DEATH, TAXES, AND PEACH SANGRIA – Diane Kelly
A Perfect 10
A Tara Holloway, Death and Taxes Novel, Book 4
St. Martin's Paperbacks
ISBN: 978-1-250-02306-3
February 2013
Mystery

Dallas, Texas – Present Day

As one of the best IRS special investigation agents in Dallas, Tara Holloway is always in demand for assignments to top cases. Right now she has a couple she's juggling—arresting tax preparation cheaters and investigating a terrorist money transfer connection—all the while she's trying to decide what to do about the man she's attracted to while she's still involved with her boyfriend. Of course, work not only provides distractions, but obstacles in her quest for answers to her love life. Add in her best friend moving in after breaking up with her boyfriend, well, one can see why Tara needs lots of peach sangria's.

First up is a tax preparer cheater who is determined to not be arrested. He's wily and seemingly can disappear in thin air, but Tara is determined to bring him in. DEATH, TAXES, AND PEACH SANGRIA gives a lot of insight into what lengths folks will go to cheat the IRS out of taxes. Okay, not something I'd advise a person to do, but it will certainly bring a chuckle and a good shake of your head. Tara seems to have the touch of attracting and capturing loonies.

Terrorists descended on Dallas and started transferring money from the U.S. to Syria that was used in horrifying bombings that killed people. It's Tara's job to check out Dallas area money transfer agents to see if they may have unwittingly or willing helped the suspected terrorists in sending money overseas. It never fails that the people she interviews are interesting, and Tara again seems to attract some strange folks, like a man demanding his guitar back in a pawn shop and Tara having to step in when the man gets agitated. Tara knows a gun can certainly speak louder than words.

But what occupies Tara's mind lately is about what to do about her boyfriend, Brett, while she has the hots for fellow agent Nick. She decides a cooling off period for her and Brett might be in order, but she can never find the time to tell him. It doesn't help that Brett has an out of state business emergency. Meanwhile, Nick and two other agents decide to sign up for an online dating service. How can Tara take knowing the man she wants is seeing other women? Maybe she should sabotage his attempts?

If readers haven't read the Tara Holloway series before, then I strongly urge you check out Diane Kelly's backlist. You can probably start with DEATH, TAXES, AND PEACH SANGRIA, but it's a series best read in order. Check all of them out at www.dianekelly.com . Tara is a sharp witted lady who packs a gun and knows how to use it. She's also smart, sharp, and in terrible need of someone to do her laundry (a running joke during this book). Meanwhile, her way of relaxing is to sip her homemade peach sangria's, a recipe she got from Nick's mother.

Speaking of Nick…the sexual tension between him and Tara continues to steam the pages of DEATH, TAXES, AND PEACH SANGRIA. Will either Tara or Nick admit to the other that they're attracted? Clearly there is something between them besides a love of excitement and guns. But Tara has to be free before she can even think of getting it on with Nick. Will Tara ever get Brett alone long enough to break the news to him?

DEATH, TAXES, AND PEACH SANGRIA is a laugh fest from the very start and, even if you're not a fan of stories told in the first person, you'll soon be so engrossed in this tale you won't want to put it down. Witty writing and IRS agent knowledge by Ms. Kelly is evident in DEATH, TAXES, AND PEACH SANGRIA and made it one of the funniest books I've read in 2013. Tara might be a hardnosed IRS agent, but she's a hoot as readers follow her adventures. In fact, I had so much fun reading DEATH, TAXES, AND PEACH SANGRIA that I'm giving it one of our heralded Perfect 10's. You get an awesome mystery in the realm of Stephanie Plum, yet Tara provides readers with chuckles as she goes about collecting unpaid taxes from cheaters. The Tara Holloway series has become a must read for me.

Patti Fischer