Jennifer Crane's favorite thing is shopping for designer
clothes. As an aspiring actress living in New York, she's
constantly on the prowl for a great deal, and her gay pal
Brian is there to help.
Melanie Prescott, Jenn's best friend and former roommate,
shows up in her apartment fresh from an NSA job in D.C.
Over appletinis, she relays a freaky encounter with a game
called Play.Survive.Win. (PSW). In PSW, there are three
main players, none who choose to be participants. The
target, assassin and protector all have their separate
parts in the game, but the cash prize involved if all of
the clues are solved (by the target) is substantial.
After a platinum blonde with an intricate bird tattoo buys
her favorite pair of Manolo Blahniks out from under her and
infects her with a time-release toxin, Jenn is primed to
become a part of the game herself, or die trying. As a
newly-minted protector, the target (and her protectee) is
the stunning but depressed Devlin Brady, an ex-FBI agent
with some serious baggage. With a next-day deadline of 10
a.m. and some seriously difficult clues to solve, it's not
certain that Jenn and Devlin will make it out alive.
THE MANOLO MATRIX, the follow-up to THE GIVENCHY CODE, is
an entertaining and enjoyable story that readers with a
taste for chick lit and mystery/suspense will truly enjoy.
I found the plot a bit far-fetched and some of the clues
difficult to follow, but overall I was impressed with the
creative answers. The writing is solid and I appreciated
the author's ability to move the story along.
Julie Kenner reloads for her second novel of high-heeled
thrills as another woman gets pulled into a mysterious
world of extreme gaming where she must play or die.
Aspiring actress Jennifer Crane knows all about games --
the games girls play to get a guy; the games actresses play
to land a part; and the good old game of credit-card
roulette. (How else is a girl supposed to afford her
shoes?) But she never expected to be playing a game with
life-or-death consequences. Unable to successfully score an
acting gig, she has, instead, been cast in the role of
reluctant bodyguard to a real-life assassin's target -- a
dashing FBI agent of all people! -- and must embark with
him upon a scavenger hunt across Manhattan in search of the
ultimate prize: survival. Before this, Jenn's definition of
fighting dirty has been elbowing her way to the front of
the line at a Manolo sample sale. Now, if she wants to stay
alive, she's going to have to learn a few new uses for her
stilettos. . . and they ain't pretty.
Fast, flirty, and full of great footwear, THE MANOLO MATRIX
is another electrifying adventure in this breakout series
for fashionistas who love a perfectly appointed mystery.