Ghost Writers In the Sky (The Camilla Randall Mysteries) [Kindle Edition]

Anne R. Allen (Author), Saffina Desforges (Foreword)

Book Description

Dorothy Parker meets Agatha Christie.

"Chick-lit noir with a side of funny." - Ruth Harris, NYT best-selling author of "Modern Women" and "Husbands and Lovers".

"Chick-lit for brunettes." - Saffina Desforges, Kindle UK best-selling author of "Sugar & Spice" and the "Rose Red" crime thriller series.

After her celebrity ex-husband’s ironic joke about her “kinky sex habits” is misquoted in a tabloid, New York etiquette columnist Camilla Randall’s life unravels in bad late night jokes.

Nearly broke and down to her last Hermes scarf, she accepts an invitation to a Z-list Writers’ Conference in the wine-and-cowboy town of Santa Ynez, California, where, unfortunately, a cross-dressing dominatrix plies her trade by impersonating Camilla.

When a ghostwriter’s plot to blackmail celebrities with faked evidence leads to murder, Camilla must team up with the dominatrix to stop the killer.

Meanwhile, a wannabe writer who happens to be a hot L.A. cop just may steal her heart.

~

Grab yourself a glass of wine, a box of chocolates and a comfy sofa, and enjoy.

Product Details

• File Size: 559 KB
• Print Length: 303 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Mark Williams international Digital Publishing (October 25, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005ZU4OAC
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #485,781 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars FUN AND INTRIGUING December 13, 2011

By Donna Hole

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This story is best described as a classic "whodunnit" with a touch of the grittier "hard boiled" American version of detective stories - minus the on stage violence. Perhaps, chick lit meets the cozy?

I'm not normally a fan of mystery novels - cozy or hard boiled - because the plots are usually so convoluted I feel I need to take notes to keep track of all the clues to determine which were mentioned and which were "dropped in" conveniently at the climax/resolution. I didn't feel that sense of loss in Anne's novel however.

As an example (and not a spoiler): our heroine Ms. Camilla Randall (Dr Manners) is given a key to an essential character's red Ferrari to get her from a crime scene to a safe area. She gets out of the car, pushes the button to lock the vehicle, and drops the key in her purse. A perfectly natural act, one so routine it is forgettable. Later, at a point of misdirection, the key is in the purse, exactly where it needs to be. There are many such expertly integrated plot points throughout the "puzzle". Essential objects are moved about in such subtle, routine manner you forget you notice, until the point you need to remember.

I won't mention the Fendi shoe - you'll just have to discover that one on your own (LOL).

I never once had to flip back through pages to see if the clue was previously mentioned (and believe me, with an e-book, page flipping is no easy maneuver). The reader is drawn into the mystery, not lead or deceived. The misdirection is successfully accomplished, and in the end, I was doing a "Duh, of course."

I especially loved the voice of the MC, Dr Manners. Whitty, intelligent, fashionable. The story plot was a bit over dramatic, but still completely believable. The type of scenario I could see escalating out of proportion to the circumstances in my everyday life.

I did a lot of giggling, outright laughing, and head nodding in agreement, and eye-candy type drooling while reading Ghost Writers In The Sky. The characters were vividly portrayed, the dialogue so real I wanted to check gossip magazines for the fictional celebrities, the humor and action blended perfectly.

If you're looking for pure entertainment with a nostalgic feel, and a game of follow the clues, you'll love this novel as much as I did.

........DHOLE

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Ghost Writers In the Sky October 29, 2011

By ananimiti

Format:Kindle Edition

The setting for this fast-moving mystery is that glamorous rural celebrity playground we've all seen backdropping upscale Westerns, the scenarios we'd love to live in if we but had the resources. Anne Allen creates a very recognizable facsimile of the classic Western, complete with the classic personas, to play out clever contortions of murder and mystery. All sorts of wannabe writers mill around the rustic setting of a writers' conference: dewy, suspicious, earnest, and funny, to populate the action with fascinating suspects. It's fun to read because of her ingenious and witty style.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Ghostwriters: A Humorist's Feast February 2, 2012

By Kathleen Keena

Format:Kindle Edition

Deep in the bosom of cow gal country, Golden West Writer's conference guest speaker, Dr. Manners, must beg her audience's pardon. The impeccable etiquette of her inner great aunt has been violated by the recent release of her photo in a compromising sadomasochistic posture with her journalist ex-husband.
Aside from the criminally poor writing of the would-be novelists at the Rancho Montano Grande conference, other crimes, specifically murders, are being committed. Dr. Manners, or Camilla Randall, nonfiction columnist, attempts to retain her composure wearing trashed designer clothing and size twelve footwear.
Superbly written, masterfully crafted, a humorist's feast.

More About the Author

Anne R. Allen is the author of six romantic-comedy/mysteries: THE GATSBY GAME, FOOD OF LOVE and the Camilla Randall mysteries: THE BEST REVENGE, GHOSTWRITERS IN THE SKY, SHERWOOD, LTD., and NO PLACE LIKE HOME. Her publisher is Mark Williams international Digital Publishing.

She's the co-author of HOW TO BE A WRITER IN THE E-AGE...AND KEEP YOUR E-SANITY, written with Catherine Ryan Hyde.

Anne's short story BETTY JO STEVENSON RIDES AGAIN is available as a MWiDP single and her short fiction also appears in the SAFFINA DESFORGES PRESENTS Kindle Break anthology, MARTINI MADNESS, the INDIE CHICKS ANTHOLOGY, and the Literary Lab anthologies GENRE WARS and NOTES FROM UNDERGROUND.

Her blog, which she shares with NYT bestselling author Ruth Harris, was named one of the 50 Top Blogs for Authors by TribalNationDaily, and was a finalist for best publishing industry blog by Goodreads and the Association of American Publishers.

Anne is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College and spent twenty-five years in the theater--acting and directing--before taking up fiction writing. She is the former artistic director of the Patio Playhouse in Escondido, CA and now lives on the Central Coast of California.