Pg. 69: Patricia Smiley's "Short Change"

Today's feature at the Page 69 Test: Patricia Smiley's Short Change.

About the book, from the author's website:

Savvy management consultant Tucker Sinclair is trying to get her own firm off the ground in Los Angeles. But when you're mixed up in a private investigator's business, trouble is always a prospect...

Tucker Sinclair is a free woman. She's finally escaped from the oppressively corporate Aames & Associates and now runs her own business consulting firm. But with freedom comes unpredictability. What was supposed to be a short stint helping private investigator Charley Tate get his practice established turns into a full-time job. Charley pushes her to go beyond the call of duty — to try to save not only his business, but possibly his life.

It all starts when Eve Lawson stumbles into the Tate Investigations office hoping to find out who is following her. But who would want to follow a bland writer working on a book about the post-World War II real estate boom in Los Angeles? With Eve's wardrobe hopelessly stuck in the eighties, Tucker can only imagine it's the fashion police. But work means much-needed income for Tucker and Charley. They soon learn that they've struck gold when this far-fetched case explodes into murder — and Eve Lawson, who's gone missing, is the prime suspect.

Now Tucker and Charley have to piece together the complex life of Eve Lawson, the troubled daughter of a real estate tycoon. She's been writing a memoir that may have rattled a few skeletons in the family closet. Tucker is on the case — and not even LA traffic can stop her...

Among the praise for Patricia Smiley's writing:

"A fun and feisty heroine."
--Janet Evanovich

"Patricia Smiley and her heroine, Tucker Sinclair, are two of the brightest stars to light up detective fiction in a long time."
--Elizabeth George

Smiley's other books include Los Angeles Times bestsellers Cover Your Assets and False Profits. She is a regular contributor to the crime fiction blog www.nakedauthors.com.

Visit Patricia Smiley's website to learn more about Short Change.

The Page 69 Test: Short Change.

--Marshal Zeringue