Book Banter -- Red Blooded Murder

Title: Red Blooded Murder (Izzy McNeil bk 2)

Author: Laura Caldwell

Genre: mystery

Length: 453 pages

Where Word Nerd's copy came from: Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library

Plot Basics: Izzy is trying to piece her life back together after her former boss was murder, her former fiancee implicated and her former law office fired her. She's still moonlighting for PI John Mayburn when she gets offered a job as a reporter for the brand-new Trial TV. But when Trial TV's star anchor ends up dead, Izzy is suspect number one. Desperate to prove her innocence, Izzy puts herself and many of her already floundering relationships in danger to clear her name.

Banter Points: Amazingly, this book is WAY better than the first one. Often, series have the second book slump, but not here. Izzy lost a lot in the first book, but in this book, the stakes feel higher, that losing any more will be a real problem for her life. Moreover, the whole plot was tighter and kept Word Nerd guessing about the real identity of the murdered the whole time.

Bummer Points: Like the first one, the book was too long. 453 pages for an almost-chick-lit mystery just feels too much. The problem is the subplot. Again, it was good and provided needed comic relief. But on the other hand, it just made things wordy.

Word Nerd Recommendation: Easy read, albeit with a bit of a commitment given the length. Word Nerd will read the last one of the Izzy books out so far.