Elle Harrison is a widow in her thirties; her husband was murdered about a year before the events surrounding the second book in this series. Even though towards the end, she discovered he was a cheater and a liar, she finds not being part of a couple a difficult thing to cope with. When Elle is worried, her mind wanders too much, she tends to imagine things, even seeing things; she suffers from dissociation.

On a girls' night out, Ellen caves in and sees a fortune teller who tells her that she is some sort of death magnet: death follows her.

Jen, who married a rich man, foots the bill so her friends Elle, Becky and Susan can accompany her to Mexico while she has some plastic surgery done; her friends will enjoy a week's vacation while she recuperates. But it's not exactly what happens. More and more, it seems the fortune teller might not have been so off the mark about their future.

Becky becomes enamoured of a local, Chichi, an activity director at the hotel where they're staying, and Elle fails to save the woman in the hotel room next door from falling to her death. Then another patient is killed. A young woman, Melanie, who befriends Elle, says the other activity director, Luis, is stalking her. Jen's doctor, Alain Du Bois, asks Elle on a date; he was also a close friend of the woman who fell from the balcony. But the handsome plastic surgeon has a few flaws: he is married, although he says his wife became incapacitated when she was in an accident, for which he says he's responsible, and he shows a definite lack of scruples regarding his chosen profession.

ELECTIVE PROCEDURES starts off as a light mystery, with quite engaging characters; the banter between our four friends is wonderfully entertaining. Elle's behaviour is rather unsettling at times whereas Jen is quite the diva and I enjoyed her antics tremendously. Then the tones shifts: the light mystery turns serious, Elle is almost killed twice; someone wants her dead. This is where the author really shines: from the atmosphere of a Mexican spa, to the camaraderie of the women, and then the writing style becomes suitably frantic as Elle fears for her life, and the feeling of panic and fear is wonderfully conveyed.

ELECTIVE PROCEDURES is a perfect beach read. But then again, maybe not, because it could leave you looking over your shoulder! Let's say, it's a perfect summer read!