Cozy Monday

A First Date With Death (Love or Money Mystery #1) by Diana Orgain (Berkley Prime Crime mass market, 3 March 2015).

Georgia Thornton learned the hard way that a police officer can't share personal opinions with the media.  After losing her job with the SFPD, she signs on to be the "bachelorette" on a reality television show called Love or Money.  

When she's hesitant about bungee-jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge, bachelor Aaron takes her place, and ends up in a coma.  When he's replaced by Georgia's ex-fiancé, a cop, claiming to be an insurance salesman, she wonders if Aaron's accident was not so accidental.  

Georgia recognizes her makeup technician as Teresa, a woman she'd sent to jail a few years earlier.  Teresa disappears when Georgia starts to ask questions about her.

As more and more "incidents" occur around the set, Georgia becomes suspicious and jittery.  She can't quit, because breaking her contract would be insanely expensive, so she continues, nervous about what might happen next.

As an ex-police officer, Georgia isn't able to use formal methods to investigate her suspicions, but she still her training, as well as many connections that most amateur sleuths wouldn't.  That the mystery takes place during the production of a single television episode, limits the timeline and heightens the sense of urgency, both for Georgia and the investigators. 

That the name of the series is the same as the name of the television series in the story is also intriguing.  Will Georgia be the protagonist in future books, or will the stories revolve around the program?  Either way, I'm eager to read more!


The publisher has generously offered a copy of A First Date With Death to one of my readers. Please comment below before midnight on March 16th, including A VALID EMAIL ADDRESS.  Entries from the US only, please.  



FTC Full Disclosure:  Many thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of the book.