#BookReview One Death at a Time by Abbi Waxman @BerkleyRomance @PenguinRandomCA #OneDeathAtATime #AbbiWaxman #Berkley #BerkleyPartner #PenguinReads

A cranky former actress teams up with her Gen Z sobriety sponsor to solve the murder that threatens to send her back to prison in this dazzling new mystery novel from the USA Todaybestselling author of The Bookish Life of Nina Hill.

When Julia Mann, a bad-tempered ex-actress and professional thorn in the side of authority, runs into Natasha Mason at an AA meeting, it’s anything but a meet-cute. Julia just found a dead body in her swimming pool, and the cops say she did it (she already went to jail for murder once, so now they think she’s making a habit of it). Mason is eager to clear Julia’s name and help keep her sober, but all Julia wants is for Mason to leave her alone.

As their investigation ranges from the Hollywood Hills to the world of burlesque to the country clubs of Palm Springs, this unconventional team realizes their shared love of sarcasm and poor life choices are proving to be a powerful combination. Will secrets from their past trip them up, or will their team of showgirls, cat burglars, and Hollywood agents help them stay one step ahead? Are dead piranhas, false noses, and a giant martini glass important clues or simply your typical day in Los Angeles? And will they manage to solve the crime before they kill each other, or worse, fall off the wagon? Trying to keep it simple and take it easy is one thing—trying to find a murderer before they kill again is a whole other program.

Review:

Atmospheric, witty, and entertaining!

One Death at a Time is a charming, captivating tale that transports you to the Hollywood Hills and into the life of Julia Mann, a formerly successful actress turned lawyer who, after the body of one of her previous co-workers, now enemy winds up dead in her pool, finds herself, with the help of a handful of people, doing whatever she can to prove her innocence so she doesn’t wind up an inmate once again for a crime she didn’t commit.

The writing style is humorous and light. The characters are sharp, quirky, and impulsive. And the plot is a pacey whodunit full of friendship, danger, oddball situations, red herrings, amateur sleuthing, lies, secrets, deception, deduction, attraction, revelations, the cutthroat work of movie making, and new beginnings.

Overall, One Death at a Time is a mysterious, amusing, satisfying treat by Waxman that had just the right amount of suspicious personalities, zany antics, and an abundance of drama to keep me engaged from start to finish.

This novel is available now.

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