Killing Kelly

From Publishers Weekly "Kelly smiled deeply at that, a full, rueful grin." "This is Sam," she said ruefully. "Sorry." Sam is a dog and maybe the only character who doesn't do rueful in bestselling Graham's ( Night Heat , etc.) clunky romantic suspense tale. Soap actress Kelly Trent, who plays bitchy advice diva Marla Valentine, is given a lengthy, unsought leave of absence after a number of death threats, some near-lethal "accidents" and the murders of three real-life advice therapists. Her consolation prize is a starring role in a music video for the rock group Kill Me Quick, to promote their new song "Tango to Terror." Filming will take place on a private Florida island—Dead Man's Key. Can it be that Kelly's in danger? She doesn't think so, but her manager does. Enter Doug O'Casey, not-quite-retired private eye and tango instructor. Kelly resents his insistence that she needs his protection, but she's attracted in spite of herself. "One of the very slow, rueful smiles she found so appealing curled onto his lips." Graham introduces enough red herrings to make a seafood salad, while the ending leaves no doubt that Doug and Kelly will exchange rueful smiles forever after. Best moments: the tango scenes. (Mar.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist Kelly Trent may play malicious Marla Valentine, advice therapist, on a television soap opera, but they have completely different personalities. A nearly fatal accident on the set is the excuse the soap's major sponsor uses to get back at Kelly for spurning his advances. Once Kelly is in a coma on TV and out of work in real life, her agent figures that now is a good time for her to dance in a music video for a new band. Kelly is teamed up to tango with bodyguard/dance instructor Doug O'Casey, who is more than a little concerned about Kelly's safety since a serial killer seems to be targeting advice therapists. Unfortunately, it seems that a fan of the soap opera doesn't really get the distinction between television and reality, and may have picked Kelly to be his next victim. Graham's writing appears effortless, creating a comforting and undemanding read, the perfect respite from everyday demands. Diana Tixier Herald Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Heather Graham has written more than a hundred novels. She's a winner of the RWA's Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Thriller Writers' Silver Bullet. She is an active member of International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America. For more information, check out her websites: TheOriginalHeatherGraham.com, eHeatherGraham.com, and HeatherGraham.tv. You can also find Heather on Facebook. Read more