From Publishers Weekly
The third cleverly plotted Bailey Weggins mystery from Cosmopolitan editor-in-chief White (after 2003's A Body to Die For) provides a juicy inside look at the well-to-do matrons of tony Greenwich, Conn. Lounging at home one winter evening in Manhattan, the 30-something Bailey gets an unexpected call from one of her fellow bridesmaids from "the infamous Cross-Slavin wedding" held the previous spring. Ashley Hanes wants the Gloss magazine true-crime reporter/amateur detective to look into a bizarre coincidence: two bridesmaids have died, both seemingly by accident. So Ashley and Bailey travel to Greenwich to talk with the star of the wedding herself, Peyton Cross. Through her heroine's funny, self-deprecating voice, the author deliciously conveys the milieu of moneyed Greenwich-ites (and their New York counterparts). One has to wonder, though, why the refreshingly down-to-earth Bailey is even friends with the likes of Peyton Cross, a "Bridezilla" unpleasantly obsessed with perfection. White keeps everything light, but she also sustains a real sense of mystery, with less than obvious motives and a positively suspenseful denouement. Ultimately, the pleasures here are more gossipy than criminal. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From AudioFile
Kate Walsh depicts true crime writer/private investigator Bailey Weggins as young and vivacious. Being a bridesmaid in a friend's wedding puts Bailey in peril as the bridesmaids die after the wedding, one by one, until only Bailey is left. Her investigation turns deadly as threats mount against her. Walsh is particularly adept with the caretaker's Australian accent and with male characterization. Her pace carries the listener, and music enhances the story in tense moments, as well as indicates story breaks. Outstanding characterization makes this an exceptional audio. G.D.W. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
Bailey Weggins, the brainchild of Cosmopolitan editor-in-chief White, seems a little tired. Who wouldn't be at the rate she's solving murders: If Looks Could Kill debuted the popular series in 2002 and was followed by A Body to Die For in 2003. Weggins' main job is writing true-crime stories for a Cosmo-like magazine called Gloss, but she seems to stumble across as many dead bodies as she does ideas for articles. Here the deceased are all bridesmaids of a Martha Stewart wanna-be, Peyton Cross. Weggins was in the wedding party, too, so it seems natural for one of the maids left standing to get in touch with her, both for her amateur-sleuthing skills and because she, too, may be marked for death. There are lots of circumlocutions here, but sometimes Weggins (and White) appears to be just going through the motions--it's that time of year, she seems to be saying, so bring on another murder. Despite the signs of fatigue, though, there's still plenty to be entertained by here. The unveiling of the murderer has some bite, and Bailey is as endearing as ever, proving again that, in mysteries, it's not so much what happens as who it happens to that matters. This isn't as strong as its predecessors, but that won't keep it from drawing a crowd. It won't hurt that an hour-long ABC pilot is in the works called Bailey Weggins. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description
When Bailey Weggins receives a phone call from Ashley Hanes, she assumes Ashley needs a fashion or publishing related favor. After all, Bailey only met the woman once when they were both bridesmaids in a wedding, and they didn't have anything in common. But Ashley needs more from Bailey than help getting into a Chanel sample sale. It turns out that two of the bridesmaids from the wedding have died in what appear to be freak accidents. One was electrocuted in her bathtub and the other had a fatal reaction to antidepressants. Ashley is sure the two cases aren't just a horrible coincidence and convinces Bailey to investigate. Before you can say "'Til death do us part," Ashley's lifeless body is found at the bottom of a flight of stairs, and Bailey realizes that she easily could be next on the killer's list.


Download Description
When Ashley Hanes calls Bailey Weggins out of the blue, Bailey figures she's calling to ask for a fashion or publishing-related favor. Bailey only met Ashley once when they were both bridesmaids in Peyton Cross's wedding, and they didn't have anything in common. But Ashley wants more from Bailey than help getting into a Chanel sample sale. She tells Bailey that two of the bridesmaids from Peyton's wedding have died in what seem to be unrelated accidents. One was killed when a clock radio fell into her bath, and the other had a fatal reaction to some antidepressants she was taking. Bailey thinks that the deaths were probably just weird coincidences, but she lets Ashley convince her to at least speak to Peyton. And if the deaths weren't weird coincidences Bailey has a real reason to worry-she was a bridesmaid at Peyton's wedding too.


About the Author
Kate White lives in New York City.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
One of the most exciting talents on the mystery beat is Cosmopolitan editor-in-chief Kate White, whose first two ventures into fiction (A Body to Die For and If Looks Could Kill) have showcased her extraordinary talent for combining true-life journalistic know-how with stylish, suspense-filled fiction. Her sensational series, set in the New York magazine-publishing world, features the exploits of Bailey Weggins, a sexy, savvy New York City investigative reporter working for an upscale woman's magazine called Gloss.

Bailey specializes in true crime and human interest stories, and she likes to emphasize the personal angle in her work. But, in her latest investigation, that personal angle brings Bailey's connection to crime a little too close for comfort. The center of attention at most weddings is the bride, but there's no denying that Peyton Cross's passion for perfection rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. Now, nine months after Peyton's lavish wedding, this Martha Stewart wannabe's catering and event-planning business is booming, and her marriage to a wealthy financier is the envy of many. But it seems her former bridesmaids may be attracting a different kind of attention. In the past months, two of the women who shared Peyton's stroll down the aisle have died under suspicious circumstances, and a third dies shortly after asking Bailey to look into the case. The police may be eager to write all three deaths off as unfortunate accidents, but Bailey can't afford to dismiss the case so lightly. Not only are she and the bereaved bride old friends￯﾿ﾽbut Bailey herself was one of the bridesmaids at the seemingly cursed wedding. Sue Stone

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"When she gets a call from Ashley Hanes on a frigid January night, Bailey's ready to tell her she's not pulling any of her Gloss magazine strings to get Ashley into a designer sample sale. But the Connecticut trust-fund baby isn't looking for fashion favors; she wants to rehash the Cross/Slavin wedding. It turns out that Peyton Cross - the Vera Wang-attired bride and Martha Stewart wannabe - is once again the talk of the town. Two of her bridesmaids have recently died in freak accidents and Ashley's terrified she'll be next." "Bailey's interest is definitely piqued - she was a college roommate of Peyton's and a bridesmaid as well. Leaving her latest boyfriend behind in Manhattan, Bailey bundles up for the cold, scenic drive to Ivy Hill Farm in Greenwich, Connecticut, home of Peyton's burgeoning catering and gourmet food business. She's barely begun asking questions when Ashley becomes Bridesmaid Casualty #3." "After Bailey is attacked by an assailant in a cashmere coat, she realizes she's been targeted by a well-heeled killer who knows how to dress for the weather - which narrows the list of suspects to most of the population of Greenwich, including Peyton's employees and intimate friends. Before she knows it, Bailey is following a dangerous trail of clues that will take her from the elegant suburbs of Connecticut to New York's trendy Lower East Side to a fabulous oceanfront hotel room in Miami." With the clock ticking and a well-concealed murderer vowing to get her out of the picture, Bailey could become the headline of the next true crime story: Four funerals and a wedding.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Except for her name-Jacqueline Daniels (and, yes, she's known by her colleagues at the Chicago Police Department and by her friends as "Jack Daniels")-there's not an original trope in this competent, fast-paced thriller by newcomer Konrath. A lieutenant investigating a particularly gruesome series of homicides, Daniels is like every other hard-boiled fictional cop-obsessed with work, afraid to commit emotionally and overcaffeinated. The other characters also follow formula: her partner is an overweight glutton with a heart of gold; her boss is tough but fair; the federal agents assigned to help her are territorial, superior and ineffectual. And the criminal himself, a serial killer who calls himself the "Gingerbread Man," only differs from others of his ilk in his methodology, not his psychology. He tortures and kills attractive young women, leaving their mutilated bodies in public places. Konrath, who has "performed improvisational comedy" according to his bio, likes to toss off one-liners, and while they're occasionally clever, they lend a jokey tone that jars with the seriousness of the almost gratuitously horrific crimes. Reading like an ill-conceived cross between Carl Hiaasen and Thomas Harris, this clich -ridden first novel should find a wide audience among less discriminating suspense fans. Agent, Jane Dystel. (June 2) Forecast: Blurbs from Andrew Vachss and a host of other names, plus an eight-city author tour, should ensure a strong start. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

AudioFile

Kate Walsh depicts true crime writer/private investigator Bailey Weggins as young and vivacious. Being a bridesmaid in a friend's wedding puts Bailey in peril as the bridesmaids die after the wedding, one by one, until only Bailey is left. Her investigation turns deadly as threats mount against her. Walsh is particularly adept with the caretaker's Australian accent and with male characterization. Her pace carries the listener, and music enhances the story in tense moments, as well as indicates story breaks. Outstanding characterization makes this an exceptional audio. G.D.W. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews