To Die For

I have a confession. I stopped reading Linda Howard years ago. All of her characters started to seem the same, so I read a few of her single titles, then quit. However, last year I heard good things about her book Cry No More, so I bought it once it came out in paperback. I haven't read it, but I read To Die For during the weekend because it sounded different. I ended up enjoying it tremendously. It's not perfect, and I was originally going to give it a 4, but I've already reread it once. That makes it a keeper in my book: 5 out of 5.

Blair Mallory owns a gym called Great Bods, but she's had some trouble with a gym member who started imitating her hairstyle, clothing, and manner. When this troublesome woman's membership expires, Blair won't allow her to renew it. The woman storms out after an angry confrontation. When Blair goes out to the parking lot after work, she sees the woman's car in the parking lot. Soon she hears a gunshot and thinks someone is trying to kill her. She goes back inside, calls the police, and discovers that the woman has been killed. This turn of events brings police lieutenant Wyatt Bloodsworth, a man she dated briefly two years ago, back into her life.

To Die For is told in first-person from Blair's point of view, which is perfect for this story. Blair is an ex-cheerleader who runs a gym, and I loved getting inside her head. It was fascinating to watch the couple interact from Blair's perspective, and I loved small (or not-so-small) details such as Blair's sensitive neck. The handstand and movie incidents are funny, too.

I'm going to give Linda Howard another try. I'll read Cry No More one of these days, and I'd definitely buy another book written in the same style as To Die For.

Alyssa