USA Today bestselling author Julie Kenner follows up her acclaimed thrillers The Givenchy Code and The Manolo Matrix with a whip-smart new adventure in code-breaking -- Hollywood-style!
Devi Taylor was one of Hollywood's fastest-rising starlets -- until a crazed fan held her at knifepoint and she retreated to a life of privacy and Valium. Now recovered and ready for a comeback, Devi dreams of endorsing all things Prada, whose Rodeo Drive store she can't resist. Instead, she lands the starring role in The Givenchy Code, a high-budget action-adventure flick. But with the tabloids all over Givenchy and her recent split with her drop-dead handsome costar, Blake, Devi can't shake the feeling that another crazed fan is going to strike.
Then a frightening message -- "Play or Die" -- is delivered to Devi's house, and she finds herself sucked into a deadly and cryptic game not unlike the one in the movie she's starring in. Hollywood has always been her life, but does Devi know its secrets well enough to follow the cinematic clues that might save her and her favorite Prada bag?
Julie Kenner is the author of two previous novels in this series,The Givenchy Code and The Manolo Matrix, both available from Downtown Press. Her novel Aphrodite's Kiss was a USA Today bestseller, and Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom was a Book Sense Summer Paperback Pick. Her other acclaimed novels include Nobody But You and The Spy Who Loves Me. She lives in Georgetown, Texas, with her husband and daughter.
"Another delightfully clever mix of chick-lit and thriller. Readers who like their suspense novels with a sexy edge and a wicked sense of humor will find Kenner irresistible." -- Booklist on The Manolo Matrix
When Julie was knee-high to a grasshopper (an expression that she would like it known she has never, ever used in real life) she informed her parents that she was going to be a novelist, and proceeded to write Kitty Claws, a bestselling book about a cat as Santa. (The book sold out its entire print-run of one, so lets not split hairs about that "best-selling" thing, okay?)
After that stellar start, Julie continued to dabble in the literary arts, writing short stories on yellow pads that she forced her mother to type, scribbling poems on ruled notebook paper that she forced her mother to type, making up skits and songs that she forced her mother to watch and listen to, and diving head-first into high school journalism, at which point, mom finally got a break.
In college, she continued with the journalism thing, picking that as her major and working at The Daily Texan, the student newspaper for the University of Texas. The idea that she could actually write novels and, oh, buy food too, completely eluded her.
The journalism thing cranked along nicely for about one semester. Then Julie got a job as a production assistant on a movie originally called Splatter, but which was released as Future Kill (and can still be found in Blockbuster and through Netflix), with really great Giger poster art. Julie worked her tail off, appeared as an extra, had a great time, and promptly switched her major to film.
Graduating at the ripe old age of 19, Julie chickened out and didn't move to Los Angeles to become the next Steven Spielberg. Instead, she stayed in Austin and worked as a media assistant until she decided that perhaps law school was the better way to go because, hey, a degree in film slides so seamlessly into law. (Or, more likely, grad school was inevitable and the LSAT seemed doable.) Not one to waste time, Julie took the LSAT in December, and was admitted to Baylor Law School on a full scholarship the following February. Law school and Julie got along great, and after graduation, Julie went to work as a law clerk on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, where she had a fabulous time drafting legal opinions, preparing the judge for court, and taking regular trips to New Orleans on a government per diem. During her two year stint as a clerk, the writing bug bit again, and Julie wrote a stage play that will never, ever see the light of day. Really. So don't even ask.
After her clerkship, Julie decided she could handle moving to the Big City, and she took a job with Skadden, Arps in L.A., where she worked on a variety of cases with some very smart lawyers. After a year, she moved on to smaller and smaller firms (and had a short stint as a production exec at a small film company, thus justifying all those credit hours in college). She continued to work with very smart lawyers, one of whom introduced Julie to Julie Garwood (her books, not the woman herself), and the writing bug bit again.
Though Julie had been dabbling with writing in her limited spare time, she'd lacked focus. Now, she'd found it, and she was determined to write an historical romance. You may, after reviewing Julie's book list, note that there are no historical romances on there. Let's just say that she didn't succeed at that task. Julie did, however, discover that while she has a head for contemporary nuances, the ins-and-outs of historical detail are enough to make her head explode.
The in-progress historical was promptly shelved, and Julie turned her attention to fleshing out a contemporary romance, having decided that category romance was the way to go, since with the demands of a legal job, she'd be much more likely to finish 240 manuscript pages than 400.
Finish them she did, and though she got nice feedback on the voice, the novel didn't sell. One editor, Harlequin's Brenda Chin, returned a rejection letter with a note that the hook wasn't enough of a "sexy premise."
Always up for a challenge, Julie came up with the opening line, "You need a man," which she thought had oodles of sexy premise potential. She just had to find a story to go with the line. Eventually, she did, and Nobody Does It Better, Julie's first published novel, was born. She entered the first few chapters in contests, finaled, and was ultimately judged by that same Brenda Chin, who ended up buying the manuscript. (Which is not the reason Julie thinks Brenda is a really cool person. Truly.)
By that time, Julie had realized that 400 pages were manageable after all, and she'd almost completed a paranormal romance along the lines of The Little Mermaid about a cat who is in love with her master. The Cat's Fancy sold just a few months after the original sale. Both books came out in 2000, along with a second Temptation, and Julie has had at least 3 books hit the shelves annually every since, and now has well over twenty books to her credit, crossing over a multitude of genres, most of which are represented in some way by the clever pictures in the collage at the top of this page.
Praised by Publishers Weekly as an author with a "flair for dialogue and eccentric characterizations," Julie's books have hit lists as varied as USA Today, Waldenbooks, Barnes & Noble, and Locus Magazine, all of which has made Julie a happy camper. Julie is also a two-time RITA finalist, both times for books about strong women (a superhero and a demon-hunter). There's probably some deep meaning there, and if you know what it is, feel free to drop Julie a line.
Julie was also the winner of Romantic Times' Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Contemporary Paranormal of 2001, the winner of the Reviewers International Organization's award for best romantic suspense of 2004 and best paranormal of 2005, and the winner of the National Readers' Choice Award for best mainstream book of 2005. Not that she's keeping track or anything.
Julie writes a range of stories including quirky romances, sexy contemporaries, young adult novels, suspense, paranormal mommy lit, and (soon!) darker urban fantasy.
Her initial foray into the urban fantasy mommy lit genre--Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom--proved especially successful, resulting in a Booksense pick, a Target break-out book, other accolades and honors, and a movie deal. Specifically, Carpe Demon, is in development as a feature film with Warner Brothers and 1492 Pictures. Julie frequently pounds on her battered wooden desk (Salvation Army, $25, gotta love it) in order to urge the project from development to screen. (In Hollywood, these things are never certain until you're watching the movie and eating popcorn.)
Julie and her husband moved from Southern California back to Texas in 1995, and Julie quit the practice of law to write full time in 2004. Now, she lives and writes in central Texas with her husband, two daughters, and several cats. She is an active supporter of Love Without Boundaries. Click here to learn more about the charities Julie supports.
Devi Taylor is a famous actress who unwittingly gets sucked into the role she is playing. She has the role of Melanie Prescott whose story started the series about Play.Survive.Win.
Devi and her ex who plays Melanie's protecter in the movie (and husband) end up getting set up in their own version of Play.survive.Win and try to beat the clock figuring out different clues along with Andrew Garrison (a person who is introduced in the second installment, who was sucked into the game before) as their protector.
As Devi and her ex get to the end of the game things start clicking into place as they find out who actually is involved in bringing Play.survive.Win into the real world.
Great conclusion to an awsome series-and keeps you guessing till the end.
I am a huge fan of this series, and couldn't wait until the final installment was released. All in all, it was a good read, but it leaves much to be desired. First of all, too much time is spent on Devi's backstory; you're a third of the way through the book before the game even gets underway. What I enjoyed so much about The Givinchy Code is that the action started almost immediately - with Mel, a girl we didn't know, caught up in this deadly game of cat and mouse...but as the story unfolded, we learned more about her and started to care about her welfare. In The Prada Paradox, we are introduced to Devi and beat over the head with her history - and the end result is that she ends up coming off as a whiny, self-absorbed, and spoiled Hollywood "it" girl. And because so much time is spent telling her story, not so much time is spent on the actual game - which is why we read the book, right? Secondly, don't get me started about how easy it was to guess the PSW mastermind...even if you're not looking to solve the mystery before the end of the book, the answer will slap you in the face (several times) before it is at last revealed - so expect some disappointment.
In a nutshell, it was a fun and fast read...but was a disappointing end to the trilogy. The story wasn't all that creative, and the plot was somewhat predictable. I think The Prada Paradox stands much better on it's own than as a "final chapter" to the series.
Play. Survive. Win. (PSW) is a popular online multiplayer computer game. It takes place in a computer version of New York City. There are three players per game. One is the Target, one is the Protector, and one is the Assassin. The Target must follow clues around NYC until the last clue is found and deciphered. During this time, the Assassin is trying to kill the Target and the Protector is trying to keep the Target alive. The creator of the game, Archibald Grimaldi, drowned many years ago, but the game is still going strong. Unfortunately, some crazy person has brought the game into the real world. The Target is slipped a slow poison before being notified that they have been drafted into the real world version of the game. The Target either plays the game or dies.
A few years ago, Melanie Prescott (Target) and Matthew Stryker (Protector) had been unwilling players in the real world version of PSW. To get the word out about this VERY deadly version of the game, PSW is in the process of becoming a movie titled "The Givenchy Code".
Actress Devi Taylor is playing the role of Melanie. Devi has been in the public eye since she was a child star. But after being attacked three years ago, in her own home, by a crazed fan calling himself Janus, she has been in hiding. It has taken a lot of courage for Devi to come back into the spotlight. She takes her privacy extra seriously now. Devi's home is like a fortress and she lets very little slip to the media. Some of the things Devi has let "slip" are false. This gives her an extra feeling of control over her private life. The only major problem with the picture is that the leading man is her ex-boyfriend, Blake Atwood.
Blake Atwood did not intentionally humiliate Devi on Letterman's show. He knows the moment the vile words leaves his mouth that he has made a horrible mistake. That mistake costs him Devi's affection. But Blake is determined to win Devi back, no matter what it takes. Blake just happens to be beside Devi when she gets word that she is the Target and Janus is the Assassin! Knowing that Devi has less than twenty-four hours to solve the clues and find the antidote is tearing him apart. Worse, since Andy Garrison is the Protector, Blake is not allowed to help in any way, shape, or form.
**** This is the third installment of the PSW trilogy. Much time has to be spent familiarizing the readers with Devi's background, so not as much time is spent on the actual scavenger hunt. However, Devi's background is almost as interesting as the hunt itself. The main characters of the first book (The Givenchy Code) come back as minor characters in this episode. Andy played a small role in the first novel also. Now he must act out the Protector role. Since he has prior experience, this could be an asset for Devi.
One thing is for sure, once the game begins in earnest I found myself unable to even sit back in my chair. I was on the edge of my seat and reading as quickly as my eyes would move. Fans of mystery books might be able to figure out some things quicker than most readers, but all-in-all this is one intense read. Recommended! ****
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