MAYHEM IN HIGH HEELS - Gemma Halliday
The High Heels Mystery Series - Book 5 and Series Final
Dorchester's Making It
ISBN: 978-0-8439-6109-6
January 2009
Contemporary Romantic Mystery

Los Angeles, California - Present Day

Even though shoe designer Maddie Springer finally has her man -- aka, hunky police detective Jack Ramirez -- it doesn't mean she plans to stop solving murders, especially after she finds her wedding planner, Gigi Van Doren, slumped facedown in a beautifully frosted cake with a knife sticking out of her back! Now Maddie's wedding plans are suddenly hanging in limbo, but instead of worrying about that, Maddie squares off against Jack after an argument over which of them does his or her job the best. Which is more difficult, finding criminals or designing shoes? For Jack and Maddie, it will be a fight to the finish, take no prisoners, and just say "I do," then live happily ever after. This bet is only a little wager, but if Maddie loses, her pride is at stake. And now their small and intimate wedding has turned into the event of the year. Suddenly there is a guest list of four-hundred-plus, and Maddie's two best friends, drag queen Marco and aerobics instructor Dana, insist they can do just as fabulous a job planning the wedding as Gigi would have done, only somewhere along the line it turns into a circus, complete with butterflies and parrots. Maddie's father is deciding what dress he'll wear when he walks her down the aisle, and her mother, Betty, is driving her crazy. And Maddie? Well, she's ready to explode! But not before she finds Gigi's killer. She will win this little bet with Jack.

It's MAYHEM IN HIGH HEELS as Maddie counts down the days until her wedding and tries to ferret out Gigi's killer. What could be more fun than the cast of quirky characters that follow Maddie Springer down the path of another mystery? Sadly, this is Maddie's final romp and is the final book in The High Heels Series, but it's definitely a sure fire winner! All of our favorite characters return to help: Maddie's mother, Betty, and her friend, the psychic Mrs. Rosenblatt; Maddie's stepfather, Faux Dad, also called Fernando, and aka just plain Ralph; then there's the ever-present-thorn-in-Maddie's-side and all around trouble maker, the infamous L.A. Informer tabloid reporter, Felix Dunn, who's always hot on Maddie's wheels as he follows her around looking for the next big story. This time around (Maddie's seen lots of murders in the past couple of years), finding the person who killed Gigi is important for several reasons, the biggest of which is Maddie's little wager with Jack, which has her pride wrapped around every word. Does she love Jack enough to go through with this wedding, and does Jack respect her enough to see her as a capable person and not just a bubble-headed blonde?

MAYHEM IN HIGH HEELS is the fifth and final book in The High Heels Mystery Series and closes a phenomenal run by author Gemma Halliday. This novel stands totally alone, but I highly recommend that you check out the other books, beginning with SPYING IN HIGH HEELS (August 2006) and followed by KILLER IN HIGH HEELS (March 2007), UNDERCOVER IN HIGH HEELS (September 2007), and ALIBI IN HIGH HEELS (March 2008).

And it is with much sadness that I bid one of my favorite heroines and her series goodbye, but all is not lost! I am thrilled to tell you that even though we are losing Maddie and Jack and the other wonderful characters in The High Heels Series, we now get to say hello once again to ace tabloid reporter Felix Dunn in a new collection called The Hollywood Headline Series, which begins with a brand new story, SCANDAL SHEET, due out in November 2009. Felix is the sleazy reporter we've grown to love, and I can't wait for his books! (Maybe Maddie and the others will make a guest appearance or two?)

In the meantime, do not wait -- rush right out and get MAYHEM IN HIGH HEELS and join Maddie and her gang for a thrilling mystery adventure!

Diana Risso