Book Review - Stilettos & Scoundrels by Laina Turner Molaski

About The Book:

Presley Thurman, a sassy, thirty-something red-head, was looking to reinvent herself. She didn’t allow the fact she was recently fired to bother her – she was ready to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a writer. Presley was a lover of shopping and Starbucks, and even though she sometimes had bad taste in men, she always had great taste in clothes.

Not looking back on corporate America, Presley decided to follow her dream. With her feisty nature and a spirit to not “sweat the small stuff,” she was ready to tackle any challenge (even if she had no idea how she would pay the bills). When her friend Trevor offered her a job with his online magazine to interview public figures, she jumped at the chance.

However, the new job turned into something unexpected when the U.S. Senator she was slated to write about was murdered – in her home town! Presley was excited – she hadn’t seen so much buzz since the spring sample sale at Saks. She was ready for this adventure, even if it didn’t seem to fit neatly into her life. She couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be in the middle of the buzz.

Presley was determined (not to mention curious) to find the killer and write her story. After all, she couldn’t afford her shoe habit without a job and she was certainly not one to shy away from danger. The only thing standing in her way was an old high school fling, Cooper Sands, head of the Senator’s security. He was not actually standing in her way, but because of his good looks, he was the biggest distraction and one she was having the hardest time overcoming. Cooper felt it was too dangerous for Presley to look for a killer and tried to distract her with reliving the past; which Presley found more dangerous than any killer. While she attempted to resist Cooper’s good looks and charm, Presley was able to discover the Senator’s wife, Helen, had been having an affair… with her best friend’s boyfriend! Did Helen kill the Senator? Or was it the Senator’s love of gambling that got him killed? And what was Cooper’s secret tie to the mob boss Garrison Palazzo?

Presley’s betting her favorite pair of Manolo’s she will find the killer… but will time run out!

My Review:

Presley is a Senior Human Resource Manager at McLaughlin Industries.  Right in the beginning of the book, she gets fired from her job.   She definitely has to find some kind of work since she loves shoes and shopping!  As you can see from these quotes:

Enough reflecting, she said to herself, unlocking her door.  There were more pressing things to worry about--like finding a new job.  The bills wouldn't pay themselves, and she didn't have a sugar daddy in her back pocket.  Stepping on the foyer, she kicked off her Jimmy Choo's (she had a weakness for shoes and would rather not eat than go without her favorite shoes), and dug her toes into the thick, cream shag carpet as she hung her coat in the front closet.  I'll have to cut back on the shoe shopping now that I am unemployed, she thought to herself.  That was going to be more difficult than anything.  A girl had to have her priorities.  p.14

Shoes, bags and accessories of all kinds were just as important as food; actually, they were probably more important than food. Right after coffee and before food was probably the perfect priority for accessories. p. 34

She was thinking about what she would like to do for a job.  The two things she always wanted to do was be a writer and work at Kentucky Fried Chicken (her favorite restaurant when she was little).  Her friend Trevor had talked about her writing for his online magazine.  Since she loves to write, she thought maybe she will try that.  Her first assignment is to interview the Senator who is from Alkon, her hometown.  She decides to go there and do the interview.  She figures it will be a good chance to spend time with her friends and family too.     

Within a few hours of the time that she interviews the Senator, he is murdered.  She finds herself immersed in trying to figure out who murdered the Senator.  This is when the book really picked up for me!  I am surprised at how good of a detective Presley is, and this really made the story!

Presley's mom still treated her like a little girl, and that was really annoying.  If I was Presley I would have told her that she is a grown girl and stop treating her like a child!   

Overall, I really enjoyed this book!  The story really picked up for me after the murder, and I was turning pages to see what was going to happen next!  I hope Presley comes back in another book!  I definitely recommend this book!

Book Details
Title: Stilettos & Scoundrels

Author: Laina Turner Molaski

Publisher:  Self-Published

Release Date: February 23, 2010
Source: Received from the author

My Rating:  4/5 diamonds

About the Author:

Laina Turner-Molaski is a business woman, mom, author, Professor, and a major supporter of shopping. She has an undying love for shoes and coffee, which is why she created her main character and alter-ego Presley Thurman.

With many letters after her name and a ton of student loan debt, she is always working to pay the bills. While she enjoys her day job, her passion is writing, and she uses a lot of company time writing her fiction or working on her social website for women, chiczofrenic.com. She is hoping to sell her book before she gets fired from her day job for goofing off.

Laina is currently living in Indiana, with her family, and is always writing something, whether it’s blogs, articles, business journals and books or ideas for her next novel. She is continuously doing what she loves which is writing or drinking coffee.

You can visit her website at LainaTurner.com

To all women out there...you can be superwoman. Embrace your life. What's your brand of crazy?
—Dr. Laina Turner-Molaski

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for my review. My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist. They are my personal reflections based solely on MY experience while reading this novel.

 © 2011, Cheryl of Black Diamond's Book Reviews.