Red Hot Lies

by Laura Caldwell

They say bad things happen in threes. When her fiancé, Sam, disappears on the same day her mentor and biggest client is killed, hotshot Chicago attorney Izzy McNeil starts counting. But trouble keeps coming. Sam is implicated in the client's death, her apartment is broken into and it's not just the authorities who are following her. Now, to find Sam and uncover her client's murderer, Izzy will have to push past limits she never imagined. Lucky for...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0778326500
• ISBN13: 9780778326502
• Release Date: May 2009
• Publisher: Mira Books
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 4.2" x 6.6"

Customer Reviews

Meet Izzy McNeil

This is the first book in a new trilogy by Laura Caldwell. I love that the books are coming out once a month instead of once a year, because having met Izzy, I want to keep up with what's happening in her life. She's an attorney at a large firm and her biggest client dies, apparently of a heart attack. When her fiance disappears with what appears to be $30 million belonging to that client, the ride begins. From Chicago to Panama City, Panama [where my son and his wife live.....so fun for me :)], we're treated to all sorts of twists and turns, as she tries to discover what really happened to her client and if she can ever trust her fiance again. Izzy dabbles in some unrelated P.I. work as well, and I can see that being part of the next books. I hope so! All in all, a really great read.

Author's Ability to Write Steamy and Passionate Scenes is Demonstrated Well

RED HOT LIES, the first in a summer mystery trilogy by critically acclaimed author and law professor Laura Caldwell, offers more than little white lies to lead redheaded Chicago lawyer Izzy McNeil to her missing fiancé. The novel starts unfolding soon after the disappearance of Sam Hollings and $30 million worth of real estate shares belonging to Izzy's mentor, media mogul Forester Pickett --- the same day Pickett is found dead in his mansion. Feeling a bit overwhelmed and uneasy about her upcoming wedding day was nothing compared to being alone to figure out if Sam is who he says he is. The FBI pays Izzy a visit in their search for Sam and the missing shares. As Pickett's attorney, Izzy was privy to his business dealings and confidences. Pickett told her he had been receiving anonymous letters saying he was too old for his job and he should step down. A homeless man had threatened him on two occasions, and the FBI thinks the man she was wild about and going to marry in six weeks is implicated in Pickett's murder. Izzy's world is spinning out of control and "where is Sam, the lover who nicknamed her Red Hot, and why hasn't he called her?" Izzy takes action, gathering her lawyer friends around her for support and contacting private investigator John Mayburn to help her find the "martini-green" eyed man she loves and knows would not have killed Pickett. Mayburn connects Izzy to a case he is investigating in return for his services. An affair and the burning secret Pickett's son, Chase, hides are all clues to the puzzle that intensifies the heat of this series. Mayburn and Izzy track Sam to Key West and Panama City, Panama. Izzy can't be stopped when they pinpoint Sam's general location, and she's off to the Caribbean. Caldwell's fast-paced writing engages the reader through eight days of agonizing uncertainty, clues and confusion to a cleverly conceived ending. Sam's abrupt disappearance implores Izzy to ask herself, "Had I been focusing only on the image of him that I saw and wanted, without ever really looking at the dark chaos surrounding him?" His behavior was totally uncharacteristic, yet there are facts that make him look guilty. To add an element of temptation, Caldwell inserts the romantic attentions of Izzy's co-worker, Grady, who takes full advantage of Sam's absence to shower Izzy with kisses. So how does an engaged woman react when the fiancé is missing? She gives in to red hot desire: "...something was released in me, something primal and passionate and angry. And it only made me want to kiss him more." The author's ability to write steamy and passionate scenes is demonstrated well. I was anticipating how Caldwell, whose personal past has been spent dealing with the realities of the law, would delve into romantic fantasy. She teases and tempts with sexiness, creating a desire for more as she connects the characters. All of Izzy's yearnings for Sam turn to anger when she first sees him again. Caldwell pushes and pulls the emotions

red hot lies

I loved everything about this book. "Red Hot Lies" has great characters, a great plot, & great writing. Izzy McNeil is a young lawyer whose fiance goes missing & ends up suspected of murder. Izzy just can't believe that her fiance would commit murder, so she sets off to prove his innocence. Laura Caldwell seems to be a better writer than most mystery of thriller authors; she goes a little deeper with her characters, & I appreciate that.

entertaining amateur sleuth

In Chicago, Pickett Enterprises top entertainment lawyer twenty-nine year old Isabel "Izzy" McNeil is doing great at the job due to her spunky optimistic approach and more so because client Forester Pickett likes her so he gives her his thriving business. However, unlike her professional life, normally energetic Izzy is losing it as her marriage to Sam Hollings is coming soon. The same day that Pickett dies from a heart attack, Sam vanishes with thirty million dollars in stock in a Panamanian real estate venture. The police want to question Sam, as the last person to be known to have been with Pickett before he died. Her relationships with both men make Izzy a prime suspect in the missing bonds and in Pickett's death. As the FBI searches for Sam and they and the CPD stake out Izzy, she begins an investigation into her fiancé's whereabouts scooting on her Vespa on the mean streets of Chicago. Izzy tells much of the exciting story line as she bikes along the Windy City seeking clues to the whereabouts of her missing fiancé and to solve who committed the murder. However as she "joy" rides through the city, enough law enforcement types to fill Wrigley and thugs to fill U.S. Cellular Field (or is that the New Comiskey Park) follow her. Fans will enjoy this entertaining amateur sleuth as somehow everything converges on Iz who could use a day off; just not in jail. Harriet Klausner

Give me more

Attorney Izzy McNeil is about to get married. Izzy and her fiancé, Sam Hollings are finalizing all of their wedding plans, when Sam vanishes without a trace. Izzy can't figure out why Sam would up and leave without saying anything to her. Forester Pickett is owner and CEO of Pickett Enterprises, a huge corporation. Recently Forester has been investing in real estate property in Panama. Izzy receives a phone call from Mr. Pickett's son, Shane. His father has passed away of a heart attack. Izzy can't believe it. Just two weeks ago, Izzy and Forester were talking about how healthy he was. He had recently had a bunch of tests done and the results were negative. Though Forester told Izzy that he had been recently receiving threatening messages. He told Izzy that if someone were to happen to him that she should suspect foul play. Now Forester is dead and thirty million dollars worth of real estate shares have gone missing from Pickett Enterprises. Surprisedly, Sam was in charge of safe keeping the shares and we know what happened there. Obviously Sam killed Forester and took off with the shares. At first Izzy doesn't want to believe Sam could murder anyone but the deeper she digs, she realizes that she may not know Sam as well as she thought she did. Izzy McNeil is one tough cookie. She doesn't give up till the job is done. No matter how high the stakes are stacked aganist her. Red Hot Lies has a interesting plot that will keep you on your toes till the very last page. When I first saw that ony of my favorite authors Laura Caldwell was releasing this new trilogy, I get knew I had to check it out. I am happy to report that this book did not disppoint. MS. Caldwell has such an amazing range of talent. Everything she writes is a winner in my book...from chick lit stories to international suspense thrillers. I can't wait to visit with Izzy again.