Double Edition Book Banter -- Blue Blood & The Good Girl's Guide to Murder

Title: Blue Blood
Author: Susan McBride
Length: 350~
Genre: mystery/chick lit
Plot Basics: Dropout Dallas debutante Andrea (Andy) Blevins Kendricks' best friend from school, Molly, is suddenly convicted of murdering her boss at Jugs restaurant. Molly turns to Andy, a website designer, for help and the only way Andy can think of to clear Molly's name is to take her job, don the Jugs uniform and find out what really happened. All while trying to avoid her socialite mother's latest attempt to set her up ... and figure out if Molly's lawyer, Brian Malone, is actually a guy worth being interested in.
Banter Points: Fun stuff. Word Nerd especially liked Andy's reactions to the uppity-social life that her mother leads.
Bummer Points: Andy's character is well-rounded out... Brian Malone's could have been stronger.

(Word Nerd was going to put the cover in of the next book, but Blogger won't cooperate...)

Title: The Good Girl's Guide to Murder
Author: Susan McBride
Length: 373 pages
Genre: mystery/chick lit
Plot Basics: As payback for her mother's help in "Blue Blood," Andy Kendricks takes a website design job for Marilee Mabry, the rising star of the Martha-Stewart-esque show, "The Sweet Life with Marilee." At the premiere party, Marilee's daughter almost dies and Andy is convinced it was no accident. As Andy starts to investigate, she finds out that Marilee Mabry isn't so sweet and that more than one person is willing to serve up murder.
Banter Points: Better than the first one. Often, second books aren't, but this one seemed far more plausible than Andy suddenly taking a waitressing job.
Bummer Points: Cissy, Andy's mom, seems a bit like a Grandma Mazur-type character (a la Evanovich).

Word Nerd recommendation: These are a fun read. No exploding cars like Evanovich, or funny side-kick characters like Evanovich, but then again, not al chick-lit mysteries should be like Evanovich. Word Nerd will keep reading this series.