Dating Dead Men **AWARD WINNER]**

Kozak, Harley Jane

ISBN 10: 0385510187 / ISBN 13: 9780385510189

Published by Doubleday, New York, New York, U.S.A., 2004

About this Item

1st ed. Near fine in dust jacket. Author's 1st book in the Woolie Shelly series. Author's highly praised first book as it was an AGATHA, ANTHONY & MACAVITY AWARD WINNER for Best First Novel and a GUMSHOE AWARD NOMINEE for Best first Novel. "Even Stephanie Plum's antics will seem sedate after readers make the acquaintance of Los Angeles's own Wollie Shelley, greeting card designer and small business owner. Wollie is dating 40 men in 60 days as part of a research project for a bestselling radio personality; the $5,000 fee could help her struggling store, "Wollie's Welcome! Greetings." In particular, Wollie's worried about inspections from national headquarters, who want to ensure that her franchise is up to standard. Her already full plate gets loaded up further when her paranoid schizophrenic brother, P.B., who resides at a mental hospital called Rio Pescado, phones to tell her he's witnessed a murder. The last thing Wollie wants is to call the police, so she dashes off to Rio Pescado. On the way she finds a dead body. At the hospital she picks up a charismatic stranger, "Doc," who's on the run, and Wollie can't help getting herself mixed up in his troubles as well. Juggling dates, avoiding the bad guys on Doc's trail, trying to keep her store up to snuff and figuring out what to feed the ferret Doc left in her care have Wollie hopping at a pace reminiscent of the best 1930s screwball film comedies. Kozak has struck gold first time out with a wacky, high-octane plot and characters to match." -- Publishers Weekly. Seller Inventory # 014925

Bibliographic Details

Title: Dating Dead Men **AWARD WINNER]**

Publisher: Doubleday, New York, New York, U.S.A.

Publication Date: 2004

Binding: Hard Cover

Condition: Fine

Dust Jacket Condition: Fine

Edition: First Edition.

Book Type: Book

About this title

Synopsis:

Los Angeles greeting-card artist Wollie Shelley is dating forty men in sixty days as research for a radio talk show host's upcoming book, How to Avoid Getting Dumped All the Time. Wollie is meeting plenty of eligible bachelors but not falling in love, not until she stumbles over a dead body en route to Rio Pescado--a state-run mental hospital--and is momentarily taken hostage by a charismatic "doctor" who is on the run from the Mob. Wollie fears that her beloved brother, a paranoid schizophrenic living at Rio Pescado, is involved in the murder, so rather than go to the authorities, she decides to solve the crime on her own. As she meets up with an array of small-time crooks and swaggering mobsters only slightly more sinister than the men she’s been dating, Wollie realizes that "getting dumped" is the least of her problems. Finding true love, she discovers, sometimes means learning how to avoid getting killed . . .

Dating Dead Men will keep readers guessing until the final bullet is shot--and cheering for the irresistible Wollie as she makes her way out of confusion and into the welcoming embrace of Mr. Right.

From the Back Cover:

“Harley Jane Kozak has created a set of delightful characters in Dating Dead Men. Wollie, her entrepreneur extraordinaire, manages to deal with a
murder, the Mafia, an appealing but mysterious love interest, and a killer who wants to see her dead, all with originality and humor. Lately, I find
myself looking over my shoulder when I'm driving to see if there's a Hummer behind me. I hope she comes back for a second act.”
--Lee Harris, author of MURDER IN HELL'S KITCHEN

“Lots of action, quirky characters, an engaging new sleuth who designs greeting cards, and a ferret named Margaret -- what more could any reader want?  Dating Dead Men is a superb debut.”
--Valerie Wolzien, author of A FASHIONABLE MURDER
“Dating Dead Men is the funniest mystery I've read in ages. Any woman who has ever wondered how many more Mr. Wrongs she'll have to date to meet Mr. Right will love this book. Dating Dead Men is delightful, wicked, and well-written--I look forward to the next Harley Jane Kozak novel!
 --Jan Burke, author of Nine