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Bailey Weggins Mystery #1
If Looks Could Kill
Meet Bailey Weggins, the thirty-something, single-again true crime writer for a leading Manhattan woman's magazine. Smart and savvy, she's got a sixth sense when it comes to seeing the truth in a story-especially if it's murder. Bailey's in bed with her commitment-challenged lover K.C. when she gets a frantic call from her high-maintenance boss at Gloss magazine. Grabbing coffee and a cab outside her Greenwich Village apartment-the consolation prize in her divorce settlement-Bailey reluctantly heads uptown. At Cat Jones's Upper East Side town house, she finds something that seriously clashes with the chic décor: the dead body of the family's live-in nanny.
As Bailey-unofficially-delves into the murdered girl's past, she finds no shortage of A-list suspects. But when a startling discovery suggests that Cat may have been the intended victim, Bailey is suddenly up to her bed head in high-profile investigation that's perfect fodder for a tabloid headline: Is someone trying to kill the editor's of women's magazines?
With the spotlight on New York's glitzy media world, Bailey interviews back-stabbing editors, straying husbands, and one sexy, six-feet two psychologist who could make her decide to kick K.C. to the curb. Sporting her pair of red slingbacks and armed with the investigative skills she's honed as a true crime reporter, she sets out on a search that takes her from Manhattan's exclusive Carnegie-Hill area-the nanny heartland of America-to the ritzy weekend estates of Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Bailey will need all her street smarts and some lightning-fast detective work to catch a killer who could end up deleting her name from the masthead for good.
As Bailey-unofficially-delves into the murdered girl's past, she finds no shortage of A-list suspects. But when a startling discovery suggests that Cat may have been the intended victim, Bailey is suddenly up to her bed head in high-profile investigation that's perfect fodder for a tabloid headline: Is someone trying to kill the editor's of women's magazines?
With the spotlight on New York's glitzy media world, Bailey interviews back-stabbing editors, straying husbands, and one sexy, six-feet two psychologist who could make her decide to kick K.C. to the curb. Sporting her pair of red slingbacks and armed with the investigative skills she's honed as a true crime reporter, she sets out on a search that takes her from Manhattan's exclusive Carnegie-Hill area-the nanny heartland of America-to the ritzy weekend estates of Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Bailey will need all her street smarts and some lightning-fast detective work to catch a killer who could end up deleting her name from the masthead for good.
416 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
About the author
Kate White
51 books2,389 followersKate White is the New York Times bestselling author of seventeen novels of suspense: nine standalone psychological thrillers, including Between Two Strangers (May ‘23), and eight Bailey Weggins mysteries.
For fourteen years Kate served as the editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan, which under her became the most successful magazine in single copy sales in the U.S. Though she loved her magazine career, she decided to leave nine years ago to concentrate full-time on another passion: writing suspense fiction.
She has been nominated for many awards in her media career, including an International Thriller Writers award. Her first mystery, If Looks Could Kill, was a Kelly Ripa Book Club pick and #1 bestseller on Amazon. She has been published in countries around the world.
Like many female mystery authors, Kate fell in love with the genre after reading her first Nancy Drew book, in her case The Secret of Redgate Farm.
Kate is a frequent speaker at libraries, book conferences and organizations, and has also appeared on many television shows, including The Today Show, CBS This Morning, and Good Morning America.
She is also the editor of the Mystery Writers of America Cookbook, as well as the author of several popular career books, including I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This: How to Ask for the Money, Snag the Promotion, and Create the Career You Deserve, and the ground-breaking Wall Street Journal bestseller, Why Good Girls Don’t Get Ahead but Gutsy Girls Do.
Kate, who is married and the mother of two children, divides her time each year between New York City and Las Flores, Uruguay.
For fourteen years Kate served as the editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan, which under her became the most successful magazine in single copy sales in the U.S. Though she loved her magazine career, she decided to leave nine years ago to concentrate full-time on another passion: writing suspense fiction.
She has been nominated for many awards in her media career, including an International Thriller Writers award. Her first mystery, If Looks Could Kill, was a Kelly Ripa Book Club pick and #1 bestseller on Amazon. She has been published in countries around the world.
Like many female mystery authors, Kate fell in love with the genre after reading her first Nancy Drew book, in her case The Secret of Redgate Farm.
Kate is a frequent speaker at libraries, book conferences and organizations, and has also appeared on many television shows, including The Today Show, CBS This Morning, and Good Morning America.
She is also the editor of the Mystery Writers of America Cookbook, as well as the author of several popular career books, including I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This: How to Ask for the Money, Snag the Promotion, and Create the Career You Deserve, and the ground-breaking Wall Street Journal bestseller, Why Good Girls Don’t Get Ahead but Gutsy Girls Do.
Kate, who is married and the mother of two children, divides her time each year between New York City and Las Flores, Uruguay.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 365 reviews
June 29, 2013
Not quite like Stephanie Plum, you would like this author and her series as much... :) Pure joy! :)
January 6, 2019
I'm doing a Kate White series on my blog! White is a favorite author of mine. See my blog post on PhDiva and stay tuned for more!
I’m starting my Kate White series off with the first book in her Bailey Weggins novels, If Looks Could Kill. Bailey is a journalist and an amteur sleuth, and she begins the series in quite a tricky situation when she receives a cryptic phone call from her boss early one Sunday morning. Bailey Weggins is smart, sassy, and won’t back down from threats. I loved this book and it started my obsession with the Bailey Weggins series!
About the Book
True crime writer and journalist Bailey Weggins receives a call from her boss Cat Jones, the editor of Gloss magazine, in a panic. Cat is calling first thing Sunday morning, and she is worried about her nanny Heidi's well-being. Despite the fact that Bailey is currently shacked up with a gorgeous new love interest, she gives in to Cat's panic and goes over to help.
When Bailey arrives at Cat's townhome though, something is definitely wrong. Heidi's lights in the basement apartment are on and jazz music is playing. Even worse, Bailey notices that there is a foul smell coming from the apartment. Something is definitely wrong!
When Bailey enters the apartment only to find Heidi dead and a box of chocolates on the table, she finds herself smack in the middle of a murder investigation. As the police arrive and discover that the chocolates may have been meant for Cat, not Heidi, Cat becomes even more upset. She asks Bailey to help with her own investigation because she may be able to get people to confide in her in a way the police won't.
As Bailey begins her investigation, she can't help but become a target herself! Is someone targeting successful editors of Women's magazines? Or is this intentionally directed at Cat herself, and disguised as a serial killer? Will Bailey be able to figure out what happened before her own life is in danger?
Reflection
I first discovered Kate White when I read her standalone novel The Sixes (which I loved). Her first installment in the Bailey Weggins novels is wonderful—a perfect vacation read or commuter read. I actually started it on some time off and finished it on the airplane home for Thanksgiving break.
Bailey is a fantastic leading character. She is intelligent, courageous, and a bit sassy, but she is also wonderfully imperfect. I love when writers allow their leads to have some flaws. To not always get what they want, and to not always make the exact perfect moves. Bailey is so relateable in that way!
The mystery itself is fast-paced and moves quickly. Lots of twists and turns along the way of her investigation, but Bailey can’t let the case go. I felt like I was reading my childhood heroine Nancy Drew all grown up and in the modern city of New York! As the mystery progresses, White keeps lots of paths open before you get to the final reveal. I found myself suspecting many people along the way and I didn’t guess the reveal!
Cat is a great character as well! She’s admirable but kind of ridiculous—cold but kind at times. She is a narcissist, but I got the impression she cares for Bailey and trusts her. But Cat definitely had the feeling of a woman with some secrets!
I loved the level of detail and description White uses. Even in seemingly frivolous areas such as the clothing and looks of a character, I really loved it because it helps me picture who this person is and what the scene looks like. The scenes and characters were very vivid to me, which I enjoy!
I loved this first book in the Bailey Weggins series, and I’m excited to share more on my blog! I hope you enjoy!
I’m starting my Kate White series off with the first book in her Bailey Weggins novels, If Looks Could Kill. Bailey is a journalist and an amteur sleuth, and she begins the series in quite a tricky situation when she receives a cryptic phone call from her boss early one Sunday morning. Bailey Weggins is smart, sassy, and won’t back down from threats. I loved this book and it started my obsession with the Bailey Weggins series!
About the Book
True crime writer and journalist Bailey Weggins receives a call from her boss Cat Jones, the editor of Gloss magazine, in a panic. Cat is calling first thing Sunday morning, and she is worried about her nanny Heidi's well-being. Despite the fact that Bailey is currently shacked up with a gorgeous new love interest, she gives in to Cat's panic and goes over to help.
When Bailey arrives at Cat's townhome though, something is definitely wrong. Heidi's lights in the basement apartment are on and jazz music is playing. Even worse, Bailey notices that there is a foul smell coming from the apartment. Something is definitely wrong!
When Bailey enters the apartment only to find Heidi dead and a box of chocolates on the table, she finds herself smack in the middle of a murder investigation. As the police arrive and discover that the chocolates may have been meant for Cat, not Heidi, Cat becomes even more upset. She asks Bailey to help with her own investigation because she may be able to get people to confide in her in a way the police won't.
As Bailey begins her investigation, she can't help but become a target herself! Is someone targeting successful editors of Women's magazines? Or is this intentionally directed at Cat herself, and disguised as a serial killer? Will Bailey be able to figure out what happened before her own life is in danger?
Reflection
I first discovered Kate White when I read her standalone novel The Sixes (which I loved). Her first installment in the Bailey Weggins novels is wonderful—a perfect vacation read or commuter read. I actually started it on some time off and finished it on the airplane home for Thanksgiving break.
Bailey is a fantastic leading character. She is intelligent, courageous, and a bit sassy, but she is also wonderfully imperfect. I love when writers allow their leads to have some flaws. To not always get what they want, and to not always make the exact perfect moves. Bailey is so relateable in that way!
The mystery itself is fast-paced and moves quickly. Lots of twists and turns along the way of her investigation, but Bailey can’t let the case go. I felt like I was reading my childhood heroine Nancy Drew all grown up and in the modern city of New York! As the mystery progresses, White keeps lots of paths open before you get to the final reveal. I found myself suspecting many people along the way and I didn’t guess the reveal!
Cat is a great character as well! She’s admirable but kind of ridiculous—cold but kind at times. She is a narcissist, but I got the impression she cares for Bailey and trusts her. But Cat definitely had the feeling of a woman with some secrets!
I loved the level of detail and description White uses. Even in seemingly frivolous areas such as the clothing and looks of a character, I really loved it because it helps me picture who this person is and what the scene looks like. The scenes and characters were very vivid to me, which I enjoy!
I loved this first book in the Bailey Weggins series, and I’m excited to share more on my blog! I hope you enjoy!
March 23, 2014
I wanna say that this one is my favorite, but they all end up being my favorites because Kate is such a wonderful story teller. She helmed Cosmo for years, and you can really see in everything that she does that Kate is above all a woman who supports other women. We need more like that! And also more books from Kate. I think she has a new one coming out this summer and I can't wait. Though it might publish around Cop Town, so get Cop Town first!
November 25, 2019
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
If Looks Could Kill by Kate White reminded me of Sex And The City except if Carrie was writing about crime as opposed to sex, and working on solving a murder.
If Looks Could Kill is definitely a slow burn with a lot of content people might find unnecessary to the story, but I enjoyed it. I do think the story was drug out a bit but for some reason I didn't mind that in this book and I never felt the urge to skip ahead or skim. All I wanted to do was find out who the murderer was and find out more about Bailey. Bailey is such a great character and I love her as the lead to this series. She's a strong female character and even though she makes mistakes with men, she was pretty badass.
I also really enjoyed the way White describes things. It is very unique and made me laugh at times, but very hard for me to describe. She relates things to other things a lot to put images into your head and for me it worked like a charm. That is literally the best way to describe it, you will just have to read for yourself and find out!
Final Thought: If Looks Could Kill is witty and so much fun, and I really enjoyed reading it. I would have liked a tiny bit more backstory on Bailey, but overall she was great, and I hope to find out more about her in the oncoming books to this series. It even had a tiny bit of steam and talks about her guy problems, so it felt a little like Sex And The City to me. A great start to a series and I can't wait to read the rest!
If Looks Could Kill by Kate White reminded me of Sex And The City except if Carrie was writing about crime as opposed to sex, and working on solving a murder.
If Looks Could Kill is definitely a slow burn with a lot of content people might find unnecessary to the story, but I enjoyed it. I do think the story was drug out a bit but for some reason I didn't mind that in this book and I never felt the urge to skip ahead or skim. All I wanted to do was find out who the murderer was and find out more about Bailey. Bailey is such a great character and I love her as the lead to this series. She's a strong female character and even though she makes mistakes with men, she was pretty badass.
I also really enjoyed the way White describes things. It is very unique and made me laugh at times, but very hard for me to describe. She relates things to other things a lot to put images into your head and for me it worked like a charm. That is literally the best way to describe it, you will just have to read for yourself and find out!
Final Thought: If Looks Could Kill is witty and so much fun, and I really enjoyed reading it. I would have liked a tiny bit more backstory on Bailey, but overall she was great, and I hope to find out more about her in the oncoming books to this series. It even had a tiny bit of steam and talks about her guy problems, so it felt a little like Sex And The City to me. A great start to a series and I can't wait to read the rest!
February 1, 2009
I hated this book. It took me half the book to figure out why: the author explains every little detail. If the main character Bailey does something, then she explains why. She tosses in a few big words every now and then to remind the reader that the character has an ivy league education and was an English major. However, the words just seemed out of place in the storyline.
June 5, 2012
I liked it except, why is it that the "sullen civil servants who move at the speed of drying paint" have to be fat? Are there no skinny people with bad work ethics? Are all civil servants lazy and fat? Why is it bad to use stereotypes about race or color or gender but not about weight? WHy is it okay to denegrate overweight people? Can you tell from this that I am overweight? I would be just as offended if the comment was about a person of color and I am white.
March 14, 2009
It's hard to believe this book was ever published. The first 200 pages were gaggy froufrou. (I invented "gaggy" for this use). Coffee, clothes, food, shower- Coffee, clothes, food, shower- Coffee, clothes, food, shower. Then it finally developed into a story for the last half. I'm not saying I liked it. Even though 3 stars= liked it. It's just that it was such a big improvement over the first half.
December 9, 2016
In Kate White's If Looks Could Kill, the first installment in the Bailey Weggins mystery series, she told us a compelling and intriguing mystery about what lies beneath the surface. When Bailey Weggins, a true crime writer for a magazine, receives a call from her fellow friend and co-worker Cat, about her nanny Heidi being unconscious in her bedroom, Bailey helps her find out and discovers that Heidi had died. Later on, they talk to the police about the discovery and learn she was poisoned by truffles at the party. Bailey starts her own investigation to learn more about Heidi's life and more on Cat's marriage issues. The closer she had dug her own heels into the truth, the more someone wants her silent. As she had taken a closer look at her fellow colleagues at the magazine, she figured it out before she was next on the list with a shocking twist.
March 26, 2020
3.5, but I rounded up. Good mystery with enough about all the characters to make you invested. Bailey is a likable and relatable MC. My problem with this book is it dragged on. I got bored with it half way through. There was also another mystery that was eluded to, but never resolved. I'll give the next book in the series.
December 10, 2020
It wasn't until just now that I discovered that this book is the first in a series. How unfortunate.
I found this one my library's "free" table. They were giving it away because no one had read it in years. After reading several books from the "free" table, I have learned to just walk on by.
The author is full of herself. Because she has experience in the magazine industry, she's going to throw around all these words that us mere mortals don't readily understand.
It advertised itself as being like "Sex in the City", which I have not seen, but it looks obnoxious. Everything about this book was obnoxious. The personalities, the clothes, the food they stuffed in their faces, on and on and on.
Mysteries follow a story pattern. The main character (detective of some sort) either figure out who the murderer is or is super close to it and then they get caught by the killer and almost killed themselves. In this, it all got wrapped up very quickly. It felt more uncomfortable for the heroine than dangerous.
The only real danger was that she was allergic to peanuts. Now discovering that there was peanut butter in the chili was not shocking to me. I've seen that in recipes, maybe even done it myself. What was surprising, was that after recording every ridiculous and high falutin morsel, she's put in her mouth for a week (or however long the book takes), a severe peanut allergy was never mentioned or hinted at. She even goes out to eat several times. I've heard about people with severe peanut allergies. They don't go out to restaurants. If they do, they call ahead, and then when they order, they ask more questions. I thought it was a cheap trick to play on the reader.
I found this one my library's "free" table. They were giving it away because no one had read it in years. After reading several books from the "free" table, I have learned to just walk on by.
The author is full of herself. Because she has experience in the magazine industry, she's going to throw around all these words that us mere mortals don't readily understand.
It advertised itself as being like "Sex in the City", which I have not seen, but it looks obnoxious. Everything about this book was obnoxious. The personalities, the clothes, the food they stuffed in their faces, on and on and on.
Mysteries follow a story pattern. The main character (detective of some sort) either figure out who the murderer is or is super close to it and then they get caught by the killer and almost killed themselves. In this, it all got wrapped up very quickly. It felt more uncomfortable for the heroine than dangerous.
The only real danger was that she was allergic to peanuts. Now discovering that there was peanut butter in the chili was not shocking to me. I've seen that in recipes, maybe even done it myself. What was surprising, was that after recording every ridiculous and high falutin morsel, she's put in her mouth for a week (or however long the book takes), a severe peanut allergy was never mentioned or hinted at. She even goes out to eat several times. I've heard about people with severe peanut allergies. They don't go out to restaurants. If they do, they call ahead, and then when they order, they ask more questions. I thought it was a cheap trick to play on the reader.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2022
3.5 stars rounded up to 4
I liked this first installment in a mystery series. The MC is Bailey Weggins, a freelance writer who specializes in true crime stories at Gloss. Gloss bears a remarkable resemblance to Cosmo which became much more understandable when you read the author's bio...she was editor-in-chief for that mag for years.
When Bailey gets a call from Cat, her friend and editor, about Cat's nanny, she responds and discovers the nanny's body. While the police are also on the case, Cat begs for Bailey's help in looking into the crime. There are plenty of turns and dead ends. And coffee. Dear God, this woman has to be buzzed all the time and it's no wonder she's always complaining about insomnia. *No one* can sleep on this level of caffeination. Not to mention the amount of money that she's drinking, what with all the cappuccinos and espressos purchased.
I did like the writing style and the level of snarky wit displayed. Overall, a good start to the series.
Quote I enjoyed:
Maybe my undeniable physical attraction...and my fears over the fact that I was being stalked by the killer formed a speedball of horniness. (That was a great image and the pharmacist in me loved it.)
I liked this first installment in a mystery series. The MC is Bailey Weggins, a freelance writer who specializes in true crime stories at Gloss. Gloss bears a remarkable resemblance to Cosmo which became much more understandable when you read the author's bio...she was editor-in-chief for that mag for years.
When Bailey gets a call from Cat, her friend and editor, about Cat's nanny, she responds and discovers the nanny's body. While the police are also on the case, Cat begs for Bailey's help in looking into the crime. There are plenty of turns and dead ends. And coffee. Dear God, this woman has to be buzzed all the time and it's no wonder she's always complaining about insomnia. *No one* can sleep on this level of caffeination. Not to mention the amount of money that she's drinking, what with all the cappuccinos and espressos purchased.
I did like the writing style and the level of snarky wit displayed. Overall, a good start to the series.
Quote I enjoyed:
Maybe my undeniable physical attraction...and my fears over the fact that I was being stalked by the killer formed a speedball of horniness. (That was a great image and the pharmacist in me loved it.)
October 14, 2008
I read this series to date in the month of August. Very light reading, summer fare. I enjoyed the main character quite a bit. Fairly suspensful plots, but the endings of all but one of these (don't remember which) were terrible! The author was totally reaching when selecting the villains. However, for some reason I stuck it out through the entire series, but I don't think I'd admit it to any of my English Lit profs.
May 15, 2012
I finished this book in 2 days (mostly at work). Every time a detail started bugging me, the main character would point it out and explain it better. This is the best murder mystery I have read in a long time and plan on getting the next one from the library tomorrow!
December 11, 2021
Boring ending-didn’t wrap up major plot points.
May 8, 2020
4.75 stars
I thoroughly enjoyed If Looks Could Kill, a mystery by Kate White and really look forward to carrying on with this series. I liked the main character, Bailey Weggins and her strong, intelligent, realistic approach to solving crimes as an inadvertent extension of her crime-focused articles for Gloss magazine. I enjoyed her interactions with others, flaws and all, and her new found love interest, which lets us glimpse her life as a whole. The story was entertaining, interesting and a well-done mystery.
I thoroughly enjoyed If Looks Could Kill, a mystery by Kate White and really look forward to carrying on with this series. I liked the main character, Bailey Weggins and her strong, intelligent, realistic approach to solving crimes as an inadvertent extension of her crime-focused articles for Gloss magazine. I enjoyed her interactions with others, flaws and all, and her new found love interest, which lets us glimpse her life as a whole. The story was entertaining, interesting and a well-done mystery.
November 16, 2012
This was a fun and interesting read. I will absolutely continue reading the rest of the books in the series!
If Looks Could Kill is a mystery book!.
Lately I've been feeling an urge to read mystery-thriller books and this was just what i needed to feed it rightly. The mystery was compelling enough to keep me wondering and reading.
Now, throw into that mystery a Sex and the City vibe and you're good to go!
I really love sex and the city, the TV show at least, I have not read the book (I didn't know there was a book until a few days ago) and I have no intention of reading it, since many reviewers agree that it Sucks. But the TV show is really good and that's exactly the feeling i got from here.
I'm not really into the so called Chick-lit, in fact, i tried reading once one of those books and it was just so much for me, with the description of the clothes they were wearing and all the romance drama. I just couldn't stand it.
But with this book I didn't have a problem, I think those details complimented the story really well.
Perhaps this will not be the kind of mystery book a guy would like, but it definitely will be interesting for those of us who like mystery books and sex and the city.
Now, mixed with all of this, put a strong female protagonist and you can't complain.
Bailey is a great character, she has some flaws but who doesn't?!
I'm eager to see what Kate White came up with in the next book, A Body to Die For.
If Looks Could Kill is a mystery book!.
Lately I've been feeling an urge to read mystery-thriller books and this was just what i needed to feed it rightly. The mystery was compelling enough to keep me wondering and reading.
Now, throw into that mystery a Sex and the City vibe and you're good to go!
I really love sex and the city, the TV show at least, I have not read the book (I didn't know there was a book until a few days ago) and I have no intention of reading it, since many reviewers agree that it Sucks. But the TV show is really good and that's exactly the feeling i got from here.
I'm not really into the so called Chick-lit, in fact, i tried reading once one of those books and it was just so much for me, with the description of the clothes they were wearing and all the romance drama. I just couldn't stand it.
But with this book I didn't have a problem, I think those details complimented the story really well.
Perhaps this will not be the kind of mystery book a guy would like, but it definitely will be interesting for those of us who like mystery books and sex and the city.
Now, mixed with all of this, put a strong female protagonist and you can't complain.
Bailey is a great character, she has some flaws but who doesn't?!
I'm eager to see what Kate White came up with in the next book, A Body to Die For.
July 13, 2017
“If Looks Could Kill” by Kate White, is the first of a series featuring the character, Bailey Weggins. This series is full of suspense and mystery, with a soupcon of wit. It takes place in the fast paced world of magazines. Baily is a freelance writer who works for Gloss, a magazine aimed at today’s woman. She contributes true crime articles to the publication . Her sometimes friend, Cat, is the editor of Gloss, and she is in trouble. Cat is the object of an attempted murder spree, and she turns to Bailey to find her would-be killer.
I gave this book three stars however, if I could, I would give it three and half. I enjoyed the plot and liked the main character. However, I found most of the supporting characters almost exactly alike, which made it hard for me to follow who did what to whom. This book is an entertaining and fast read Although it is a novel, it has the feel of short novel and a cozy mystery. I will try the next Bailey Weggins book before I make a decision to quit the series.
I gave this book three stars however, if I could, I would give it three and half. I enjoyed the plot and liked the main character. However, I found most of the supporting characters almost exactly alike, which made it hard for me to follow who did what to whom. This book is an entertaining and fast read Although it is a novel, it has the feel of short novel and a cozy mystery. I will try the next Bailey Weggins book before I make a decision to quit the series.
February 7, 2022
This was an easy, light read. I enjoyed it, and I actually didn’t really figure it out until the end either, but it wasn’t the most taxing book. It was nice when I didn’t want to have to concentrate too hard.
One of the things that really bothered me about the story was the way the author had to describe (and comment on) people’s looks. It felt a little sexist and gross to me. I assumed that it was overflow from the writers work at Cosmo.
One of the things that really bothered me about the story was the way the author had to describe (and comment on) people’s looks. It felt a little sexist and gross to me. I assumed that it was overflow from the writers work at Cosmo.
August 30, 2015
Growing up reading Miss Marple I have a natural love for all things amateur sleuth. If Looks Could Kill is a great start to a mystery series featuring a likable heroine, Bailey Weggins. I enjoyed the feel of NYC, the work drama, and of course the murderous plot.
February 24, 2018
I ‘felt’ this book to be a 3/3.5 because the characters just weren’t very engaging. However, the plot was a 5 to me, so I rounded up to 4. Perhaps the characters will be better developed in subsequent books
December 8, 2020
I love the Bailey Weggins series.
Want to read
June 2, 2022Synopsis: when Bailey gets a call from her boss at Gloss magazine, she rushes to the Upper East Side to discover the family's live-in nanny dead.
October 16, 2022
It took a bit to get into, but once it started going it was a fun little read. I will be getting my hands on the next one in the series. I think I could get to like these characters.
March 29, 2023
I started this series because the author was the commencement speaker at my granddaughter’s graduation from Union College. It was a pleasant surprise, and while it’s not PD James, I think it will be a fun series.
July 25, 2011
3.5 stars.
this is a quick read (which is saying something since it clocks in at about 330 pages). bailey is likable enough - she talks fast, isn't afraid to swear, and says the things you're probably thinking as things happen (which is rare in a mystery). the narration, however, is a bit clunky in parts. sometimes, bailey reads like a 1920s flapper-cum-journalist...you can almost (almost) hear her say, "he's got a face only a mother could love on payday" with iambic intonation. it's a bit awkward.
white's book is a clever enough spin on the cutthroat world of fashion magazines. instead of miranda priestly we get "cat" - a super-bitch who treats people as expendable minions and then wonders why they don't all love her. one of things that white excels at here is laying out multiple (if not fairly apparent) red herrings and there were times during the reading of this book when i got genuinely creeped out (lots of heavy breathing phonecalls and stalkers).
of course, i was reading it at midnight while everyone around me was asleep. so there's that.
there are some loose-ends, sadly and bailey is simultaneously too smart and too stupid for her own good. still, the second book might worth a try.
this is a quick read (which is saying something since it clocks in at about 330 pages). bailey is likable enough - she talks fast, isn't afraid to swear, and says the things you're probably thinking as things happen (which is rare in a mystery). the narration, however, is a bit clunky in parts. sometimes, bailey reads like a 1920s flapper-cum-journalist...you can almost (almost) hear her say, "he's got a face only a mother could love on payday" with iambic intonation. it's a bit awkward.
white's book is a clever enough spin on the cutthroat world of fashion magazines. instead of miranda priestly we get "cat" - a super-bitch who treats people as expendable minions and then wonders why they don't all love her. one of things that white excels at here is laying out multiple (if not fairly apparent) red herrings and there were times during the reading of this book when i got genuinely creeped out (lots of heavy breathing phonecalls and stalkers).
of course, i was reading it at midnight while everyone around me was asleep. so there's that.
there are some loose-ends, sadly and bailey is simultaneously too smart and too stupid for her own good. still, the second book might worth a try.
April 8, 2012
As usual, Kate White kept me guessing until the very end. This was the first book in her Bailey Weggins's murder mystery series, and I'm excited to get to the next one!
July 28, 2019
Meet Bailey Weggins, the thirty-something, single-again true crime writer for a leading Manhattan woman's magazine. Smart and savvy, she's got a sixth sense when it comes to seeing the truth in a story-especially if it's murder. Bailey's in bed with her commitment-challenged lover K.C. when she gets a frantic call from her high-maintenance boss at Gloss magazine. Grabbing coffee and a cab outside her Greenwich Village apartment-the consolation prize in her divorce settlement-Bailey reluctantly heads uptown. At Cat Jones's Upper East Side town house, she finds something that seriously clashes with the chic décor: the dead body of the family's line-in nanny.
As Bailey-unofficially-delves into the murdered girl's past, she finds no shortage of A-list suspects. But when a startling discovery suggests that Cat may have been the intended victim, Bailey is suddenly up to her bed head in high-profile investigation that's perfect fodder for a tabloid headline: Is someone trying to kill the editor's of women's magazines?
With the spotlight on New York's glitzy media world, Bailey interviews back-stabbing editors, straying husbands, and one sexy, six-feet two psychologist who could make her decide to kick K.C. to the curb. Sporting her pair of red slingbacks and armed with the investigative skills she's honed as a true crime reporter, she sets out on a search that takes her from Manhattan's exclusive Carnegie-Hill area-the nanny heartland of America-to the ritzy weekend estates of Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Bailey will need all her street smarts and some lightning-fast detective work to catch a killer who could end up deleting her name from the masthead for good. (from Goodreads)
As Bailey-unofficially-delves into the murdered girl's past, she finds no shortage of A-list suspects. But when a startling discovery suggests that Cat may have been the intended victim, Bailey is suddenly up to her bed head in high-profile investigation that's perfect fodder for a tabloid headline: Is someone trying to kill the editor's of women's magazines?
With the spotlight on New York's glitzy media world, Bailey interviews back-stabbing editors, straying husbands, and one sexy, six-feet two psychologist who could make her decide to kick K.C. to the curb. Sporting her pair of red slingbacks and armed with the investigative skills she's honed as a true crime reporter, she sets out on a search that takes her from Manhattan's exclusive Carnegie-Hill area-the nanny heartland of America-to the ritzy weekend estates of Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Bailey will need all her street smarts and some lightning-fast detective work to catch a killer who could end up deleting her name from the masthead for good. (from Goodreads)
May 31, 2021
Book 1 in series. We meet Bailey Weggins; young crime reporter who is in bed with a hot guy she met the night before. She receives an early morning phone call from her friend, and Boss at Gloss, the magazine she works for, saying that her nanny is not answering her door, and she's worried and won't go in alone. Bailey leaves the sexy man in the sheets and head's to Cat's house, where she discovers her nanny is dead: Lying on the other side of the couch, vomit crusted to her mouth. After some police work, we find out that the Godiva chocolates (that the nanny stole from Cat) were poisoned. This book was such a fun read, with lots of players…Who wanted Cat dead? Polly, editor at Gloss (and friend of Bailey's) who Cat wouldn't put up for a job? Kip, a man who works at the magazine who had a failed attempt at a fling with Cat? The husband, did he hook up with Nanny behind Cat's back? Dolores, the bitter older woman Cat replaced as head of the magazine? Leslie, Cat's right-hand woman at the magazine, who caught her husband flirting with Cat at a party? There were a few others, Cat was hard to get along with after all. OR…Were the chocolates meant for the nanny all along? Her ex boyfriend, her friend who she hadn't been hanging out with recently, a husband she had fooled around with?(Honestly, such a fun read-You kept going back and forth, back and forth. Turns out, and I figured it out before it was said…When Bailey went to Leslie's house for dinner with her & her husband, and the other couple didn't show (they were NOT friends), and we hear that the husband is listening to jazz and drinking vodka or gin (what Bailey discovered in the nanny's bedroom, things she was brushing up on-not her style, but the man she's seeing). She figured it out & Leslie tried to poison her with peanut butter, thank God Bailey had her epi pen) and she survived). Honestly, a fun read. I'm starting to LOVE Bailey-She is so smart, witty and brave! 8
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 9, 2019
Book one of the 8 volume Bailey Weggins Mystery series was written in 2002. The plot is now somewhat dated. The internet is not really mentioned much. White does provide a complete insider's view of magazine publishing at that time.
Bailey is a free lance true crime writer, working mostly for Cat, the editor in chief of one of the biggest women's magazines --a thinly disguised version of Cosmopolitan. Cat is not a likeable character, she along with many of the workers at Gloss, the magazine, appear to be more adversaries than colleagues. The mystery walks hand in hand with a treatment of the uses and abuses of power among the high flyers in Manhattan.
Bailey is pressured, not asked, to investigate the death of Cat's nanny. Heidi was poisoned, but were the chocolates meant for Cat? Cat is totally befuddled, believing the police will not be much help. Bailey agrees to do some investigation, her observations of the life styles, clothing, and furnishings of the suspects help her look towards underlying motivations. In the course of the novel she discovers perfect marriages are often not, people who look trustworthy should be given a second glance, and control is not always the problem solver or the problem.
Recommended as a good summer read.
Bailey is a free lance true crime writer, working mostly for Cat, the editor in chief of one of the biggest women's magazines --a thinly disguised version of Cosmopolitan. Cat is not a likeable character, she along with many of the workers at Gloss, the magazine, appear to be more adversaries than colleagues. The mystery walks hand in hand with a treatment of the uses and abuses of power among the high flyers in Manhattan.
Bailey is pressured, not asked, to investigate the death of Cat's nanny. Heidi was poisoned, but were the chocolates meant for Cat? Cat is totally befuddled, believing the police will not be much help. Bailey agrees to do some investigation, her observations of the life styles, clothing, and furnishings of the suspects help her look towards underlying motivations. In the course of the novel she discovers perfect marriages are often not, people who look trustworthy should be given a second glance, and control is not always the problem solver or the problem.
Recommended as a good summer read.
December 16, 2019
The book if looks could kill is a story about the murder of the nanny of the CEO of the fashion company “Gloss” The book is in the first person from the perspective of one of her workers (Bailey) who in the beginning has just woken up from a hookup. She’s called over to Cat’s (CEO) house because she can’t find the nanny, but after a while they find her dead body. The police is called and Cat and Bailey are questioned. Cat thinks that she and Cat are the police’s main suspects, so she Bailey is told by Cat to find out as much as she can about the situation and to report back to her. She spends the next months interviewing editors, psychologists, and even Cat’s husband. She’s really forced to use her journalism skills to find the killer. Will she find out who did it?...
I really think this book could’ve given more insight and background on some of the characters, especially Bailey. Besides that the book was slightly humorous with some sexual humor at the beginning and sarcasm and irony throughout.
I really think this book could’ve given more insight and background on some of the characters, especially Bailey. Besides that the book was slightly humorous with some sexual humor at the beginning and sarcasm and irony throughout.
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