To Die For: A Novel (Blair Mallory, #1)

by Linda Howard

She was a dead ringer. Now she’s just dead. . . .

Blair Mallory lives the good life. She’s pretty, confident, and the owner of a thriving up-scale fitness center. But in the shadow of success, a troubled member of the club develops a strange fixation on Blair, imitating her style and dress. Matters take a darker turn when the look-alike is shot dead—and Blair witnesses the horror.

As the media speculates on the tawdry details of the homicide and pushes Blair into the harsh spotlight, she locks horns with police lieutenant Wyatt Bloodsworth. He wants to lead an investigation without interference, while Blair is determined to probe the dead woman’s life on her own. But when someone begins to menace Blair with mounting threats, Wyatt takes notice: Was this murder indeed a lethal case of mistaken identity–and was Blair the intended victim?

• ISBN10: 0345476255
• ISBN13: 9780345476258
• Publish Date: 28 December 2004 (first published 1 January 2004)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Random House USA Inc
• Imprint: Ballantine Books Inc.
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 384
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780345476258

Reviews

[wyvernfriend]

Written in the first person by someone who is more used to using her looks and he fact that people underestimate her than using the smarts she was born with. Someone who knows that that's the way the world works and is willing to use it. Her name is Blair Mallory, she runs a health club, founded with the procedes from her divorce. The club is successful and she's happy with her life until Nicole Goodwin. Nicole decides that she wants to be Blair so she slowly makes herself over to be her, however she's not a nice woman and when several of Blair's clients approach her with complaints, Blair is only happy not to renew her membership. When Blair discovers Nicole's car in the parking lot as she's closing up she's sure it spells trouble, and it does, only not what Blair expects. There's shots, that Blair assumes are from Nicole only to discover that Nicole is dead. When Blair starts having more accidents that's when she wonders was it because of how she looked that Nicole died.



Lt Wyatt Bloodsworth enters the fray. An ex of Blair's he's used to being in charge, but Blair isn't having any of that. Having to live with him to keep her from harm doesn't suit her, particularly as they're both very attracted. He can turn her no's into yesses too easily.

It's fluffy and reminds me of early Stephanie Plum by Janet Evanovich, only without some of the annoying tendencies to rush into danger. A fun character that I look forward to reading more about.