Twenty something Haley Randolph doesn't let adversity get her
down. She does what any self-respecting chick-lit heroine
does—when the going gets tough, the tough go shopping. Too
bad her bank account is mysterious overdrawn and her credit
cards are nearly maxed out. To supplement her income for the
upcoming Christmas season, Haley takes a job at Holt's, a
department store that sadly doesn't carry her favorite name
brands.
Haley's part-time second job turns into her only job when
she's put on unpaid leave from her high-paying job in
accounting at a posh L.A. law firm. It seems there were some
financial misappropriations and she's been assigned the
blame. Haley knows she's done nothing wrong. Can she clear
her name and get her job back? Thank goodness for her job at
Holt's. Though that's in question when she finds the
assistant manager murdered and becomes the police's prime
suspect.
Haley may be a slacker as an employee, but she's no
murderer. Can she ferret out the secrets at Holt's before
she's arrested or fired from her second job? With the help
of hunky store owner Ty Cameron and law firm investigator
Jack Bishop, Haley works to clear her name on two fronts.
Only by figuring out those responsible in both cases can she
get back to her shopaholic lifestyle. But will the murderer
let her live to solve the crime?
Name-dropping is the name of the game in HANDBAGS AND
HOMICIDE. This cozy isn't meant for readers burned-out on
the chick-lit phenomenon. I myself found Haley to be
somewhat shallow and can only hope that she continues to
show personal growth in future books. I definitely will read
Ms. Howell's next Haley Randolph mystery. There's a bit of a
cliffhanger at the end, so readers will eagerly await the
next installment in this new series.
Witty, smart, and always chic-to-die despite a less than
glam checking account balance, Haley Randolph has it
all--Gucci, Prada, Chanel, Coach, Burberry--and she'd kill
for the newest Louis Vuitton handbag. It seems she's not the
only one. When someone's passion for designer purses leads
to murder, Haley goes shopping for a killer to clear her
name...
According to Haley Randolph, you can never
have enough handbags. She has one for every occasion, but
that doesn't mean she won't go to any lengths to get the
latest Louis Vuitton. Unfortunately for Haley, her life goes
from glam to grim when her passion for fashion outlasts her
credit cards, and she's forced to work during the holiday
season at Holt's--a mid-market department store that doesn't
even stock designer labels much to her horror.
Looking
for a bit of shopping inspiration, Haley abandons the sales
floor and sneaks into the stock room to get a first glimpse
of Holt's ultra-fab holiday promotion--a one-of-a-kind
selection of handbag styles. But instead of the newest
Vuitton, Haley discovers her boss is the ultimate fashion
victim. He's face-down in lingerie--stone-cold dead.
According to the security tapes, Haley was the only
person in the stockroom before, during, and after the
murder. With everyone in the store eyeing her like last
season's Marc Jacobs, Haley turns to the hunky Ty Cameron,
who heads up the store's loss prevention unit, to help her
investigate the murder.
In a race to clear her rep,
Haley's knowledge of hot trends will take her from the sales
floor to the boardroom to the gritty streets of L.A.'s
Garment District. Now, Haley must find a killer with
impeccable fashion taste...and get her hands on that
perfectly checkered Louis Vuitton bag before time runs
out...