- Hardcover: 272 pages
- Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (Jan 8 2008)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0312377703
- ISBN-13: 978-0312377700
- Product Dimensions: 21.1 x 14 x 2.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 363 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #598,386 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Richards takes a break from her Madeline Carter series (Mad Money, etc.) with this winning hard-boiled 1931 whodunit with a twist: the main sleuth is not world-weary L.A. PI Dex Theroux, but his loyal secretary and assistant, Kitty Pangborn. Theroux, who drinks far too much to drown his memories of WWI, gets a rare paying assignment when beautiful, wealthy Rita Heppelwaite hires him to tail her married boyfriend, Harrison Dempsey. Kitty tags along, only to find their quarry's corpse, a development that Theroux wants to keep secret. After her conscience prompts her to tip off the police to the body, Kitty finds herself involved even deeper when word reaches her that Dempsey is alive and well. Well-developed lead characters, in particular the insightful Kitty, who shows potential as a series detective, more than offset the routine plot. 8-city author tour. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From AudioFile
This 1930s noir drama is a nod to a time when men wore hats and women were dames. The hero, a private detective, naturally, drinks too much but gets the job done. More importantly, he's smart enough to hire a brilliant girl Friday, the one who really keeps the operation running. She's also the narrator of the story--through the voice of reader Joyce Bean. Bean does the right thing by playing it straight. There are even some faint tremors in her voice as she tells the story of a murdered businessman whom everyone wanted dead. Fun book, worth a listen. M.S. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
--This text refers to the
Audio CD
edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Delightful Character in a Terrific Series Debut,
By
This review is from: Death Was the Other Woman: A Mystery (Hardcover)
Twenty-three-year-old secretary, Katherine (Kitty) Pangborn, isn't impressed with her boss's new client, but private investigator, Dex Theroux, can't afford to turn business away. Rita Heppelwaite's hired Dex to find out if her rich boyfriend, Harrison Dempsey, is cheating on her. Needless to say, things don't go well. Kitty discovers Harrison's body in a bathtub. The next day, she and Dex learn that his body's disappeared and there's no trace of a murder at all. This is one of many plot twists in Linda Richards' terrific new series, Death Was the Other Woman. The story's set in Los Angeles in the early 30's, and while this setting might seem overdone to some mystery readers, Richards puts a modern spin on the classic detective novel by having Kitty do most of the sleuthing. But then Kitty doesn't have much choice. At age thirty-four, Dex is an alcoholic war vet struggling with personal demons. Kitty Pangborn is a delightful character: smart, educated, and raised in a wealthy environment until the stock market crash of 29 tore her world apart. Now on her own and poor, she's slowly adjusting to a working-class life filled with uncertainty while coping with moments of profound sadness and a longing for the past. But Kitty's determined, resourceful, protective, and above all, interesting. I can't wait to read more of her adventures.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.1 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews) 10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lots to love about this book,
By Armchair Interviews - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Death Was the Other Woman: A Mystery (Hardcover)
Kitty Pangborn was raised to be a prim and proper lady of the house, meant to marry well and plan the perfect party. When the stock market crashed in 1929, and her father leaped from a window leaving her broke and without real-world skills, she had to make her own way. She may now only be Girl Friday to Los Angeles private investigator Dex, but when his bungling of the job puts her salary in jeopardy, Kitty will step up to solve the case on her own. Someone has to.
I loved the voice of this book. You can almost hear one of the old silver screen actresses talking right off the page. Her wonderful first-person narrative was so true to voice as to lose those of us who aren't familiar with words like "mook" and "spondulix." But she helps us out with enough description that we can figure it out, if not exactly, in general. This was an especially fun read. I enjoyed the strong heroine and that her boss, though bumbling, was not entirely an idiot. And I really enjoyed learning more about LA during prohibition, too. The cast of shady characters was so great as to leave me completely in the dark about whodunit until it was time to know. There are so many twists and turns in this book that I even started suspecting the good guys. Whose side was everyone on, anyway? I couldn't help but to just keep turning pages. Even if you aren't typically into the mystery genre, I encourage you to pick up this book. Though there are many dead bodies, the book was not at all gruesome and considering all the two- and three-timing that was going on, and talk of melting lipstick, it was also surprisingly clean. Armchair Interviews says: Highly recommended. 5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
fine historical mystery,
By Harriet Klausner - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Death Was the Other Woman: A Mystery (Hardcover)
In 1931 Los Angeles cynical private investigator Dex Theroux runs a two person office. Whereas he does the leg work and takes the beatings, Kitty Pangborn runs the office and occasionally does safe field work. Dex is unsure why Kitty remains with him, as paying jobs are infrequent and he knows he is an alcoholic though with good cause.
Wealthy Rita Heppelwaite hires Dex to report on what her married boyfriend, Harrison Dempsey is doing. Thinking this is an easy case and needing help on surveillance, Dex brings Kitty with him. However, their prey proves to be someone else's prey as the sleuth and his assistant finds the murdered corpse of Harrison. Dex wants to make money from his affluent client so he tells Kitty to say nothing about the dead body for now. Kitty is appalled by her boss' disregard of the deceased so she defies Dex and calls the cops. However, to her shock she soon learns that Harrison is alive making her wonder what is going on. With Madeline Carter on temporary hiatus, Linda L. Richards introduces readers to a new fascinating detective team in a fine historical mystery. The story line is fun, but not so much due to the mystery of Harrison and the corpse or depression Era L.A., but instead because of the bickering relationship between unethical Dex and the moralistic Kitty. They make the tale entertaining. Harriet Klausner 4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect for fans of the gritty hard-boiled detective listen.,
By Midwest Book Review - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Death Was the Other Woman (Audio CD)
Linda L. Richards' DEATH WAS THE OTHER WOMAN provides veteran narrator Joyce Bean's smooth and compelling style as it tells of one Kitty, who needs a job and finds her hands full as a secretary to a tough PI in a challenging world. Kitty's efforts to keep her boss - and her salary - safe result in some dangerous action perfect for fans of the gritty hard-boiled detective listen.
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