Review of DEAD EX by Harley Jane Kozak
By Christy Tillery French   
Rated "G" by the Author.
Last edited: Saturday, May 31, 2008
Posted: Saturday, May 31, 2008

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DEAD EX
By Harley Jane Kozak
Doubleday
ISBN: 9780385518024
Hardback, 338 pages, $21.95
Genre: Mystery

In the third book of the Wollie Shelley series, card designer Wollie Shelley is homeless and living with her boyfriend FBI agent Simon Alexander. Wollie receives an offer to be the dating correspondent on a talk show called SoapDirt, where she will be required to date celebrities and dish about them afterward. But before Wollie has her first date, her good friend David Zetrakis is found shot to death. Zetrakis was producer of a popular soap opera and Wollie’s best friend Joey was the last person seen with him. All leads point to Joey, divorcing her husband and now penniless, and who inherits a million-dollar Klimt upon Zetrakis’s death. When Joey’s estranged husband drowns under mysterious circumstances, the police are anxious to bring Joey in, but she manages to evade them with Wollie’s help while they try to figure out who is behind the murders.

Kozak leads the reader through the streets of Los Angeles and the world of television with this entertaining caper. Wollie Shelley is an endearing character, and her life and the people around her allow for humorous moments. Overall, a charming mystery.