Los Angeles, California; Paris, France; London, England; and Milan, Italy - Present Day

Shoe designer Maddie Springer has had her ups and downs in the past couple of years. She's been shot at, landed in jail, been chased by bad guys, and, generally, she's become sort of an amateur sleuth in her spare time. Today, she's window shopping with her best friend Dana. They're in Beverly Hills admiring one of Maddie's shoe designs on display in the store window when a speeding car jumps the curb, heading straight for Maddie! The fender connects with Maddie's leg and then she's on the ground and under the car. One emergency room visit later, Maddie's left leg is encased in a big, blue foam, boot-like thing she calls the "wonder boot." Just when she thinks her situation can't get any worse, the doctor tells her she has to wear flats for the next three months! Flats???? Flats do not exist in Maddie's world. Stilettos are the only way to go. This just won't do at all. Paris Fashion Week is coming up, and she, little old Maddie, has been invited to showcase her designs on the runway for hot new designer, Jean Luc Le Croix -- in Paris!!! The glorious city of the Eiffel tower, croissants, and romance...and now she's stuck with Wonder Boot and flat heeled shoes? Not on your life!

Can you see Maddie giving up a trip to Paris to stay home and nurse a broken leg? Hardly. Against everyone's advice, she boards the plane with her mother, Betty, and the muu-muu-wearing, psychic, Mrs. Rosenblatt, in tow. Maddie's hunky boyfriend, Los Angeles Homicide Detective Jack Ramirez, protests loudly. How will he manage two weeks without her and their, um, special evenings? But Maddie's not listening. Paris, here she comes. And you just know trouble will find Maddie; it always does, no matter where she is. The very first day she's in the magical city, Maddie is unfortunate enough to discover top model, Gisella Rossi, dead on the runway, a stiletto buried in her throat. Sound familiar? (Maddie accidentally took out a killer with a stiletto a couple years ago.) Paris police detective, Moreau, thinks this is just too much of a coincidence, and he wastes no time taking Maddie in for questioning. All Maddie wants is to show her designs and see the Eiffel tower...but now she has to find a killer instead.

Here we go again! ALIBI IN HIGH HEELS is another top-notch edition in the life of Maddie Springer. This time, she's off to Paris, France, for a whirlwind adventure. And where Maddie goes, trouble is sure to follow -- along with all the gang: her mother, Betty, and sidekick, Mrs. Rosenblatt; Maddie's best friend, Dana; hunky-cop Ramirez; and even sleazy tabloid reporter, Felix Dunn. This time, not even a broken leg will stop Maddie. Moreau won't let her use her shoes in the fashion show; he takes every single pair away and keeps them as evidence. Maddie wants them back. Making matters worse, the tabloids are calling her The Couture Killer, and if she doesn't find the real killer, her career is history, and so is she. Once again, she and Dana morph into a comic version of Charlie's Angels, only this time, all of Europe is their playground as they jet into England, then Italy in search of a murderer. But it all goes sour when Jack Ramirez walks in on Maddie's play-acting. Suddenly, their relationship is hovering on the precipice of disaster, and Maddie doesn't know which way to turn.

I heartily invite you to come along for the ride and rush out to pick up the entire collection of Maddie's stories! ALIBI IN HIGH HEELS is the fourth book in the High Heels Mystery Series, and it's soon to become a television show on the USA channel! This story follows previous books, SPYING IN HIGH HEELS (August 2006), KILLER IN HIGH HEELS (March 2007), and UNDERCOVER IN HIGH HEELS (September 2007). For more information, see the author's website at www.gemmahalliday.com and learn more fun things about Maddie!

ALIBI IN HIGH HEELS is the most romantic story yet, and it will tug at your heartstrings -- how can it not -- after all, it's Paris!

Diana Risso