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Review: If Looks Could Kill

If Looks Could Kill If Looks Could Kill by Kate White
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A perfect guilty pleasure read (though I don't feel guilty at all)!

I had recently become interested in Kate White books when I came across her book The Sixes and absolutely loved it. White is a former editor of Cosmopolitan magazine, and I've seen her Bailey Weggins mysteries described as "Nancy Drew meets Sex and the City"--such a perfect descriptor!

Plot Teaser (Spoiler Free)

 This is the first of the Bailey Weggins mysteries, and it opens with true crime writer and journalist Bailey Weggins getting a call from her boss Cat Jones, the editor of Gloss magazine, in a panic. Cat is calling first thing Sunday morning, and she is worried about her nanny Heidi's well-being. Despite the fact that Bailey is currently shacked up with a gorgeous new love interest, she gives in to Cat's panic and goes over to help.

When Bailey arrives at Cat's townhome though, something is definitely wrong. Heidi's lights in the basement Nanny apartment are on and jazz music is playing, and there is a bad smell coming from the apartment. Bailey enters to find Heidi dead, and a box of chocolates on the table.

As the police arrive and discover that the chocolates may have been meant for Cat, not Heidi, Cat becomes even more upset. She asks Bailey to help with her own investigation because she may be able to get people to confide in her in a way the police won't. As Bailey begins her investigation, she can't help but become a target herself! Is someone targeting successful editors of Women's magazines? Or is this intentionally directed at Cat herself, and disguised as a serial killer? Will Bailey be able to figure out what happened before her own life is in danger?

Reflection
 
This is a perfect vacation read. I started it on some time off and finished it on the airplane home for Thanksgiving. Bailey is fun to read along with and the pace keeps moving. White keeps lots of paths open before you get to the final reveal. I found myself suspecting many people along the way!

I will say that at times, Bailey's sort of catty judgment on the looks of characters became a bit much. I don't mind that, and it fits in with the world that Bailey lives and works in. Still, often it felt unnecessary to the plot. That said, White uses a lot of descriptive language and analysis on the clothing and looks of the characters, and I always find something quaint about that detail in a novel. It helps me picture who this person is and what the scene looks like.

I'd recommend this for former Nancy Drew junkies, Cosmo girls, and really anyone who loves a good vacation mystery.

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