Drop Dead
One mysterious mansion. Two rival journalists. Three weeks to uncover the story--and love--of a lifetime.
Obituary writer Nadine Barbault doesn't mind being called "Lady Death." It suits the ice queen persona she's cultivated to survive the fast-paced Toronto Herald. So when Nadine learns that famous (and reclusive) author Dot Voline has died, she doesn't hesitate to run the obituary...only to discover that Dot is very much alive.
Nadine's screw-up has brought Wesley Chen of the rival Spear no end of joy--she's been a thorn in his extremely ambitious side for years. But the renewed interest in Dot also surfaced chatter about a mysterious past scandal. Intrigued, Wes goes to the source to learn more--only to discover Nadine had the exact same idea...and the infuriating woman isn't willing to respect dibs. Typical.
At first, Dot refuses to speak to either of the squabbling pair, but then they receive an unusual request--work together, and Dot will share everything. The offer seems too good to be true...and of course, it is: in a bitter twist of irony, Dot dies for real before she can finish recounting her story. Not all is lost, however. The estate's executor allows Wes and Nadine access to Dot's sprawling wonderland of a mansion for three weeks to find their answer. That's three weeks of working together...three weeks of endless sweltering in tight spaces...three weeks of learning there could be something more between them than a desire to win at any cost.
And maybe, just maybe, under the rubble of all those could-have-beens they'll uncover more than the secret of Dot Voline's long-ago scandal--and Lady Death will finally embrace what she's wanted from life all along.
Pages: 384
ISBN: 9781728291024
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2 ratings
Amber W.
Karen B.
-Lily Chu
Rival journalists, Nadine Barbault (obituaries) and Wesley Chen (lifestyle) face off in this comical cozy mystery hoping to catch the scoop of a lifetime before the other after Nadine makes a major mistake by running an obituary for famed author and recluse Dot Voline on just a rumor she read on the internet without checking her sources. When all is revealed that Dot is in fact 100% alive, Wes is just as giddy as a child on Christmas morning thinking this is his chance to outshine college rival Nadine by scooping a story on Dot. Past scandals of Dot’s come to light leaving both Wes and Nadine scurrying to Dot’s door bickering as she answers. Seeing the pair, she decides she wants nothing to do with them or their story and sends them on their way. Later, to their surprise they are both invited back to the sprawling mansion to meet with Dot under unknown conditions. Much to their surprise Dot is willing to give her story to the BOTH of them so they must work amicably together to develop a story to publish what Dot provides them. With a funny, or not so funny to the pair twist of fate, Dot passes away before she is able to finish giving them the complete story they were after. The estate executor, Dot’s son, allows the duo three weeks of unrestricted access to Dot’s belongings to uncover whatever they can to develop a story. Endless hours of searching, dead ends hit, more searching, discoveries made Wes and Nadine are led to dark and dangerous places. The two discover there is a lot more to Dot’s past scandals as well as their own. Follow Nadine and Wes to find out what secrets Dot’s past holds as well as what they have to discover about themselves.
This is the first novel of Lily Chu’s that I’ve read/listened to and while I don’t know what her other work is like, I found this to be entertaining enough to finish it but not sure if I would take the time to listen to other works as this was just not my normal read. It was a good story, well thought out characters, lots of detail and smooth transition from scene to scene. If you are a lover of cozy mysteries I think this will def be your cup of tea and I might give another of Lily’s books a go when I’m looking for something a little different to read from my normal psychological thrillers.