Red Hot Lies by Laura Caldwell

Usually I pride myself on my intuition. I listen to that voice that says, “Something bad is happening…”or maybe “Get out. Now.” But on that Tuesday at the end of October, my psyche must have been protecting the one remaining day I still believed life was orderly and the universe liked me. Because I didn’t hear that voice. I never saw it coming.

They say bad things happen in threes. When her fiancé, Sam, disappears on the same day her mentor and biggest client is killed, hotshot Chicago attorney Izzy McNeil starts counting. But trouble keeps coming. Sam is implicated in the client’s death, her apartment is broken into and it’s not just the authorities who are following her.

Now, to find Sam and uncover her client’s murderer, Izzy will have to push past limits she never imagined. Lucky for her she’s always thrived under pressure, because her world is falling apart. Fast. And the trail of half-truths and lies is red-hot.

My review:
Red Hot Lies is the first book in the Izzy McNeil trilogy. I've read two of her suspense novels, Look Closely and The Rome Affair, and enjoyed them both. When I heard she was writing a new trilogy, I immediately added the titles to my TBR List.

At first glance, life appears to be going well for Izzy McNeil. She's an entertainment lawyer working for one of the richest men in Chicago, Forester Pickett. She's planning her wedding with her successful and gorgeous, fiancé Sam. She's feisty, beautiful and is satisfied with how things are in her life. Until one evening when several bad things happen in a row that cause Izzy's life to spin rapidly out of control.

Izzy is a character that I liked from page one. Ms. Caldwell did an excellent character portrayal of Izzy, that it seemed as though she was a friend. I immediately pictured her in my mind and rooted for her as she scrambled to find the truth behind Sam's disappearance and Forester's murder.

Red Hot Lies is a good, solid mystery. It kept me engrossed until the ending. There's twists and turns and plenty of suspects. Red Hot Lies did not disappoint. The good news is books two and three, Red Blooded Murder and Red, White & Dead, are now available and I'm looking forward to reading what happens next with Izzy.

About the author:
Laura Caldwell is becoming a favorite author of mine. She is a former lawyer now an Adjunct Professor of Law at Loyola University Chicago. She's the author of Look Closely, The Night I Got Lucky and The Good Liar, just to name a few. To see her entire book list, click here.

Book details:
Series: Izzy McNeil #1
ISBN-10: 0778326500
Pages: 439
Year Published: 2009
Genre: Mystery
Date Finished: August 13
Rating: B+