From Publishers Weekly
The three high-flying Blackbird sisters make their hardcover debut in their fourth mystery (after 2004's Some Like It Lethal), a blend of fashion-forward romance and witty suspense. When not assisting Kitty Keough, a Philadelphia society columnist, former debutante Nora Blackbird strives to save the family farm after the sisters' parents "spent our trust funds faster than drunken lottery winners could buy a fleet of Cadillacs." Meanwhile, wild baby sis, Emma, escapes rehab with a media cowboy, and fertile sis, Libby, keeps popping out babies. Assigned to cover the Philly launch for Brinker Holt's revolutionary Brinker Bra ("No need for straps or uncomfortable wires"), Nora recalls Brinker was the creepy preppie who once assaulted Emma and tortured other kids for fun. When Kitty, whom Brinker barred from the show, turns up dead on Nora's doorstep, Nora's lover, Michael Abruzzo, becomes the primary suspect due to his mob connections. Nora, Libby and ace crime reporter Richard D'eath's efforts to investigate more likely suspects lead to a madcap dénouement just in time for Nora's annual New Year's Eve bash and a sparkling but bittersweet surprise. Martin's wicked tongue-in-cheek satire will appeal to fans of Jennifer Crusie, who provides a blurb, and Janet Evanovich. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Nora Blackbird is no singing star, but she knows how to act like a diva, complete with the designer clothes and the little dog in her arms. But Nora is one thing most divas are not: she is broke. Determined to save the family manse outside Philadelphia, frittered away by her parents, Nora is forced (shudder) to get a job. As an assistant for fashion-writer Kitty Keough, she does grunt work for little recognition--such as covering the unveiling of the hot new "Brinker bra." After fighting the crowds for a seat, Nora is shocked to find that her sister Emma, supposedly in rehab, is the top bra model. She is even more shocked to return home and find her boss, Kitty, dead on her doorstep. It's perhaps not quite so shocking to learn that her "mobbed-up" boyfriend is the prime suspect. This third in the Blackbird Sisters series (and first to appear in hardcover) is a laugh-out-loud comic mystery as outrageous as a pink chinchilla coat. Jenny McLarin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Book Description
Here is the first hardcover in the national bestselling series that features the Philadelphia-born Blackbird sisters, a trio of hot-blooded bluebloods with a flair for fashion-and for solving crimes.

Soon after the unveiling of the most miraculous bra in fashion history, Nora's boss is found trussed up in pantyhose and shot execution-style. To find the killer, Nora must shadow the most glamorous suspects in Philadelphia-including a bad boy designer and a pair of luscious twin models. Though they're used to "murder with style" (Pittsburgh Magazine), cross your fingers for the Blackbird sisters, because this time, high-society has never stooped so low.

About the Author
Like her heroines, the Blackbird Sisters, Nancy Martin comes from a distinguished Pennsylvania family whose ancestors include Betsy Ross and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. She has written numerous novels, directed a few Shakespeare plays, and raised two delightful daughters.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
The wacky, wonderful Blackbird sisters are back for another quirky foray into Philadelphia high society, murder, and more as this delightful series makes its hardcover debut.

Recently impoverished Nora Blackbird is an expert at keeping up appearances, but this time she's facing fashion emergencies. As assistant to the acid-tongued society columnist at the Philadelphia Intelligencer, Nora is used to being offered only the crumbs of the fashionable feast -- civic awards banquets, charity receptions, garden club luncheons, and the like. When her boss orders her to drop everything to cover a hot-topic fashion show, she's astonished, since she doesn't usually get such high-profile assignments.

Designer Brinker Holt is poised on the edge of fame and fortune￯﾿ﾽand his revolutionary new Brinker Bra is about to make him a style phenomenon. Nora's pleasure in attending the grand event is somewhat overshadowed by the news that her all-too-sensual sister, Libby, is launching a new career selling erotic aids and her younger sister, Emma, has checked herself out of much-needed rehab and into front-page news as Brinker's flashy equestrian model.

Things only get more complicated for Nora when the boss she loathed is found murdered execution-style, Nora's Mob-connected boyfriend instantly becomes the police's favorite suspect, and a drop-dead gorgeous newspaperman starts shadowing her every move. Nora begins to feel that her life is surrounded by police tape, as her bylines involve more murder and mayhem than fashion statements and faux pas. This time Nora must strip her story down to facts that could shake the foundations of Philadelphia society. Sue Stone

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"Things are going great for the Blackbirds. Columnist Nora is still dating mobster's son Michael Abruzzo, Emma's recovering nicely in a clinic for the rich and infamous, and Libby's pleased about her new career with Potions and Passions, a company that keeps its customers very satisfied. Best of all, nobody in Nora's vicinity has been knocked off lately." "Nora's next journalistic assignment: cover the unveiling of the most miraculous bra in fashion history. But before Nora can hand in her uplifting story, her boss is discovered shot execution-style and trussed up in expensive panty hose - an Abruzzo family trademark." Now it's up to Nora to find the killer before her innocent lover takes the rap. That means shadowing the most glamorous suspects in Philadelphia - including a bad-boy designer, a former child star, a neurotic neat freak, a high-strung ad exec, and a pair of luscious twin models on the rise.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

The three high-flying Blackbird sisters make their hardcover debut in their fourth mystery (after 2004's Some Like It Lethal), a blend of fashion-forward romance and witty suspense. When not assisting Kitty Keough, a Philadelphia society columnist, former debutante Nora Blackbird strives to save the family farm after the sisters' parents "spent our trust funds faster than drunken lottery winners could buy a fleet of Cadillacs." Meanwhile, wild baby sis, Emma, escapes rehab with a media cowboy, and fertile sis, Libby, keeps popping out babies. Assigned to cover the Philly launch for Brinker Holt's revolutionary Brinker Bra ("No need for straps or uncomfortable wires"), Nora recalls Brinker was the creepy preppie who once assaulted Emma and tortured other kids for fun. When Kitty, whom Brinker barred from the show, turns up dead on Nora's doorstep, Nora's lover, Michael Abruzzo, becomes the primary suspect due to his mob connections. Nora, Libby and ace crime reporter Richard D'eath's efforts to investigate more likely suspects lead to a madcap d nouement just in time for Nora's annual New Year's Eve bash and a sparkling but bittersweet surprise. Martin's wicked tongue-in-cheek satire will appeal to fans of Jennifer Crusie, who provides a blurb, and Janet Evanovich. Agent, Meg Ruley at the Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Mar. 1) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

With major debt as motivation and closets of vintage designer clothes as inspiration, formerly old-monied Nora Blackbird (Some Like It Lethal) writes columns for a Philadelphia newspaper. While attending a fashion show launching the self-supporting Brinker Bra, she and erotic toy-selling sister Libby witness younger rehab-escapee sister Emma riding practically naked on a horse. They all remember bad-boy designer Brinker, nasty when younger and nasty now, but nothing prepares Nora for the discovery of her fashion editor's body back home. Police suspect Nora's mob-connected boyfriend, but Nora suspects Brinker. Anyway, the resultant wide-eyed sleuthing, sisterly antics, and humorous dialog will have readers panting for more. This marks the hardcover debut of the popular paperback series. Martin lives in Pittsburgh. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews