The Key

Rachel Benjamin #3

by Jennifer Sturman

Ever wished your boss would drop dead? Of course not. Well, not "really." And neither had Rachel Benjamin--until she finds herself working for Wall Street terror Glenn Gallagher on his latest pet project. Rachel thinks the deal--and Glenn--are more than a little shady, but she has a promotion at stake. It's either keep her lips sealed or kiss her partnership goodbye. Or kill Glenn. (Just kidding!)

At least she has Peter. Rachel's too-good-to-be-true fiance has moved in, and while his stuff is everywhere and he's strangely jealous of her friendly new coworker, she's confident they'll figure things out. It would help if Glenn's killer schedule didn't have Rachel working around the clock. Really, the man "must" be stopped.

Rachel's jokes about killing her boss don't seem so funny when Glenn is murdered. And it's even less laughable when she becomes the prime suspect. With the police hot on her very stylish heels, and the threat of an unflattering orange jumpsuit in her future, Rachel's learning the hard way to be careful what you wish for. She needs to catch the true killer quickly, before the killer catches her.

Genres: Mystery, Chick Lit, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Romance, Crime, Contemporary

295 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2006

About the author

Jennifer Sturman is the author of several mystery novels, including The Pact and The Jinx. After graduating from Harvard College, Jennifer earned her MBA from Harvard Business School. She now lives in New York City, a few blocks from Delia’s aunt Charley (And Then Everything Unraveled). She has no free time, but if she did she would probably spend it watching teen movie classics from the '80s.

Reviews

[Jennifer]

The Key (Red Dress Ink) by Jennifer Sturman (2006)

[Nancy Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first actual book I’ve picked up in ages, and it was a page turner. I found it while cleaning my bookshelf and decided to give it a shot. Glad I did.

Rachel was funny, her dry wisecracks were subtle but made me laugh.

I figured out who the suspect was early on - it seemed obvious but that surprisingly didn’t take away the pleasure I had reading the book. Nor did a few plot holes, albeit minor ones. Not holes maybe but disbelief at how easy a disguise and fleeing the police is to accomplish for Rachel.

This is book 3 in a series but I felt like I knew Rachel well enough. I would read more books in this series.

[India Campbell · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was painful to read. Some flaws include:

- Rachel and Jake's "romance is so forced"
- Pacing? Never heard of her
- Too Rachel-centric. Literally all of her friends seem to exist just to make her life easier
- Poorly structured sentences
- Rachel has no personality. Really none of the characters do

[Regina · Rating 3 out of 5]

January 2014

[Samantha Rogowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my favorite in the series. Definitely a page turner compared to the others!

[Devon · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the third installment in the Rachel Benjamin series Rachel is back and better than ever! When Rachel's boss the hated Mr. Galleger is murdered by poisioned pencil she once again finds herself on the case. However, this time there is much more at stake when Rachel finds out that she is the police's prime and only suspect. It is no secret around the office that Rachel despised her boss yet she never believed her threats would be taken seriously but when an attempt is made on Mr. Galleger's assistant's life as well and the only ewitness to the crime describes a readhead with a green scarf and hat (Rachel's attire that fateful day) all suspicion is cast her way. Now, in just a matter of days Rachel must try to clear her name, repair her rocky relationship with fiance Peter, decode cryptic e-mails from a "friend" and figure out if her buding feelings for a co-worker are clouding her better judgement all the while trying to stay a step ahead of the police and the real killer with the help of her ever-loyal college roomates.

Although I personally have a soft spot for 'THE PACT', I have to agree with many of the reviewers who say that this may be the best book in the series. If you enjoy books that feature strong, intellegent and wity heroines than this series is for you. Jennifer Sturman takes readers on an adventure with every book and 'THE KEY' will leave fans of this series wanting more!

[mandyfujita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rachel Benjamin is at it again. Another dead body happens to lie in wake and she is the number one suspect. She works for a Wall Street terror, Glenn Gallagher, who makes life miserable for not only Rachel, but Jake and Mark. To make matters more pressing, Rachel's fiancé, Peter, has moved into her tiny apartment and things are getting a little bit uncomfortable for the Rachel, the commitment phobe.

The police thinks she did it so she decides to take matters into her own hands and tries to solve the mystery. I have read the other books that Jennifer Sturman wrote about Rachel Benjamin and it was just as entertaining as "The Key".

[Charity · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great Rachel Benjamin mystery! Once again, Rachel finds herself involved in a murder mystery...as the prime suspect. She has to solve this one fast or she'll end up taking the wrap. Loved this one and could not put it down. I hope Sturman continues to put out more fast-paced fiction like this one.

[Hareem Ammar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started of as a very strong and promising story, but failed to keep the strength of the story steel hard when it came to the actual suspense part. Even though I haven't finished reading it, it was starting to become quiet obvious who the killer was hence why I perhaps chose to drop this read and move on to something else

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too bad this book didn't get interesting until 180 pages into it. I probably won't be reading any more by this author. Reading the book certainly wasn't a waste of time, but it wasn't the most entertaining book I've read by far.

[Jenny Quigley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was liking this book ok there isn't very much depth, so it was easy to read, but then I just found myself not wanting to read anymore, around 40% it just got so boring, and the writing got so bad. DNF 50%

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, easy read.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this isn't my favorite of the Rachel Benjamin series, it was still good. Quick read. Entertaining, even if it's fairly predictable.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book to take to the beach. not much substance,a quick read.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, quick read.

[Dianna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I quit reading this book at page 50. It is too slow getting going! Enough about how bad she hates her boss already!

[Notbagels · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this one a lot better than the second. It reminded me more of the Rachel from the first book. It's fun and kind of campy and altogether ridiculous, but enjoyable.

[Annalisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A GREAT beach read, exceeded my expectations. Well constructed

[Rena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still plugging away at this series because I like Rachel, and the mystery grips me every time.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did not enjoy this one as much as the first two but still entertaining. Quick easy read but pretty ridiculous at times.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fun mystery with a few surprises.

[Donna Hess · Rating 3 out of 5]

okay, ending is a disappointment

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

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