DEATH, TAXES, AND A SKINNY NO-WHIP LATTE - Diane Kelly
A Tara Holloway Novel , Book 2
St. Martin's
ISBN: 978-0-312-55127-8
March 2012
Contemporary Fiction

Dallas, Texas – Present Day

Don't mess with this IRS agent, because she's packing heat…

Part of the Treasury Department's Criminal Investigations Division, Tara Holloway has heard and seen it all in the way of tax avoidance crooks. Right now Tara and her partner, Eddie, are investigating a money laundering villain with ties to Mexico and a penchant for murder named Marcos Mendoza. Eddie and Tara get a lead on the case and start a surveillance of such places as the post office and the building where Marcos Mendoza resides. While keeping watch, Tara has run-ins with a determined perverted flasher, a would-be robber who comes face to face with her gun, and a couple of itchy (literally) situations. Oh, the things Tara does in the name of her job, including secretly investigating on the side whether rogue agent Nick Pratt is really innocent of bribery charges related to the Mendoza case. Meanwhile, Tara is trying to find time to keep her romance with Brett Ellington going, despite their constant time apart due to her work.

Welcome to DEATH, TAXES, AND A SKINNY NO-WHIP LATTE, a tale that will make you laugh and have you guessing as to what will happen next. Like any hardworking IRS investigator, Tara 's job requires long hours on the job with little time to eat or catch a wink. The current investigation she is doing with Eddie has already proved to be dangerous, as the alleged criminal Marco Mendoza isn't afraid to eliminate those who get in his way. In DEATH, TAXES, AND A SKINNY NO-WHIP LATTE, Tara is spending time sitting in cars keeping places under surveillance and talking to people who might give them a break in the case. Tara is sharp, not only in tongue, but in getting off a good shot. When she starts getting mysterious phone calls, her first thought is that it's Nick Pratt trying to reach her. But…why? Tara always suspected he wasn't the bad guy everyone made him out to be, yet if she brings the matter to her bosses, she'll be taken off the Mendoza case. Tara is doggedly determined to bring down Marco Mendoza. She'll do anything, even if it's a bit illegal. The IRS should be proud to have a dedicated agent like Tara Holloway.

As Tara devotes more and more time to the investigation, she finds her relationship with Brett faltering. When a pretty and perky new woman in his life starts to become more important to him, Tara fears she may be losing her man. Can she hang onto Brett and bring in the bad guy? Readers will discover that answer in DEATH, TAXES, AND A SKINNY NO-WHIP LATTE.

A quirky, fun tale that pulls you in with its witty heroine and outlandish situations, DEATH, TAXES, AND A SKINNY NO-WHIP LATTE has a bit of everything. You'll laugh at Tara 's predicaments, and cheer her on as she nearly single-handedly tackles the case. While I hadn't read the first book in the series, DEATH, TAXES, AND A FRENCH MANICURE, it wasn't hard to follow along. We have a feisty IRS agent for a heroine who is determined to bring in her quarry, no matter what it takes. I highly recommend that you put this on your book shopping list and prepare to be entertained.

Patti Fischer