Passion, Betrayal And Killer Highlights

Sophie Katz Murder Mystery #2

by Kyra Davis

Sophie Katz has just offered a man $12,000 for his services… Is she desperate or just meshugeneh?

Considering the kind of disasters that usually befall the half-black, half-Jewish mystery writer, probably both. Because the last time Sophie saw sexy P.I. Anatoly Darinsky, he practically danced a jig when she waved goodbye�a normal reaction for a man who'd nearly bought the farm trying to protect her from her own foolishness. What are the chances he'd agree to take incriminating pictures of her sister's philandering husband? Or that he'd let her tag along�you know…for research?

But when her brother-in-law turns up dead and her sister becomes the prime suspect, Sophie's priority is finding the real killer. With or without Anatoly's help. Her brother-in-law's secret life yields plenty of suspects, but the San Francisco police aren't taking any of them seriously. So Sophie does what comes naturally to her: she stirs up trouble (to lure the killer out, of course).

But if her crazy plan works, will Anatoly be there to protect her this time?

Genres: Mystery, Chick Lit, Romance, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Humor

368 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 28, 2006

About the author

New York Times bestselling author of JUST ONE NIGHT, DECEPTIVE INNOCENCE, the Sophie Katz mysteries, SO MUCH FOR MY HAPPY ENDING and the upcoming DANGEROUS ALLIANCE, JUST ONCE MORE and JUST ONE LIE (July 28th, 2015).

Reviews

[Monica **can't read fast enough** · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one even more than book one. And it read super fast. I had a free day and was able to finish it in one day. I'm looking forward to the next installment.

Where you can find me:
•(♥).•*Monlatable Book Reviews*•.(♥)•
Twitter: @monicaisreading
Instagram: @readermonica
Goodreads Group: The Black Bookcase

[Thenia · Rating 3 out of 5]

An amateur detective story that reminded me of the Stephanie Plum books.

It's been years since I read the first book in the series, so I did not remember all that much about Sophie and her world. She is a mystery writer who got involved in a murder investigation once and is once again called upon to use her detective skills to save her sister from going to jail for her husband's murder.

Anatoly, the private detective she clashed with in the first book, is her partner in crime in this one since she hires him to help her prove her sister's innocence. The two of them were attracted to each other in the first book, and eventually take their attraction to the next stage in this one, becoming a couple.

Sophie is just as silly as I remembered, but her sister is even more so, giving the story a lightness I don't think i was really in the mood for.

The way they go about solving the mystery left me a bit exasperated too, since they don't even consider that the murder had something to do with his job, which is one of the first things a detective would look into, apart from the spouse and his mistress.

As it turns out, the murder did indeed have something to do with his job, since he was obviously doing something shady, as his living well above his means proved, and his fellow scammers had had enough of him and wanted him out of the way.

The series continues with Obsession, Deceit, and Really Dark Chocolate, but I don't think I'll get to it anytime soon.

Previous book reviews:
✦ Sex, Murder And A Double Latte (Sophie Katz Murder Mystery #1)

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

These books remind me of the early days Stephanie Plum books, but not as over the top and not as same old same old (yet, anyway, it's just book two). But the narration is good and keep me entertained while stuck in traffic.

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light and easy.
Brain candy mostly.
I'd give this a 3.5 rounded up.

[Thereadingbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sophie's sister finds her husband dead. This is of course after he admitted to having an affair. Sophie hires the sexy Anatoly to help investigate who did it and this leads to all sorts of revelations about the dead man. It's an easy story to follow along though some of the characters are annoying. Sophie to the rescue when her sister,Leah, is accused of murdering her no good husband. Sophie’s best friend Marcus is great comic relief in this one. Leah get the in-depth treatment which breaths more life into her character in the story from the first book.

This sequel was very entertaining mystery but you will figured out the culprit(s) really quickly. The love story is good too between Sophie and Anatoly they cannot keep their hands off of each other. I will continue to read the series. The humor and wit shined through again.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5*

[Violet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh, I'm so behind my reviews it ain't even funny.
Not that I have something profound to say, yet it's my personal indulgence to write something about a book I've read/skimmed/didn't read. But I'm a lazy ass bum and I've finished this book in September 2017 and lo and behold, only a year later here's my review!

A lot of stuff happened in a year, but let's talk about something else.
Pope Francis visited my little country last week, the visit all fine and dandy, even I dragged my lazy ass to wave at his cool vehicle, because I'm fond of celebrities.
And yet, some shitheads, starting with a local one hit wonder celebrity, were incensed. We here in Lithuania are predominantly Catholics and population is predominantly white, so the outrage - a half-Senegalese, half-Lithuanian little girl was among the meeting group, because she knew Italian and Pope Francis was really glad to chat with her.
Cue - the shitsstorm. Why her, why not a blue eyed blond, 100% pure blood Lithuanian? Oh the horror. People are seriously talking, discussing, feeling the outrage BECAUSE OF THE CHILD.
Who said hello to Pope Francis.

I am literally sick. What does it remind me of? Let's look up some history.

School Integration – October 17, 1957 – The Students At Central High – Past Daily Reference Room


The scene at Central High in Little Rock in 1957 – Tolerance and doing-the-right-thing being suspiciously absent that year.

Why are people like that? What is their damage?
I mean Holy Jebus, Pope Francis actually had to DEFEND that girl, because 1. it's in his job description to love all people equally, 2. IT'S A CHILD.

So, writing the review kinda triggered me - with book's heroine being the half-black, half-Jewish mystery writer. And bloody good at it.
The book is alright, fun, witty and lighthearted.
5*, because world needs more books like that.

And either some miracle anti-racism vaccine or zombie apocalypse. I'm all for zombie apocalypse, but poor zombies would starve, because those racists idiots lack the brain.
OK, vaccine it is.

[Erin L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic, light vacation read. Perfect reading for the plane and for sitting in airports for long layovers.

I'm glad I've finally gotten around to discovering Sophie Katz and her delightful side-kicks. In this book, Sophie, Anatoly and Leah are investigating Leah's husband's murder. Leah (Sophie's sister) is suspect #1 as Bob was shot on the same day he told her he'd been having an affair and was leaving her for another woman.

This is another series I'd compare favorably to Stephanie Plum - the early Stephanie Plum, not the formulaic books that are making up the more recent books in the series. We have lies, love and a whole lot of crazy in this book.

Luckily, it's still a fairly short series and I don't have a lot of books to read to get caught up/finish

[Sai ☾ ⋆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saw the plottwist coming from a million miles away. But it’s a cozy mystery ,so I came for some light hearted amateur sleuthing, humour and the romance.

Concept: ★★★★★ Characters: ★★★
Pacing: ★★★★ Feels: ★★★★

Quotes

„I have wanted you since the moment I saw you“
„Even when you thought I was a murderess?”
“Even then,” he confessed. “I know it’s twisted, but I couldn’t help myself.”

“If God only gives us what we can handle, why are there so many suicides?”

„Yes, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Unfortunately it’s attached to an oncoming train.”

[Julie H. Ernstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

With a title like this, it didn't have to be good! I started this late one night/early one morning after finishing Laura Lippman's What the Dead Know--which was simply too unsettling to send your subconscious off into 5-6 hours of obsessing over--and it was just the trick. Main character Sophie Katz is a mystery writer cum-slightly incompetent but well-intentioned detective (a la Stephanie Plum as bounty hunter in Janet Evanovich's series) whose sister has just learned that her husband is having an affair. Later that same day, the sister discovers the murdered body of said philandering husband and quickly assumes Slot #1 on the police suspect list. As a mystery it's not all that strong, but that's not really what it's marketed as. Instead, it's a chick-lit fiction title (it's published by Red Dress Ink, so it's not like you weren't warned) that has the silly, fun, brash sort of stuff you'd expect. My favorite line from the book is main character Sophie Katz's announcement that, "Yeah, but I'm invincible. After the nuclear holocaust, it's gonna be me, Cher and the cockroaches" (p. 190). If it's top-notch detective fiction you're looking for, look elsewhere. However, if it's just good-hearted escapism, these are some fun folks with whom to spend an evening or two.

[Shirley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This second book in the series brings Sofie and her Russian love interest, Anatoly, closer together as they try to prove her sister Leah is innocent of murdering her womanizing husband. The two sisters seem as different as night and day. Frankly, even for a light-hearted chick-lit, Leah gets on my nerves a bit and her poor parenting skills seem off-kilter for a woman who coveted being a wife and mother and providing her executive husband with all the material appearances of a perfect life. I think Leah and Mary Anne should be BFFs. Sophie proves to be the ever-loyal sister and her bumbling antics to keep Leah from being arrested lead her to find several other suspects. Things become steamy between Sophie and Anatoly. The story combined the best of an easy read: fun characters, mystery, and romance.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like so many mysteries of the early twenty-first century, the murder victim, though closely related to the accused ends up being both utterly awful and completely surprising to the person who should have known him best. By the end of the book it's fairly well established that the dead brother-in-law didn't have a single moral fiber in his body.

Leah is everything Sophie isn't. She's proud of being a housewife. She knows how to play societal politics to her and her family's advantage. She's constantly thinking about her reputation and how it reflects on her family and their status. Coming to realize her husband didn't take their marriage as seriously as she did brings repeated blows to her confidence and world view.

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2023/comm...

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series. It's so much fun and the irreverent sarcastic humour is one of its best features.

Sophie is absolutely hilarious and the trouble she gets herself into, while typical for a cozy mystery is really ramped up and I just love it!

This book was slightly less my favourite compared to the first book in the series. I'm not a fan of family drama, and this book was all about family drama. Sophie's sister and her monster child, while amusing, do get on my nerves a bit, and as this entire book was about the sister's husband - the murder victim - we spend a lot of time with both of them.

This series is fun and light and easy to read. I love the characters and as previously mentioned especially the humour in this which makes me laugh out loud.

[TinaNoir · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! If was a bright, funny mystery novel featuring half black-half Jewish mystery writer Sophie Katz. Her wanna be Martha Stewart sister, Leah is accused of the murder of her husband Bob.

But Sophie is convinced of Leah's innocence. She hires the handsome Russian PI Anatoly to help investigate Bob's murder. The two of them uncover facts about Bob's double life and the two of them get closer together as well.

Like I said, this book was fun. I loved the characterizations of the two sisters, Sophie to coffee addict and Leah the wanna be perfect wife whose idols are Martha Stewart and Emily Post. This is chick-lit mystery done right.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m reading this series in a random order. It’s not a great idea for early books and spoilers but I’m having fun with the characters witty banter and quirky personalities. I was less impressed with this one than I was Lust, Loathing and a Little Lip Gloss . I was bored with this one at times. This was still a fun, mostly lighthearted (minus the murder investigation) read which is all I have wanted to read during all the stay at home orders.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great follow up to the adventures of Sophie Katz. Once again she gets involved with people she shouldn't have but manages to make it work in the end with help from her handsome Russian crush and her band of friends: hairdresser, make up consultant, and sex toy shop keeper. The book series is fast paced and entertainingly funny.

[Dee Dee Walker · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book just didn't have enough substance to keep me interested. I was hoping to find something comparable to Janet Evanivitch but it fell flat. I found the humor was mostly in the form of sarcastic one liners. I can't say that the plot really worked for me either.

[Mimi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loving Sophie Katz and her situations she is always finding herself in. And Anatoly sounds hot. One to book 3.

[Camy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay. Not that hilarious. There were some non-okay Black comments by the biracial characters and biracial author that weren’t funny. Won’t read others.

[Aubrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Sophie so much, holy toledo! She's very unapologetically self-aware, but that doesn't stop her from spiraling into chaos. And sometimes a little chaos is very fun!

We see a lot of her sister Leah this time around. At first, she is very difficult to sympathize with - even when we find out her husband was murdered. She's just such a damn snob, it made her incredibly unlikable to me.

As time goes on, we see more of Leah - more of the real Leah, I should say. And the more she shines, the more we see that sass and ferocity runs deep in the Katz women. And that's absolutely bloody brilliant.

So much of this book revolves around Leah's case, we don't see too much character development on Sophie's end. But that's fine, she's a little busy dealing with the family crisis and hiring the man who's life she almost ruined to help her. She's got quite a bit on her plate.

What we do see, though, is a great amount of growth and development in her relationships - both with Leah and Anatoly. As I grew to like Leah more and more, seeing the relationship between the sisters shift and change and strengthen made me happy. (As an only child, I haven't one clue about the dynamics of sibling relationships. They're rather fascinating to me.)

Once again, Sophie dives in head first, almost recklessly, in this case in order to save her sister. Thankfully, she has Anatoly as an ally this time - albeit a reluctant one at first. This book is just as much fun as the first. It's a good mix of humour, danger, fun, and flirtation. I cannot wait to continue with this series!

[Teena in Toronto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sophie Katz is a mystery writer who lives with Mr. Katz, her cat with lot of personality. Leah is her sister and Bob, Leah's husband, told her he was leaving her for a younger woman. Leah enjoys her role as a wife and a mother and is determined to fight for him. When Leah arrives home later that day, she finds Bob murdered and their house trashed a bit.

Leah immediately turns to Sophie ... Sophie, in turn, hires PI Anatoly to investigate and find out who murdered Bob since Leah is the number one suspect. Sophie and Anatoly have a history ... because of her, he'd gotten shot and arrested (in the first book) ... but he takes the job. As Sophie and Anatoly start digging, they discover that Bob not only had one girlfriend on the side but a few more. Did one of them get jealous enough to kill him?

This is the second in the Sophie Katz Murder Mystery Series (there are seven books in the series and I read the first one earlier this week). It is written in first person perspective in Sophie's voice. It was published in 2006 so is a bit dated with references to floppy disks and an address book that you actually write names, address and phone numbers (and cross them out when they move!). As a head's up, there a lot of swearing and adult activity.

I liked it enough to move on to the next book in the series.

Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2024/12...

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Davis has created a really distinctive protagonist in Sophie Katz, and deserves a larger readership than it seems she's found. While I don't love some aspects of this story, the book is very strongly executed: well-plotted and paced; sharp, funny dialogue; believable, engaging characters. The whole thing is both fresh and original and -- to one who worked a decade in San Francisco -- a very plausible portrait of life in the city.

My biggest struggle with the series -- which for some would be an asset -- is its raunchiness, compared to all the other mystery series I've read. It was a great relief, then, to see Davis tone that down in this book.

I don't know how many authors I've read where the first book, or even the first part of the book, is almost over-the-top excessive in whatever manner they've decided will distinguish the story. But once the author, relaxes, settles in and grows more confident in the work, those excesses tend to dissipate. (Why editors don't do more to even things out continues to mystify me, but that's a tangent.)

Thankfully, Davis seems to have grown more confident in her work with this book, and throws less shock-and-awe at the reader. I'll be interested to see where she takes the series (and cast of characters) next.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the first in this series years ago. Thanks to my friend who also has a LFL, one of her donors gave her 2, 3, 4 and 6, so I have almost the whole series except for 5 and 7.

I dove right back in with Sophie and her life as a writer but in this case she wasn't writing much. She is just so lovable and witty with her sometimes silent thoughts and who can forget her cat Mr. Katz. Even though she and her sister Leah are opposites they always got along. When Leah's husband is murdered Sophie helps her find out whodunit. Leah's not quite a suspect yet. With the help of Anatoly, a sexy Israeli Private Investigator from the first book, she tries to prove Leah innocent.

You can classify this a mystery chick lit mystery and this one is one of them and hilarious. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait to read the rest of them in my collection, slowly but surely. I'm not one of those readers who reads another book in a series after another no matter how much I enjoy them since I usually don't have almost the whole series like this one.

As for the ending and the murderer, I had no idea.

[Sunny · Rating 3 out of 5]

When her sister Leah is made the prime suspect for her good-for-nothing husband’s murder, Sophie Katz needs all the help she can get to prove her innocent. Unfortunately, that includes help from Anatoly Darinsky, an attractive Russian P.I who she recently tried to incarcerate.

Filled with twists, unique characters, and plenty of laughs, “Passion, Betrayal and Killer Highlights” promises not to disappoint readers looking for a fun read.

I read the first book in this series, and I enjoyed it, so I naturally decided to read its sequel. It had the same fast-moving plot, humor and light writing style I liked in the last book. The story in this one was more complex (in a good sense) than its predecessor, however.

I like the fact that these books aren’t entirely independent stories, and have some overall progress in the main character’s personal life (of course, that does means it’s better to read them in order).

[Bella Foxygobble · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an entertaining read. We first met Sophie in Sex, Murder And A Double Latte (You can see my review here.)

In this next installment, Sophie's brother-in-law turns up dead and her sister is the prime suspect. She enlists the help of the hunky Anatoly to prove Leah's innocence. I love the diverse set of characters who keep Sophie on her toes. I'm a sucker for an imperfect heroine and Sophie delivers!

Fans of Janet Evanovich-type mysteries would enjoy this read.

Rated 4-stars. The author did a really great job introducing suspects and although I had my hunches, I was still surprised at the ending.

My Ratings:

5*****I loved this book, consider it an all time favorite
4**** Thoroughly enjoyed the book and will recommend it
3*** I liked it well enough,
2** Brain Candy - It was okay. Writing mediocre, will
keep/re-read if part of a series
1* didn't like/possibly not finished

[Lorin Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very entertaining mystery but I figured out the culprit(s) really quickly. The love story is good too but I don't understand how they can keep their hands off each other. They are both a little pretty passive aggressive. The characters remind me of the Samantha Plum gang but thet Sophie Katz gang have much more depth. Sophie is just as spunky as Samantha but in my opinion is more intelligent and mature. She plays games with most people but is completely loyal to get friends and family. The story is really funny and I'm throughly enjoying it.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

San Francisco mystery writer, Sophie Katz, convinces possible romantic interest, PI Anatoly Darinsky, to help her prove her sister Leah's innocence when Leah is suspected of murder. As things did not end well the last time Sophie talked Anatoly into working with her, it took quite a bit of convincing / money to obtain Anatoly's services again so soon.

The dialogue and humor in this series is great, not to mention the fun titles and book covers. Sophie, along with her family and friends, are very entertaining. I look forward to reading the next book in this series! 🙂

[Jessica Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not sure if this author has ever had a conversation with a straight black man in her life. The only time I've cringed more at unrealistic dialog is in the first book in this series when she tried to write for another black man. I was willing to overlook a lot (where is the lawyer? How are they trusting a stranger this much? Why is she being so stupid right now?) but Jerome from Flavah magazine was too much.

[Sunshine✰✰✰ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sophie's sister finds her husband dead. This is of course after he admitted to having an affair. Sophie hires the sexy Anatoly to help investigate who did it and this leads to all sorts of revelations about the dead man. It's an easy story to follow along though some of the characters are annoying. And as a side note, the female narrator of the audiobook makes the woman have deeper voices than the men....

[MELANIE · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dans ce deuxième tome on retrouve l'auteur de romans policiers Sophie katz qui cherche à innocenter sa soeur, soupçonnée d'avoir tué son mari.
Sophie joue donc à nouveau les enquêteurs amateurs aidée du détective privé Annatoly.
On a une intrigue, de l'humour et un début de romance, de quoi passer un bon moment sans prise de tête.