Nora's sent by her boss to cover a launch party for a new bra. When she gets up in the morning she finds her boss dead in her porch. Now Nora is out to find the killer along with some help from her sisters. ( )

Probably the edgiest of the series, the storyline of this book delves into bullying and just brushes the edges of sadism, with a cast of characters that are anything but cozy and charming, yet the author still manages to keep the overall tone of the book from becoming too dark, although at times it’s definitely difficult to read. Martin also uses this book to both redeem and get rid of a loathsome recurring character, which frankly made me happy as I don’t really like the nemesis trope much.

The plotting got the job done. I’m not sure if I was surprised by all the revelations the first time I read the book – it’s been too long – but on the second read, everything clicked along without any shocks; it wasn’t transparent, but it all made sense in the end. ( )

Wow, another good one.... guess I'm glad I didn't throw away the series after all.

After attending a macabre fashion show for a paste-on full support bra, where Emma (escaped from rehab) is starring as lady Godiva, Nora finds her boss Kitty, dead on her doorstep.... The bra's designer is a sadistic bully from Nora's past. The owner of the company that wants to buy the bra is under age & he staying with his uncle who is a local proxy board member and the bully's childhood victim. Add to the mix "beautiful" women who are all striving for the attention of the designer....and you have an interesting story.

Libby is her crazy self, Emma seems to be headed for a set-back, Michael is getting ready to take a fall for his father & Spike is is viscous little self....

The characters in this book were pretty weird....... but I didn't lose interest and I finished the book in 1 day and thankfully there were no loose ends or confusing sub-plots. ( )

Very Good

Cross Your Heart and Hope to Die is the 4th full-length book and the 5th story (including the novella in the Drop Dead Blonde anthology) in the Blackbird Sisters Mystery series.

This episode marks a change in the series, as the murder socialite-turned-society reporter Nora Blackbird has to solve this time is the murder of her boss.

From a fashion show featuring the revolutionary Brinker Bra, which Nora's sister Libby can't remove, to sister Emma hooking up with a washed-up country music star in rehab, to Emma's boyfriend being the prime suspect in the murder, the laughs propel the mystery to its surprising conclusion.

I'm looking forward to the next book in this fun series. ( )