cover image Dead Ex

Dead Ex

Harley Jane Kozak, . . Doubleday, $21.95 (338pp) ISBN 978-0-385-51802-4

Holy Hollywood! In actor-turned-author Kozak's witty third crime caper (after 2005's Dating Is Murder ), wild Wollie Shelley must solve the cold-blooded murder of terminally ill David Zetrakis, producer of the popular TV soap At the End of the Day . Tall, unarmed and sometimes very dangerous if provoked, Wollie's an underemployed greeting card artist who starts moonlighting as the dating correspondent for the talk show SoapDirt . Getting the dirt on David's killer, however, proves to be a major challenge. Wollie and her best friend, fellow Day actress Joey Rafferty, had both dated David, and Joey becomes the LAPD's top suspect when it turns out David bequeathed her a valuable Gustav Klimt painting. Wollie's faith in her friend is further tested when Joey's husband dies in a suspicious surfing accident and Joey disappears. A Greek mythology twist and crackling insider insight into the fascinating soap opera world enhance this clever whodunit. (Aug.)