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Wollie Shelley Mystery #3
Dead Ex
Wollie Shelley—the endearing, idiosyncratic heroine of the award-winning Dating Dead Men and Dating Is Murder—returns in a funny murder mystery set in the world of television soaps.
When David Zetrakis, the producer of a popular soap opera, is found shot to death the day after Christmas, Wollie Shelley finds herself caught up in the murder investigation. Zetrakis was one of the many Mr. Wrongs in Wollie’s career as a serial dater, and her friend Joey has emerged as the media’s prime suspect. A hot-tempered celebrity who had dated Zetrakis and was fired from his show some years ago, Joey has inherited a million-dollar Klimt from him. But Joey is not the only potential suspect. Zetrakis left lots of nice bequests to the cast and crew of the show. And as the dating correspondent on a talk show called SoapDirt, Wollie, who’s required to dine and dish with the stars, quickly discovers that the behind-the-scenes intrigues of television soaps are as highly charged as the on-screen shenanigans.
When Wollie is not trying to protect Joey from an onslaught of predatory reporters, she’s helping her brother make the transition from a mental hospital to a halfway house and negotiating her relationship with Simon, her FBI-agent boyfriend. Dead Ex is another full-out romp of a mystery sure to please Kozak’s many fans—and win her many new ones, too.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
28 people are currently reading
295 people want to read
About the author
Harley Jane Kozak
23 books112 followersHarley Jane Kozak is an American actress and author. She was born Susan Jane Kozak in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Dorothy (Taraldsen), a university music teacher, and Joseph Aloysius Kozak, an attorney. She was raised in Nebraska and attended New York University.
Kozak has written four novels: Dating Dead Men (2004), Dating Is Murder : A Novel (2005), Dead Ex (2007), and A Date You Can't Refuse (2008) all of which feature greeting card designer and amateur sleuth Wollie Shelley, a woman with very eccentric friends and family. Dating Dead Men won an Agatha Award for best first novel in 2004.
Kozak lives in Agoura Hills, California. She has been married twice: a brief union in the early 1980s (1982–1983) to actor Van Santvoord and a second marriage from 1997-2007 to an entertainment lawyer Gregory Aldisert. She has three children with her second husband: daughter Audrey Valentine (b. 9 March 2000) and twins Lorenzo Robert and Giana Julia (b. 30 May 2002).
After the birth of her children Kozak retired from acting almost completely and has devoted her time to her family and writing.
Kozak has written four novels: Dating Dead Men (2004), Dating Is Murder : A Novel (2005), Dead Ex (2007), and A Date You Can't Refuse (2008) all of which feature greeting card designer and amateur sleuth Wollie Shelley, a woman with very eccentric friends and family. Dating Dead Men won an Agatha Award for best first novel in 2004.
Kozak lives in Agoura Hills, California. She has been married twice: a brief union in the early 1980s (1982–1983) to actor Van Santvoord and a second marriage from 1997-2007 to an entertainment lawyer Gregory Aldisert. She has three children with her second husband: daughter Audrey Valentine (b. 9 March 2000) and twins Lorenzo Robert and Giana Julia (b. 30 May 2002).
After the birth of her children Kozak retired from acting almost completely and has devoted her time to her family and writing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
September 17, 2016
Kodak is back to her strong story line laced with great humor.
April 23, 2009
This book was a fun read (or listen, in this case).
I loved the main character, Wollie. I should have found her hard to connect with: a 6 foot tall denizen of the L.A. celebrity set (she isn't a celebrity herself, although she has a brush with it), but I was clearly riding through the book with her-- laughing as the situations she got into inspired some of her "alternative greeting cards", worrying about the trouble her best friend was in, concerned about her relationship with her boyfriend.
The basic plot was a "someone being framed for murder, best friend to the rescue" standard. The details were unusual, with entertaining twists and turns.
She's got a new guy in her life, and doesn't quite know where she stands. She's sleeping in his apartment, with her stuff in a suitcase in her very own walk in closet. Both of them are having a little trouble (or maybe too little trouble) separating work and pleasure: She picks up a job as a "dating correspondent" for a soap gossip show, he's an FBI agent with an undercover role dating a beautiful woman.
I don't know if the portrait of life in the community surrounding a soap opera was realistic or not. I don't really care, I enjoyed suspending disbelief. The characters were all exaggerated (in a good way), larger than life. The situations the characters found themselves in were as well.
I particularly enjoyed the "You will see Greeks everywhere" thread running through the book. Wollie is commissioned to paint a mural featuring Greek Mythology, in spite of knowing nothing about the subject. She is told that as she learns more, she will notice Greeks and Greek mythology everywhere, and so it happens. Perhaps this should have been more subtle, but subtle doesn't describe anything about this book.
In general, I found this book a very quirky read, and one that I enjoyed. I will read more of the series at some point.
I loved the main character, Wollie. I should have found her hard to connect with: a 6 foot tall denizen of the L.A. celebrity set (she isn't a celebrity herself, although she has a brush with it), but I was clearly riding through the book with her-- laughing as the situations she got into inspired some of her "alternative greeting cards", worrying about the trouble her best friend was in, concerned about her relationship with her boyfriend.
The basic plot was a "someone being framed for murder, best friend to the rescue" standard. The details were unusual, with entertaining twists and turns.
She's got a new guy in her life, and doesn't quite know where she stands. She's sleeping in his apartment, with her stuff in a suitcase in her very own walk in closet. Both of them are having a little trouble (or maybe too little trouble) separating work and pleasure: She picks up a job as a "dating correspondent" for a soap gossip show, he's an FBI agent with an undercover role dating a beautiful woman.
I don't know if the portrait of life in the community surrounding a soap opera was realistic or not. I don't really care, I enjoyed suspending disbelief. The characters were all exaggerated (in a good way), larger than life. The situations the characters found themselves in were as well.
I particularly enjoyed the "You will see Greeks everywhere" thread running through the book. Wollie is commissioned to paint a mural featuring Greek Mythology, in spite of knowing nothing about the subject. She is told that as she learns more, she will notice Greeks and Greek mythology everywhere, and so it happens. Perhaps this should have been more subtle, but subtle doesn't describe anything about this book.
In general, I found this book a very quirky read, and one that I enjoyed. I will read more of the series at some point.
May 14, 2011
I finished this book and I really liked it, just like I have liked all of Harley Jane Kozak's books. I will be honest, one of the main reasons I started reading her books is because I used to watch her on Guiding Light, and then Santa Barbara, and I was curious to see how she would transfer her acting to writing. I was pleasantly surprised! Curiosity is what got me to read her first book, but good writing and interesting characters kept me reading.
I have often heard her character, Wollie, compared to Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum, but I really do not see it at all. Don't get me wrong, I love Stephanie Plum, but she is much more over the top and larger than life than the character of Wollie. I feel like Wollie is someone you could definitely meet in life, someone who is always trying to get by and do better, but things just don't seem to work out the way she would like. When she finally finds what she thinks is her true love, things don't work out. So she picks herself up and goes back out there, and then she meets Simon, her current "spy" lover. Things are going good, too good, and then his job gets in the way. And the way people keep dying around her, well that tends to complicate things as well!
Like I said, I really like this series and I look forward to reading more. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars is because there were parts of the book where you couldn't put it down, but there were other parts where it got bogged down in details or went off in too many tangents. It always found its way back, though, so don't let that worry you or turn you off reading this book because it is worth the time you put into it!
I have often heard her character, Wollie, compared to Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum, but I really do not see it at all. Don't get me wrong, I love Stephanie Plum, but she is much more over the top and larger than life than the character of Wollie. I feel like Wollie is someone you could definitely meet in life, someone who is always trying to get by and do better, but things just don't seem to work out the way she would like. When she finally finds what she thinks is her true love, things don't work out. So she picks herself up and goes back out there, and then she meets Simon, her current "spy" lover. Things are going good, too good, and then his job gets in the way. And the way people keep dying around her, well that tends to complicate things as well!
Like I said, I really like this series and I look forward to reading more. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars is because there were parts of the book where you couldn't put it down, but there were other parts where it got bogged down in details or went off in too many tangents. It always found its way back, though, so don't let that worry you or turn you off reading this book because it is worth the time you put into it!
September 20, 2015
Content warnings: death, attempted murder, drug use, gambling, alcohol use, alcohol abuse, kidnapping
Ok I really liked the Greek kid (whose name is escaping me at the moment). I like kids who are portrayed as smart and encouraged to follow their dreams and given the resources to do so.
Simon's pissing me off with his secrets. I mean I know he's FBI and there's a lot he can't say. But he could say "I'm going to have to appear to be dating (x number) of girls to get information about something I can't tell you about. This may mean I have to try and seduce them to get the information and be out in public with them." That way she knows what to expect and he's not compromising whatever he's working on. I mean he at least told her how long the assignment will be going on for. But telling her she needs to disappear for a few months but not giving much of a reason other than because work is kind of lame.
Wollie winds up on another dating show. And Simon gets mad at her for it because the way the show frames it, it looks like there is more to it than what it is. But it's all hypocritical bullshit when he's doing the same thing to her.
And I don't like the lady she painted the frogs for. She feels like she's trying to purposefully sabotage Wollie just because she doesn't care for Joey.
A lot of interesting things happened in this book and it was definitely cool and enjoyable to read.
Ok I really liked the Greek kid (whose name is escaping me at the moment). I like kids who are portrayed as smart and encouraged to follow their dreams and given the resources to do so.
Simon's pissing me off with his secrets. I mean I know he's FBI and there's a lot he can't say. But he could say "I'm going to have to appear to be dating (x number) of girls to get information about something I can't tell you about. This may mean I have to try and seduce them to get the information and be out in public with them." That way she knows what to expect and he's not compromising whatever he's working on. I mean he at least told her how long the assignment will be going on for. But telling her she needs to disappear for a few months but not giving much of a reason other than because work is kind of lame.
Wollie winds up on another dating show. And Simon gets mad at her for it because the way the show frames it, it looks like there is more to it than what it is. But it's all hypocritical bullshit when he's doing the same thing to her.
And I don't like the lady she painted the frogs for. She feels like she's trying to purposefully sabotage Wollie just because she doesn't care for Joey.
A lot of interesting things happened in this book and it was definitely cool and enjoyable to read.
December 29, 2010
Kozak's third book proves no less enjoyable than her first two - "Dating Dead Men" and "Dating is Murder". Still funny, still a good mystery.
In this outing, Wollie has an on-going, if highly interrupted relationship with her "stalker" from the second book. The "theme" running through this adventure is "Greek" - with Wollie commissioned to paint a wall with Greeks, meeting Greek immigrants and enduring her own Greek dramedy. Her pal Joey from the first two books has been accused of killing (or assisting the suicide of) her ex boyfriend (who actually dated Wollie briefly as well), a wealthy Hollywood soap opera producer who was already dying of cancer. Add to the mix that Joey recently discovered her husband's infidelity and then he dies, and Wollie is caught in the middle once again trying to solve the murder(s) to save her friend.
The cast and crew of a soap opera - the author is well versed in that type of production, having starred on three of them - provide the background cast for the tale, as well as provide Wollie with supplemental income to her greet card venture, Good Gollie, Miss Wollie's cards.
In this outing, Wollie has an on-going, if highly interrupted relationship with her "stalker" from the second book. The "theme" running through this adventure is "Greek" - with Wollie commissioned to paint a wall with Greeks, meeting Greek immigrants and enduring her own Greek dramedy. Her pal Joey from the first two books has been accused of killing (or assisting the suicide of) her ex boyfriend (who actually dated Wollie briefly as well), a wealthy Hollywood soap opera producer who was already dying of cancer. Add to the mix that Joey recently discovered her husband's infidelity and then he dies, and Wollie is caught in the middle once again trying to solve the murder(s) to save her friend.
The cast and crew of a soap opera - the author is well versed in that type of production, having starred on three of them - provide the background cast for the tale, as well as provide Wollie with supplemental income to her greet card venture, Good Gollie, Miss Wollie's cards.
June 7, 2013
Eh, this third book in the series was okay... I found it to be a little bit redundant and stagnant around the middle of the book; perhaps because the author had trouble filling up space without completely giving away who the killer was. The other two books in the series "Dating Dead Men" and "Dating Is Murder" are worth the read and the drive to your library to check them out. I finished the book because I had to complete the series. Some parts were still comical, but it was overall a bit dry compared to the author's other works.
October 24, 2016
I love the characters and the writing but the plot did not satisfy me. There were too many loose ends left dangling. I also felt that all the Greek mythology references were boring and way over done. I will read the other books in the series because this writer is fresh. There were lots of LOL moments.
September 1, 2017
Really creative writing style and decent mystery with a fair number of twists.
September 26, 2021
Harley Jane Kozak's DEAD EX is like watching a train wreck--you just can't turn away from it! A cacophony of twisted fate, I couldn't keep my eyes off the action.
Wollie Shelley is a greeting card designer, or artist, or celebrity dating correspondent. Whichever pays the best, and why not all three? Wollie is swept into the drama of her best friend, Joey's, life when a mutual ex-boyfriend, David Zetrakis, is mysteriously killed. The story revolves around Wollie's reaction to Joey's situation, her attempts at protecting Joey, and the sneaking suspicion that maybe Joey really did it!
Wollie is swept into a swirl of confusion as her FBI agent boyfriend, Simon, simultaneously pulls away as he dives headfirst into a relationship. Wollie's instincts to protect Joey go into overdrive and she gets ensnared in a situation spiraling out of control. Wollie's relationship with Simon is not the main focus of Ms. Kozak's book, but its subtle influence is electric. I found myself constantly waiting for the character to resurface in each scene. He is positively yummy in a dark and mysterious way.
I have to admit, as I was reading this book the TV was blaring in the background and the movie NECESSARY ROUGHNESS happened to pop on. The movie happens to star Scott Bakula (yummy!) and Ms. Harley Jane Kozak. Hearing her in the movie got her voice stuck in my head. It was fun reading the book, hearing her voice narrating the story as it wriggles from one sticky situation to another. She has a quirky writing style that kept me reading, trying to figure out what was going to happen next. And just like a train wreck, I couldn't tear my eyes away for want of seeing what was going to happen!
Wollie Shelley is a greeting card designer, or artist, or celebrity dating correspondent. Whichever pays the best, and why not all three? Wollie is swept into the drama of her best friend, Joey's, life when a mutual ex-boyfriend, David Zetrakis, is mysteriously killed. The story revolves around Wollie's reaction to Joey's situation, her attempts at protecting Joey, and the sneaking suspicion that maybe Joey really did it!
Wollie is swept into a swirl of confusion as her FBI agent boyfriend, Simon, simultaneously pulls away as he dives headfirst into a relationship. Wollie's instincts to protect Joey go into overdrive and she gets ensnared in a situation spiraling out of control. Wollie's relationship with Simon is not the main focus of Ms. Kozak's book, but its subtle influence is electric. I found myself constantly waiting for the character to resurface in each scene. He is positively yummy in a dark and mysterious way.
I have to admit, as I was reading this book the TV was blaring in the background and the movie NECESSARY ROUGHNESS happened to pop on. The movie happens to star Scott Bakula (yummy!) and Ms. Harley Jane Kozak. Hearing her in the movie got her voice stuck in my head. It was fun reading the book, hearing her voice narrating the story as it wriggles from one sticky situation to another. She has a quirky writing style that kept me reading, trying to figure out what was going to happen next. And just like a train wreck, I couldn't tear my eyes away for want of seeing what was going to happen!
May 13, 2019
This book and its soap opera setting made me believe in how Wollie looked. Sure she’s an attractive blonde with big boobs. But it doesn’t get mentioned as much compared to how attractive everyone around her is. This made sense seeing that she is in LA. Everyone is supposed to be rich and beautiful.
What doesn’t make sense is how NICE everyone is throughout the series. Well, almost everyone. But I dig it, I’ve been reading too much horrible things lately and for a mystery-romance which is fairly clean, this is an entertaining book that I’ll read over and over again, which is my standard for a 5 star. And I did swoon at all of the Heroine/Hero dialogue.
What doesn’t make sense is how NICE everyone is throughout the series. Well, almost everyone. But I dig it, I’ve been reading too much horrible things lately and for a mystery-romance which is fairly clean, this is an entertaining book that I’ll read over and over again, which is my standard for a 5 star. And I did swoon at all of the Heroine/Hero dialogue.
July 14, 2022
I liked the first Wollie Shelley book a lot. The second was a disappointment - it felt forced, as if the writer wasn’t invested in it. But along came another really good Harley Jane Kozak short story and I was irresistibly drawn to giving Wollie another try with Dead Ex, her third appearance. I’m glad to say that Kozak has recovered her knack for the very clever phrase, e.g. “the facial expression of one recently raised from the dead to come to work.” The frequent parallels to the Iliad were amusing, and although the plot is silly and unengaging, the dialogue definitely makes Dead Ex worth recommending.
June 26, 2021
I read this series of books quite a few years ago. I thought I would revisit them! I had forgotten a lot of the storylines. It’s been enjoyable for me to revisit.
This book could’ve been a little bit shorter. It seemed to go on a bit longer than necessary. Otherwise the storytelling is pretty good and detailed. I like the setting and the main characters. Bits of humor sprinkled throughout which makes this an entertaining mystery.
This book could’ve been a little bit shorter. It seemed to go on a bit longer than necessary. Otherwise the storytelling is pretty good and detailed. I like the setting and the main characters. Bits of humor sprinkled throughout which makes this an entertaining mystery.
July 20, 2024
I couldn’t find book 2 on the Libby app so I skipped right to 3 and didn’t feel lost at all. I know I missed some stuff but the important things were filled in nicely.
If you like fun mysteries with a little murder, quite a few twists and a funny, flawed heroine that you’d like to hang out with you should give this series a try.
When I was finished I went and borrowed book 4 right away because I wanted to keep going.
If you like fun mysteries with a little murder, quite a few twists and a funny, flawed heroine that you’d like to hang out with you should give this series a try.
When I was finished I went and borrowed book 4 right away because I wanted to keep going.
January 3, 2018
Dating ...
This series is a real hoot! So much fun, adventure, laughable, unbelievable stuff, and a great mystery with feeling packed into each book. Sometimes good laughs are better than a date ... sometimes, but my dates never seem to pack so much hilarious disaster as this gal’s.
This series is a real hoot! So much fun, adventure, laughable, unbelievable stuff, and a great mystery with feeling packed into each book. Sometimes good laughs are better than a date ... sometimes, but my dates never seem to pack so much hilarious disaster as this gal’s.
August 11, 2017
Meh. I picked up the audio version at the library book sale just to say I read something different than my usual go-to books. And then because I paid for it, I made myself listen to the end. But really it was just a bunch of fluff. No real plot. No real depth to the characters.
November 13, 2019
The producer of a popular soap opera is shot to death. A former girl friend is the prime suspect, especially since she inherits a multi-million dollar piece of art. A newly hired dating correspondent for Soap Dirt investigates.
April 1, 2018
I didn't realize that this was a series and this particular one was like the 5th in the series. I didn't mind this book but I did not make me want to start the series from the beginning.
July 10, 2018
I didn’t really care for this silly story at all! It started off silly , in a bad way, and brought in so many characters right off the bat which just made it confusing for me. DNF
September 26, 2018
2.5 stars
Stupid, but fun. Very much in the same vein as the Stephanie Plum series.
Stupid, but fun. Very much in the same vein as the Stephanie Plum series.
June 28, 2021
Light, fun, and engaging. Good ancillary characters.
Her reporting on how long it takes to get through L.A. traffic, however, is entirely fictional!
Her reporting on how long it takes to get through L.A. traffic, however, is entirely fictional!
June 25, 2023
Book three in the series was back up to the level of the first. I still like the recurring characters, and the plot was more fully developed. A pleasant read.
September 10, 2023
This book was entertaining, and I really liked the main characters. It was a fun read with some sarcastic humor which made me laugh
February 26, 2017
Silly and forgettable.
September 22, 2008
This is the third book in the Wollie Shelley series. My first foray into this series was at the behest of my manager back when I worked in a bookstore. I was (and still am) a fan of the Stephanie Plum series and this is along those same lines.
However, Wollie is more like the average gal. Stephanie stumbles about in an almost cariacture fashion, a bit over the top so it's got a solid "fiction" feel to it, almost comic book-ish. Wollie's stories are more down to earth, more like what I'd expect if my best friend was stuck in tinsel town trying to get by. The characters have their own querks without being too much and I like that she basically is motivated by her love of her friends. She stands by them one hundred percent, even if she's not sure she should.
I love Simon as her new beau, Doc was ok, but Simon as an FBI agent, it gives the whole situation more of an edge. He's like a grand protector but knows when to back off and doesn't begrudge Wollie for her fool-hardiness, he does however set her "danger" limits for her because she can't seem to see them herself. Even when it ends up getting her into some serious trouble that even Simon can't get her out of...although I can't imagine it happening again. Even Wollie said the look on Simon's face afterwards was not something she'd want repeated. She's got heart and feels badly when she realizes that her tendency to forge blindly ahead hurts the one she loves.
It's a great read and one that I thoroughly enjoy.
Give it a try, you won't regret it!
However, Wollie is more like the average gal. Stephanie stumbles about in an almost cariacture fashion, a bit over the top so it's got a solid "fiction" feel to it, almost comic book-ish. Wollie's stories are more down to earth, more like what I'd expect if my best friend was stuck in tinsel town trying to get by. The characters have their own querks without being too much and I like that she basically is motivated by her love of her friends. She stands by them one hundred percent, even if she's not sure she should.
I love Simon as her new beau, Doc was ok, but Simon as an FBI agent, it gives the whole situation more of an edge. He's like a grand protector but knows when to back off and doesn't begrudge Wollie for her fool-hardiness, he does however set her "danger" limits for her because she can't seem to see them herself. Even when it ends up getting her into some serious trouble that even Simon can't get her out of...although I can't imagine it happening again. Even Wollie said the look on Simon's face afterwards was not something she'd want repeated. She's got heart and feels badly when she realizes that her tendency to forge blindly ahead hurts the one she loves.
It's a great read and one that I thoroughly enjoy.
Give it a try, you won't regret it!
November 1, 2015
Het eerste boek dat ik vastneem van deze auteur. De tekst op de achterflap trok me aan en toen ik een positieve reactie op de cover zag staan van een van mijn favoriete schrijfsters in dit genre, was ik helemaal verkocht.
De titel geeft natuurlijk weer waar het over gaat. De cover is mooi, maar ik kan hem eigenlijk niet echt koppelen aan de inhoud.
Het verhaal zelf dan. Het begon goed, maar al snel kwamen er dingen bij waarvan ik niet snapte wat die er bij kwamen doen. Ze hadden totaal niets met het verhaal te maken en dienden, volgens mij, zuiver als bladvulling. Jammer, want zo gaat de spanning weg en verlies je interesse in het boek. Er waren ook teveel 'bijverhalen' waar wel aan begonnen werd, maar die nooit een einde kenden. Alweer jammer, want dan blijf je, of ik toch in ieder geval, op je honger zitten.
Wie macgyver volgde op tv, zal zeker blij zijn met de ontknoping. En op zich is daar niks mis mee. Ik was zelf trouwe fan van hem, maar dit soort einde paste totaal niet bij de rest van het verhaal. Of misschien wel maar dan was de enige connectie tussen hen de wereld waar het zich afspeelt : Hollywood.
Conclusie
Er zat niet veel spanning in en op sommige momenten was het ronduit saai. Een nieuwe fan heeft ze er dus in mij niet bijgekregen. Het verhaal had 3 sterren mogen krijgen, mocht ik bepaalde delen er mogen uitgeknipt hebben om in televisiejargon te blijven. Nu gaf ik er slechts 2.
De titel geeft natuurlijk weer waar het over gaat. De cover is mooi, maar ik kan hem eigenlijk niet echt koppelen aan de inhoud.
Het verhaal zelf dan. Het begon goed, maar al snel kwamen er dingen bij waarvan ik niet snapte wat die er bij kwamen doen. Ze hadden totaal niets met het verhaal te maken en dienden, volgens mij, zuiver als bladvulling. Jammer, want zo gaat de spanning weg en verlies je interesse in het boek. Er waren ook teveel 'bijverhalen' waar wel aan begonnen werd, maar die nooit een einde kenden. Alweer jammer, want dan blijf je, of ik toch in ieder geval, op je honger zitten.
Wie macgyver volgde op tv, zal zeker blij zijn met de ontknoping. En op zich is daar niks mis mee. Ik was zelf trouwe fan van hem, maar dit soort einde paste totaal niet bij de rest van het verhaal. Of misschien wel maar dan was de enige connectie tussen hen de wereld waar het zich afspeelt : Hollywood.
Conclusie
Er zat niet veel spanning in en op sommige momenten was het ronduit saai. Een nieuwe fan heeft ze er dus in mij niet bijgekregen. Het verhaal had 3 sterren mogen krijgen, mocht ik bepaalde delen er mogen uitgeknipt hebben om in televisiejargon te blijven. Nu gaf ik er slechts 2.
May 23, 2008
DEAD EX
By Harley Jane Kozak
Doubleday
ISBN: 9780385518024
Hardback, 338 pages, $21.95
Genre: Mystery
In the third book of the Wollie Shelley series, card designer Wollie Shelley is homeless and living with her boyfriend FBI agent Simon Alexander. Wollie receives an offer to be the dating correspondent on a talk show called SoapDirt, where she will be required to date celebrities and dish about them afterward. But before Wollie has her first date, her good friend David Zetrakis is found shot to death. Zetrakis was producer of a popular soap opera and Wollie’s best friend Joey was the last person seen with him. All leads point to Joey, divorcing her husband and now penniless, and who inherits a million-dollar Klimt upon Zetrakis’s death. When Joey’s estranged husband drowns under mysterious circumstances, the police are anxious to bring Joey in, but she manages to evade them with Wollie’s help while they try to figure out who is behind the murders.
Kozak leads the reader through the streets of Los Angeles and the world of television with this entertaining caper. Wollie Shelley is an endearing character, and her life and the people around her allow for humorous moments. Overall, a charming mystery.
By Harley Jane Kozak
Doubleday
ISBN: 9780385518024
Hardback, 338 pages, $21.95
Genre: Mystery
In the third book of the Wollie Shelley series, card designer Wollie Shelley is homeless and living with her boyfriend FBI agent Simon Alexander. Wollie receives an offer to be the dating correspondent on a talk show called SoapDirt, where she will be required to date celebrities and dish about them afterward. But before Wollie has her first date, her good friend David Zetrakis is found shot to death. Zetrakis was producer of a popular soap opera and Wollie’s best friend Joey was the last person seen with him. All leads point to Joey, divorcing her husband and now penniless, and who inherits a million-dollar Klimt upon Zetrakis’s death. When Joey’s estranged husband drowns under mysterious circumstances, the police are anxious to bring Joey in, but she manages to evade them with Wollie’s help while they try to figure out who is behind the murders.
Kozak leads the reader through the streets of Los Angeles and the world of television with this entertaining caper. Wollie Shelley is an endearing character, and her life and the people around her allow for humorous moments. Overall, a charming mystery.
March 21, 2012
I was interested to find out that the author, Harley Jane Kozak, starred on soap operas. It's not surprising that Dead Ex set in the world of soap opera TV has great details. In this story, famous aging soap actor and producer David Zetrakis dies, but is his death natural, suicide, or suicide-assisted? Suspicion falls on Wollie's good friend Joey, also a former soap opera star, not to mention that David is her "dead ex." Besides being a suspect in the murder, Joey's married life seems to be falling apart, and she is acting erratically. So Wollie, who has been offered a short promotional stunt for the show, runs down clues among the cast and set members. I wish there was a little less sexual innuendo, although I suppose that is part of the scene, but I do find myself adoring the sweetness and quirkiness of the main character--tall, busty, blonde, Wollie Shelley named after Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley of Frankenstein fame. (And interestingly, Mary Shelley was named after her mother who wrote the famous classic A Vindication of the Rights of Women in the 1792.) I think the eccentric characters really are the best part of this series.
March 17, 2025
I read over half of the book and decided I just didn't care. Hmm. On to something else.
OK, well, that's what I wrote the first time I was reading this book. Apparently I just wasn't in the mood for fun, zany, wacky. This time around, and I don't understand why I didn't just delete this from my downloaded e-books, I started it again and enjoyed it. Go figure.
Wolly is sort of a mess, sort of like Stephanie Plum (the character in the Janet Evanovich series) and Addison Holmes series by Liliana Hart). She's currently living with her very well to do FBI boyfriend, having lots of great sex multiple times a day, and even employed, which apparently doesn't happen consistently in her life. She is working as a dating correspondent on TV, reporting on her (fake) dates with celebrities, who are happy for the publicity.
Meanwhile, Joey who is her best girlfriend, an ex soap opera star, is getting into trouble when first her soap opera producer friend dies, and then her husband. The police suspect her of murdering both, but Wolly know that she is innocent. And when Wolly goes about trying to clear Joey, the wild chaos follows both of them.
OK, well, that's what I wrote the first time I was reading this book. Apparently I just wasn't in the mood for fun, zany, wacky. This time around, and I don't understand why I didn't just delete this from my downloaded e-books, I started it again and enjoyed it. Go figure.
Wolly is sort of a mess, sort of like Stephanie Plum (the character in the Janet Evanovich series) and Addison Holmes series by Liliana Hart). She's currently living with her very well to do FBI boyfriend, having lots of great sex multiple times a day, and even employed, which apparently doesn't happen consistently in her life. She is working as a dating correspondent on TV, reporting on her (fake) dates with celebrities, who are happy for the publicity.
Meanwhile, Joey who is her best girlfriend, an ex soap opera star, is getting into trouble when first her soap opera producer friend dies, and then her husband. The police suspect her of murdering both, but Wolly know that she is innocent. And when Wolly goes about trying to clear Joey, the wild chaos follows both of them.
March 19, 2010
Wollie Shelley artist and greeting card designer, must solve the murder of a terminally ill producer of a popular soap opera to save her best friend who is the prime suspect. In need of money when her FBI boyfriend asks her to move out, Wollie starts moonlighting as the dating correspondent for a soap opera talk show. Life is complicated by a Greek family, all of whom are illegal except for a 15 year old math genius who has been accepted by Caltech, that move in with her uncle. In her spare time she is reading the "Iliad" as research for a mural that she is painting for one of the soap stars. Contrived and without much socially redeeming value, but funny enough to qualify as a guilty pleasure.
March 4, 2014
Ex-boyfriend David Zetrakis was dying of cancer. But that didn't stop someone from killing him. And when Wollie's best friend Joey becomes the prime suspect, Wollie steps in to solve the crime. This book has a soap opera setting and feel, which adds to the fun. The second half slows down a little, but the third in the series is still a great read.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
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