Friday, July 10, 2015

Little Pretty Things - Lori Rader-Day

Little Pretty Things
Lori Rader-Day
Prometheus/Seventh Street Books, Jul 7 2015, $15.95
ISBN: 9781633880047

In Indiana, Juliet Townsend works as a maid at the Mid-Night Inn; a motel one notch above z dive though spiraling towards the lowest classification as only Bargains and Desperate come to this dump.  In her late twenties Juliet is a mirror of her work place going nowhere.

To add insult, her high school friend, Maddy Bell checks in at the Mid-Night.  Juliet wanted one win against Maddy at track, but her rival kicked her butt every time they raced against each other a decade ago.  With the ring, the clothing and the demeanor, Maddy looks like she made the big time while since her dad died Juliet is stuck in loser status.  The next day Maddy hangs from the balcony.  The police suspect Juliet killed Maddy.  Realizing she never even pondered why affluent Maddy stopped here as she is neither a Bargain nor a Desperate, Juliet looks back to their days together as teens and questioning others who knew Maddy in high school in order to understand why and identify the perpetrator.

The soft-boiled captivating whodunit entertains readers especially with a stunning climatic spin.  Juliet’s reflections of her life’s pivotal failures bring freshness to this suspenseful mystery as she ponders what if.


Harriet Klausner

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