In this third installment of the (mis)adventures of shoe- designer-turned-amateur-sleuth Maddie Springer, Maddie is again in hot water with her maybe (it's still debatable) boy friend, sexy detective Jack Ramirez. After totally screwing up Ramirez's secret meeting with a female informant and ending up being held at gunpoint, Maddie is desperate to make amends. To say Ramirez is not pleased is decidedly understated. Afraid that this time she's really gone too far and he'll never forgive her, Maddie has to do something to correct the situation. After all, the fiasco she created has led to Ramirez being demoted to pulling bodyguard duty at TV's hottest prime-time soap opera, Magnolia Lane, for a diva who's been receiving death threats. Could there be anything worse than that for this seasoned detective?

Now, if there's something Maddie and her best friend (and wanna-be actress) Dana know tons about it's the world of Magnolia Lane. They never miss an episode and are familiar with all the characters. Calling a college friend who works for the studio producing the soap, Maddie is able to secure jobs on the set -- Dana as an extra and Maddie as wardrobe assistant. They figure it's a cinch they'll be able to come up with clues to who's sending the death threats. Maddie is experienced at this kind of stuff, even if the last two times she ferreted out a killer was more by sheer dumb luck than any kind of brilliance on her part.

Well, you can just imagine what kind of trouble Maddie and Dana get themselves into behind the scenes. They encounter a diva who'll resort to any means to keep her leading lady status, several actors and actresses she's stepped on along the way, as well as a shifty tabloid reporter always looking for the next scandal. Oh, did I fail to mention that Ramirez is none too happy to see Maddie again involved in one of his cases? Can you say "livid!"? As dead bodies start piling up, it's very apparent that Maddie could be next in line. And there's no way Ramirez could live with that.

This flippant, rapid-fire book will satisfy readers who enjoy chick-lit, romance and light mystery. The characters are full of flaws, which make them believable and appealing, and Maddie's amusing, irreverent voice relating the story will have you smiling ear to ear. Halliday pulls off another hit with UNDERCOVER IN HIGH HEELS, and watch for Maddie's next exciting adventure in March 2008, ALIBI IN HIGH HEELS, when she goes to Paris.

Book Summary

Secret affairs, hunky gardeners, and housewives desperate enough to bare it all...welcome to Magnolia Lane, TV's newest hit show. As the new wardrobe assistant, shoe designer Maddie Springer is in fashion heaven. But then a young starlet is found dead. Now it's up to Maddie to sift through a secretive leading lady, an actor on the verge of a nervous breakdown, a sexy cyber scandal, and one tabloid reporter who'll stop at nothing to get the story of the century. Not to mention her tangles with the infuriatingly sexy lead detective, Jack Ramirez.

In a biz where lies and deception earn Emmys, Maddie will have to play the role of a lifetime to catch Hollywood's hottest killer. But if she doesn't watch her step, Maddie's 15 minutes of fame just may be her last.