Book Summary:
Reporter Bertie Mallowan has drifted away from hard news stories and into
the shallows of "fluff" features, the kind you find buried in the back of the
newspaper. Writing about preschool fashion shows and the latest in designer
garbage bags bores her so she amuses herself by inventing naughty passwords for
her computer and pushing the envelope when it comes to creative lying to
management types.
When she interviews greedy, nasty Robert Bellingham, the king of must-have
luxury items for the rich of Southern California - like monogrammed airbags for
"The Crash with Panache" and mink coats pre-streaked with red paint to foil PETA
kamikazes. Over the years, his products have become de rigueur for the
class that has two of everything and is seeking the one and only of something
else. He's made a lot of money and a lot of enemies.
Two days after Bertie's interview, Bellingham's body is found on the floor of the foyer in the family mansion; someone has aerated his skull with the stereotypical blunt object. Thanks to her interview, Bertie has inside information about the life and times of a rich and powerful murder victim and is thrust into a big story again.
Two days after Bertie's interview, Bellingham's body is found on the floor of the foyer in the family mansion; someone has aerated his skull with the stereotypical blunt object. Thanks to her interview, Bertie has inside information about the life and times of a rich and powerful murder victim and is thrust into a big story again.
Bertie is convinced that the family's bizarre emotional ticks make them all
uniquely capable of committing murder. A second murder and an attack on Bertie
herself brings her face-to-face with the kind of danger she's only ever written
about, never experienced first-hand.
Author Bio:
CATHY LUBENSKI PHILLIPS spent over 25 years in the newspaper industry and has plenty of scars from dueling with pesky editors to show for it. She survived with her sanity relatively intact and has continued writing for pleasure. This is her first book featuring reporter Bertie Mallowan, but not her last. She lives with her husband, Ed Phillips, aka Phil, and her Jack Russell terrier, Pica, in Carlsbad, California. Her son, Michael Lubenski, and brother, Bill Mora, live in Ellwood City, Pa., her hometown.
She says: "Moving to California after a life spent mostly in a small town in the Rust Belt rocked my sensibilities. I mean, who wears shorts and flip-flops to a wedding, for God's sake? And why are they called swap meets, not flea markets? After 15 years here, I'm still in culture shock. Fortunately, I was able to use my wobbly grasp on my marbles for good: 'Trashy Chic' is the result. "
I look forward to having you on my show. Thank you so much!
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