In DEATH, TAXES AND PEACH SANGRIA, Tara and her girlfriend down quite a few pitchers of that potent, fruity beverage as they work through their woeful love lives. Tara's relationship with Brett remains up in the air, in part because of her growing curiosity about her colleague and sometimes roustabout partner, Nick Pratt. In between trying to decide what to do with Brett, then trying to do the right thing by Brett, Tara takes down more tax criminals, starting with The Tax Wizard. Tara and Nick find themselves working together on divergent fronts: helping tech geek Josh, not to mention boss Lu to find romantic happiness via the Internet, and rooting out some tax cheats who may be helping terrorists to money launder cash.

Kelly keeps the laughs coming even as readers learn more than they ever wanted to know about ways taxpayers try to cheat the government—and get caught. Tara's angst over her love life is realistic and fluid, which is hard to believe given that she and Brett have been trying to make it work for at least three installments. Nick remains everything desirable in a hero: smart, compassionate, patient yet no pushover and hot! So things should work out, right? Maybe they will, and maybe it will be like the tax cheats they catch -- a good idea on paper that doesn't have the happiest of endings. Readers, myself included, will eagerly and willing keep reading to find out.

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