Red Dress Ink is presenting readers with another Chick Lit/Mystery novel when SEX, MURDER AND A DOUBLE LATTE is released this May. Debut author Kyra Davis matches chick lit and mystery with a heroine that is a mystery writer caught up in a deadly game of cat and mouse.

From the publisher:

What happens when you combine Chick Lit with a murder mystery? Just about anything!

Meet Sophie Katz, the heroine of Sex, Murder And A Double Latte. She's sassy, hip, intelligent and unapologetically obsessed with Starbucks. As a biracial woman living in San Francisco she is inherently tolerant of the alternative lifestyle choices of those around her but she draws the line at murder.

Enter the world of Sophie and her creator Kyra Davis and you will discover why it is never a good idea to tick off a woman who is heavily caffeinated.

Self proclaimed coffee addict, Sophie Katz has it all--a beautiful San Francisco apartment, a flourishing career as a murder mystery novelist, an exotic appearance (that can be attributed to her Black and Jewish ancestry), great friends, a loving (albeit neurotic) family, and a crazed fan who may or may not be trying to kill her. Now if Sophie doesn't do something about the latter she will lose everything.

Sophie's problems start when Hollywood producer, Alex Tolsky, who was interested in having one of her novels adapted into a screenplay, is found dead with slit wrists in his bathtub. The manner of his death duplicates that of a character who was murdered in one of Tolsky's own movies. But Tolsky has a history of depression so the news is more upsetting than shocking.

Several months earlier in a seemingly unrelated incident a Hip-Hop artist was killed in the same manner that he himself had described in one of his hit singles. However it isn't until little things begin to happen to Sophie that happened to a victim in one of her own murder mysteries that she makes the connection between the different crimes and begins to acknowledge the possibility that she might be the targeted victim of a serial killer.

Unfortunately her stalker is too smart to do anything to attract the attention of the SFPD so in desperation she turns to her best friends for help. This group consists of Marcus, her Gay male hairstylist, Mary Ann, a make-up artist for Neiman Marcus, and Dena, the proud owner of an upscale sex shop. Not exactly the dream team, but their loyalty and determination are unshakable.

Together they work to change Sophie's role from victim to heroine. In the meantime Sophie must figure out if the man she's been dating is the answer to her dreams or the creator of her worst nightmare.

Bookring participants (IN ORDER):

Noumena12 - Ohio (will ship anywhere)
Kyrissaean - New Hampshire (US preferred)
RainDrop162004 - Connecticut (US only)
cougmax - Washington (???)
TJROTH - Washington (US only)
EllyMae58 - California (US only)
SandDanz - Indiana (US only)
CheriePie - Massachusetts (will ship anywhere)
doris - Canada (US/Canada only)
andrea1982 - Canada (???)
Antheras - Canada (will ship anywhere)
Tanya04 - UK (Europe only)
camis - UK (will ship anywhere)
niccijl - UK (will ship anywhere)
nikel27 - Germany (will ship anywhere)
DumbFox - Ohio (HOME)

Received this from DumbFox as part of my Therapy! Thanks! I promise I won't forget your book next week!

Enjoyed this quick read...didn't want to put it down.

It's here! And it looks great. :)

What a hoot that this is an ARC. It's mid-April and the copyright in the book is May! I'm having a lot of fun with that! Okay, so I am easily amused . . .

This was fast and fun. I liked the copycat killer copying a book in book idea, and a mysterious stranger is always a good addition. I figured out the mystery pretty early into the story but that didn't detract from anything.

Deep? No. Enjoyable? Yup!

It was nice to read an RDI where the main character wasn't a grumpy person intent on messing up her life for the first half of the book!

This will be heading out to RainDrop162004 this morning. Happy reading! :)

Wow! Thanks, so glad to be apart of this ring! Will report when done reading! Thanks again!

:-)

This was an awesome book. I think I read it in two days. I got so absorbed in it and I loved how I could relate to the main character. No, LoL, I'm not being stalked by a killer, but I do love to write and am suspicious of any guy just like she is!

I thought I knew who the killer was about 1/3 way through the book, but when it turned out to be wrong I had to think carefully about who it could be, and then it hit me because it was so obvious. Isn't funny how the obvious killers are right under our nose and we don't even know it? LoL. It was the most unlikely character and that's why it turned out to be him!!

:-D

Will be sending off to cougmax shortly now that I have the needed address!

RELEASE NOTES:

sending off to cougmax today!

arrived safely!
Will start today, it looks fun!

Ummm... just a little over the top! Every character! Very silly plot did not flow very well but, it was a fun twist on the usual RDI. I loved the reference to the Frapuccino not being a real coffee! It's a milkshake!!
I loved catching the spelling errors since it was an ARC, I felt like an editor!
Thanks for passing on the ARC as a ring that was fun to read it before it hit the shelves.
Will PM tjroth now.

put in mail today!
enjoy tjroth!

This book was waiting for me along with two others when I got home from vacation. If that is the way things go when I leave...I think that I will leave more often so that I can come home to books! Thank you!

Fun, easy read. I thought that I had it figured out who the stalker/killer was but alas I also was wrong. Pming EllyMae58 for her addy. Went out in the mail to EllyMae58.

Received today - yay!
Am I excited to read it? Yes! It will be up next, once I finish my current read.

The reviews sound great - I'm glad to know everyone likes it so far. I need a fun book!

Thanks for sharing, DumbFox! Come back to the relay forums - we miss you!

This one was okay. A quick read, though. I told Sophie early on to watch out for Donato, but do they ever listen to me? No. She just kept suspecting the wrong man.

Laura Levine's This Pen For Hire was much more entertaining.

Heading off to my buddy SandDanz on 8/8.
Happy reading!

Received in a big o' box of books from Kel when I got back from my trip to Dayton, OH. I have 2 bookrings in front of this one so it shouldn't take too long to get to. :)

Just finished this book today. This was my first RDI book and I have to say, I absolutely loved it!!! I don't know how other RDI books compare to this one, but this was a great mix of mystery, romance, and comedy. I definitely will be looking out for more books by this author. Thanks so much for sharing Foxy... hope you make it back around soon... we all miss you in the relay forum! *HUGS*

RELEASE NOTES:

Sending off to my good buddy, Cheriepie!

Got this one in the mail today from SandDanz. Of course, I've got a few rings and rays in front of it, but I'm not running that far behind and should have no problem getting to it within a month. :)

This was a quick read, but fun and action-packed, a great first novel from this author. Unlike some other readers, I had the true murderer figured out about half way through, but I enjoyed the red herrings nonetheless. And even though I knew "whodunit", it was enjoyable to discover all the clues being left and how everything fit together. I'll be on the lookout for future books from this author.

I've PMed Doris, whose addy I already have, to confirm she still wants to read this, and if so, I'll put it in the mail to her when I get back from my Key West vacation on 10/25.

UPDATE 10/22: The powers-that-be saw fit to return me from my Key West vacation early due to Hurricane Wilma, due to strike the Flordia Keys sometime on Monday. So though we were only there about 36 hours, we rescheduled the trip till 11/1. Oh, but about the book... I got it packed up today and it'll go out in Monday's mail, Oct. 24, 2005 to Doris in Quebec via Air Mail.

Received today. I have one ring which I am reading right now so I will get to this one shortly.

Thanks for sharing!

Keep smilin!

I enjoyed this book. Sophie was spunky if a little over the top. Fun and the story was slightly gripping. Makes me want to visit San Fran. It was a quick read but I like it.

Thanks for sharing!

I will PM andrea1982 for her addy.

Keep smilin!

Jan-06 - Have the computer up and running. Mailed to andrea1982 Sorry about the delay!

I was excited to receive this one in the mail today, it looks like a fun read! I'll start it tonight and send it on it's way soon.

EDIT: Feb. 24th, 2006

I really enjoyed this book, I read it over a couple of days on a business trip. It was a nice light read, and I actually stayed up late one night to finish it, so that I could find out the ending. I was so wrong with who I thought the kiler was.

I have PM'd Antheras for an address, and then I'll send it out. Thanks for sharing this one, it was a great read!