Bailey Weggins is a single woman in her thirties living in Manhattan. She makes her living as a true crime writer/journalist, but occasionally serves as an amateur sleuth when her investigative sixth sense tells her there's more than meets the eye on a case she's working. Right now, she's working a great gig at Buzz Magazine, which isn't quite Pulitzer-prize material, but it pays the bills. She doesn't write fluff pieces like most of her colleagues; instead, she covers celebs when they get into legal trouble. She enjoys her freelance work and her relationship with boyfriend Beau seems to be going well.

Bailey's colleague Jessica gets invited to a weekend party at a music producer's house, and Jessica invites Bailey. As Beau has been called out of town for the weekend on a work assignment, Bailey decides to go. However, as soon as everyone arrives, the tension begins. One of the attendees is supermodel Devon Barr, her entourage, her ex-boyfriend, and his wife. The stereotypical dynamic of the supermodel treating the host's cook as persona non grata sets in, and the tension only ratchets up when a snowstorm traps them all in the house.

Things really get heated when Devon's dead body is discovered in the middle of the night. Bailey immediately suspects foul play, remembering Devon's spontaneous confession that she did not feel safe and that she needed to get out of the house. Bailey also discovers that someone took evidence out of Devon's room before the police got there, which confirms her suspicions. If the police are swayed by Bailey's explanation and theories, they don't let on, which leads Bailey to do her own investigating. Within just a few days, though, her job at Buzz is put in jeopardy as her boss gets a tip that she has attempted to extort money from Devon's mother in exchange for not publishing embarrassing secrets about Devon.

Now suspended from the magazine, Bailey starts to investigate Devon's death independently. However, she finds that nearly everyone at the house that weekend had a motive of some kind (and certainly had the opportunity). As soon as she starts to make headway, her own safety is threatened, which tells her that she's probably on the right track but she needs to find indisputable proof before she becomes a second victim.

I've read one Kate White book before, and I loved it so much that I couldn't wait to read SO PRETTY IT HURTS. I am happy to say that it did NOT disappoint! This book was intriguing from the first page, it held my attention throughout the entire fast-paced story, and the characters are compelling. While there were a few suspects I eliminated, I never did figure out the actual culprit. The subplot involving Bailey's relationship with Beau was interesting without being too overpowering. SO PRETTY IT HURTS is perfectly balanced in all ways.

Book Summary

Bailey Weggins, the thirty-something, true crime journalist for Buzz, a leading celebrity magazine, needs a break. Plenty busy with her day job, her freelance work, and trying to get her first book noticed, she barely has time for her recently exclusive boyfriend, Beau Regan, much less herself. When Beau goes out of town, Bailey accepts an invitation with her friend Jesse to a music mogul's weekend house in upstate New York.

But, the relaxing weekend getaway turns out to be more like an Agatha Christie whodunit. A weird tension has infected all the guests—a glamorous crowd of journalists and models, including the famous, and famously thin, supermodel Devon Barr. An impending snowstorm only adds to the tension. When Devon’s cold, lifeless body is found in her bed, Bailey immediately suspects foul play: she can’t shake the memory of a fearful and angry Devon shivering in the woods outside the house, whispering , “I have to get out here . . . It’s not safe for me.”

When evidence goes missing from the crime scene, Bailey once again finds herself a moving target—running closer to the truth and farther from safety.