the romance portion of the book is written somewhat oddly/awkwardly but still, this is a great book when you are looking for something fun to read.