The Blurb
When the Richmond police offer an exclusive in exchange for help with a case, nothing — not even a costume party — stops crime reporter Nichelle Clarke from making Manolo tracks to the crime scene. The hunt leads her to a televangelist’s compound in the Virginia countryside where the Reverend may be more interested in fat stacks of cash than he is saving wayward souls.
With two sexy guys tangled up in Nichelle’s story — and in her heart — work and love are on a crash course for disaster. Pressure pours in from every corner, including a faceless new competitor that means the deadline is always five minutes ago. As secrets threaten and the truth becomes her lifeline, Nichelle must unmask the killer and nail down the story before she’s snared in the carefully-constructed web.
With two sexy guys tangled up in Nichelle’s story — and in her heart — work and love are on a crash course for disaster. Pressure pours in from every corner, including a faceless new competitor that means the deadline is always five minutes ago. As secrets threaten and the truth becomes her lifeline, Nichelle must unmask the killer and nail down the story before she’s snared in the carefully-constructed web.
“Walker's journalistic background fuels her snappy dialogue, thrill-of-the-chase plotting, and A-List fashion sense. Headlines in High Heels is a top-notch cozy mystery series readers will enjoy slipping into.” — Julia Spencer-Fleming, New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of Through the Evil Days
Devil in the Deadline by LynDee Walker
Series: Headlines in High Heels Mystery, #4
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Henery Press
Publisher: Henery Press
Publication Date: January 6, 2015
Paperback: 268 pages
Paperback: 268 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1940976617
E-Book File Size: 577 KB
ASIN: B00ODQS5TU
The Review
Devil in the Deadline, a cozy mystery, is the fourth book in the Headlines in High Heels Mysteries by LynDee Walker. The previous books in the series (Front Page Fatality, #1, Buried Leads, #2, and Small Town Spin, #3) are also amazing reads (Five Kitties!!). My review of Small Town Spin is here. Devil in the Deadline is the best book in the series yet!
[NOTE: This book can be read as a stand-alone, as far as solving the mystery itself; however, to understand everything that's going on with Nichelle and the two sexy guys she's tangled up with, as well as the back-story of the other returning characters, I recommend reading the series books in order.]
As LynDee states on her website, she writes "mysteries with smart women, sexy men, and a southern drawl." Her books have a depth to them, not typically found in cozies, that is due to LynDee's background as a reporter. Her background also gives an authenticity to Nichelle and her work, which adds greatly to my love of her series.
The opening paragraph of Devil in the Deadline caused me to literally LOL. As I was out in public at the time, at McDonald's, I was luckily able to keep the volume of my laughter down.
Now, on a more pleasant note.... An interlude with a co-worker.
I've barely mentioned the mysteries to be solved. The grisly murder is just the beginning. But I don't want to give away any spoilers. So you'll just have to READ THE BOOK.
FYI, y'all — LynDee is finishing up the fifth book in the series this month. Cover Shot is currently set for an October 2015 release! I can't wait!
Author LynDee Walker has outdone herself with this fourth entry in her Headlines in High Heels Mystery series. I highly recommend the fantastic Devil in the Deadline, which has earned our highest rating of Five Kitties.
The opening paragraph of Devil in the Deadline caused me to literally LOL. As I was out in public at the time, at McDonald's, I was luckily able to keep the volume of my laughter down.
Near-bottom on my list of ways to spend a Saturday night: going to work dressed like an extra from Flashdance. Criminals have such little respect for reporters' social lives.It turns out that Nichelle was on her way to the scene of a grisly murder. No more LOL.
He stepped to one side and ice washed over me in the balmy summer air, a scream sticking in my throat.
"Evil. Evil is the only word I've got." Aaron's low voice barely crossed the blood pounding in my ears. "I've been a cop for twenty years, and I've never seen anything like this."Well. That's enough of the grisly. You'll have to read the book for the details.
Now, on a more pleasant note.... An interlude with a co-worker.
Lost in my suspicions, I almost walked into Grant Parker as I rounded the corner.
"In your own little world of dead folks this morning, huh?" My friend's emerald eyes crinkled at the corners when he flashed his famous megawatt grin.
Joey — one of Nichelle's sexy men. Oh yeah, much more pleasant....
He fit one elbow behind my legs, scooping me into his arms, and pressed his forehead to mine.
"You told me a story once about a fantasy that started this way." He turned for the bedroom.
"I have about a thousand fantasies that start this way." Wow, my censor switch had flipped clean over to "off."
"Pick one." He covered my mouth with his.
Oh. My. God.More Joey. In a phone call to Nichelle. On a Monday.
"When can I see you again?" he switched the subject smoothly, an urgency in his voice that set those butterflies in motion again.
"Do you have plans for the weekend?" I asked.
"Sounds like I do now. If I have to wait that long."
Holy. Crap.And on a lighter note, a moment with the boss....
"You work too much," Bob said. "Don't you know it's after five?"
"Funny how the news doesn't care about clocks." I didn't turn around. "And I don't see you going home yet."
His chuckle drifted in the direction of his office.Now a little something about Kyle, Nichelle's other sexy guy, for y'all who are on #TeamKyle instead of #TeamJoey.
....I pulled up in front of Kyle's building Sunday morning. And blinked twice when he stepped outside. His ice-blue shirt color matched his eyes and molded to his muscular shoulders in a way that made my stomach flip.How about you? Kyle or Joey?
I've barely mentioned the mysteries to be solved. The grisly murder is just the beginning. But I don't want to give away any spoilers. So you'll just have to READ THE BOOK.
FYI, y'all — LynDee is finishing up the fifth book in the series this month. Cover Shot is currently set for an October 2015 release! I can't wait!
Author LynDee Walker has outdone herself with this fourth entry in her Headlines in High Heels Mystery series. I highly recommend the fantastic Devil in the Deadline, which has earned our highest rating of Five Kitties.
Note: I received a complimentary copy of Devil in the Deadline from the publisher and Great Escapes Book Tours, in exchange for an honest opinion of the book.
The Author
About LynDee Walker
Her debut novel, FRONT PAGE FATALITY, is an Amazon and Barnes & Noble #1 bestseller, and was nominated for the Agatha Award for Best First Novel. DEVIL IN THE DEADLINE is the fourth in LynDee’s Headlines in High Heels mystery series. The fifth arrives October 2015.
LynDee adores her family, her readers, and enchiladas. She often works out tricky plot points while walking off the enchiladas. She lives in Richmond, Virginia, where she is either playing with her children, working on her next novel, or admiring beautiful shoes she can’t wear.
Find her on the web at
The Giveaway
LynDee will award these fabulous prizes to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
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