Hey, It’s a Book Review!

Spying In High Heels, by Gemma Halliday

I was a triple finalist in the Golden Heart contest this year. Now I swear, that’s not a Shameless Self-Promotional statement—well, actually, it is. Hey, it’s my blog! It’s all about SSP, right?

But seriously, I mention the Golden Heart by way of explaining how I met Gemma Halliday, the author of Spying in High Heels. We shared an elevator ride at the RWA conference in Atlanta, and she introduced herself to me because she would be announcing the winner of one of my categories, Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements. Gemma won that same category last year, so that made her the designated presenter this year. She also commented on the name of my entry, Snooping in Stilettos, and we laughed at the similarity in the titles of our books.

And the night of the Awards ceremony, when she opened the envelope, I heard her say “I love this title.” Gulp. It was my title! I won! (Still in shock, by the way.)

So naturally, I love Gemma Halliday, and to prove my love, I rushed out the following week and bought her book. And I’m so glad I did, because it is fabulous. And okay, I’ll go ahead and admit it: I’m so jealous! Because, well, the book is fabulous! Did I say that already? Well, hey, I’m not the only one who thinks so. Spying in High Heels received a starred "Publisher’s Weekly" review (that’s right, a STARRED review from PW!!) and 4-1/2 stars from RT, along with a gazillion other “highest ratings” from any reviewer who read it.

One of those reviews compared Gemma’s style to Janet Evanovich’s, and let me tell you, if you think Ranger is hot, wait until you meet Ramirez! Yeeow!

What's really neat is that the book takes place in my hometown—Los Angeles. I know it's La-La Land, but Gemma makes it look cool. Our heroine, Maddie Springer, is adorable, a classic LA girl, right down to her suede ankle boots and her utter outrage when it actually starts to rain. It never rains in LA!

This book is so funny and charming, I didn’t want it to end. Gemma has totally captured the LA melting pot to perfection. Maddie blithely tackles the freeways in her cute red Jeep as she tracks down a killer, following leads from Downtown LA to the Westside to Hacienda Heights—where she unexpectedly meets Ramirez’s adorable mama—to the heart of the San Fernando Valley porn industry where she interviews a murder suspect named Bunny Hoffenmeyer, because as Maddie says, “My money was on Bunny. Who could grow up with a name like that and not be homicidal?”

But you don’t have to be an Angeleno to appreciate Gemma’s style. You just have to love clever writing and a fresh voice and a heroine who’s spunky and smart and simply hilarious. I promise that you, too, will fall in love with Gemma Halliday and Maddie Springer. Not to mention Ramirez. Yeeow! Check it out!