DATING CAN BE MURDER: A Samantha Shaw Mystery

After the sudden death of her rotten husband, Trent, southern California suburban housewife and soccer mom Samantha Shaw, the heroine of Apodaca's delightful debut cozy, seeks revenge—big time. When cleaning out her husband's treasured 1964 Mustang convertible, Sam finds a bag of panties (not hers), each with a Post-it attached rating its owner's performance. Hurt and enraged, Samantha has her breasts done, dyes her hair blond and trades in her long skirts and sneakers for minis and stiletto heels. A reviewer of romance fiction and a firm believer in true love, she buys Heart Mates, a dating service, determined to make it, and romance, succeed. When a thug threatens her life and demands that she give him money, she suspects Trent was into more than extramarital sex. The thug's murder and the discovery that her condom salesman husband was also selling drugs give Sam good cause to worry for the safety of her sons and grandfather. Luckily, she can turn for help to hunky ex-cop Gabe Pulizzi. As the suspect list grows, Sam's new persona is tested in ways she never imagined at the PTA. Fast-paced and witty, this sparkling cozy offers a hair-raising climax and a believable cast of supporting characters, except for a relentless mother who's too keen on having her daughter become a realtor. In the best romance tradition, Sam dares to face the things that frighten her most. Surely one can almost hear Miss Marple saying, "You go, girl!" (May 7)

Forecast:A bright, eye-catching jacket of a big heart with a male corpse on top and a bullet hole in the middle should lure both cozy and romance readers.