It's funny that there's a note from the author at the beginning that says these books can be read in any order. That's not true at all and I think I would have liked this one more if I hadn't read the fourth book first. I got the fourth book at BEA a few years ago and liked it, so I wanted to start from the beginning. The problem was, I already knew about this whole thing with Sam, as well as other things mentioned in this book, because they were talked about in the fourth. My advice is to definitely read these in order. This was a pretty good mystery, and even had a few twists I didn't know about. I'm not sure how I feel about Izzy because she often seems naive, at best, and at times a little stupid. I don't remember thinking that about her in the other book, so maybe she matures. And I did like how she handled the Sam situation at the end. I definitely want to catch up with this series because it seems like it keeps getting better. I had high hopes for this book. The reviews all seemed to be on the high side and I really enjoy reading mysteries with female leads. Unfortunately, this one just didn't leave me satisfied. I usually read books in a day or so, while this one took me over a week. I just didn't find myself excited to get back to reading the book. When I was about halfway through the book, I realized that I just really didn't like the main character, Izzy. She is smart, beautiful, sexy, and successful. She is also selfish, self-centered, and a little snobby. I just really didn't like her. I didn't find myself "rooting" for her. I honestly didn't care what happened to her.The story itself was decent. The plot twists were only slight bends and nothing shocking. The ending was a bit of a let down and a bit abrupt. It also ends with the reader knowing there are likely more books coming for Izzy McNeil (which, of course this was just the first in a trilogy). I don't think I will be bothering with the next two books in the trilogy...I didn't care what happened to Izzy in this book, so I don't think I will care what happens to her later.I give the book 3 stars because the story was decent. I took stars off for the inability to connect with the characters and the blah ending.
What do You think about Red Hot Lies (2009)?
Interesting cross between chick lit and a lawyer thriller - actually pretty well done.
—swans_128
Great Chicago read - she is incredible accurate with all of her northside references.
—auncgal
Red Hot Lies (Izzy McNeil Mysteries) by Laura Caldwell (2009)
—Padme
