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Robin Hudson #2
Nice Girls Finish Last
It's not exactly encouraging for All News Network reporter Robin when the only man to have seen her naked in months, gynecologist Herman Kanengiser, is shot dead in his office, on the 27th floor of ANN's own building. But things rapidly get much worse. Soon after a matchbook found in Dr. Kanengiser's office takes Robin to the dungeon of Mistress Anya, head of the Marquis de Sade Society, several other ANN stalwarts manage to get themselves shot at shortly after spending quality time with Robin, and the police start to look at her as an S/M Calamity Jane. Worse still, her dreaded aunt Maureen, asteam with moral righteousness, is on her trail. Caught between the likes of Mistress Anya and Aunt Mo, Robin, who describes herself as "Jerry Lewis's nutty professor...in the body of Rita Hayworth," doesn't so much investigate as stumble over the untidy solution to the mystery. But if the killer is negligible, the tableau of Robin and Aunt Mo fleeing in bondage gear from a man glued to a sofa is one of the most memorable climaxes you'll ever be glad you're not a part of.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
22 people are currently reading
189 people want to read
About the author
Sparkle Hayter
18 books78 followersSparkle Hayter is a Canadian journalist and author.
Hayter was born in Pouce Coupe, British Columbia, Canada and grew up in Edmonton, Alberta. In 1986, she graduated in film and television production from New York University. Among other things, she worked for CNN in Atlanta, WABC in New York and Global Television in Toronto. At the time of the Afghan civil war, she moved to Pakistan and then went along with the Mujahedin to Afghanistan, reporting for the Toronto Star. After this, she decided to give up journalism as a career. After her return to the U.S. she married and began her career as a comic and a writer with her first, not very successful, novel. She moved briefly to Tokyo, then on her return to New York divorced and went to live in the famous Chelsea Hotel
She then published a further 5 novels, the Robin Hudson series, which proved her breakthrough. She wrote for the New York Times Op-Ed Page, the Nation and Toronto Globe and Mail, was a regular participant on CNN's talk show "CNN & Company" and was also seen on Good Day New York, NPR, CBC, BBC and Paris Premiere. Currently she lives in Paris and is writing her next novel.
Series:
* Robin Hudson
Awards:
* Arthur Ellis Award
o Best First Novel (1995): What's a Girl Gotta Do?
Hayter was born in Pouce Coupe, British Columbia, Canada and grew up in Edmonton, Alberta. In 1986, she graduated in film and television production from New York University. Among other things, she worked for CNN in Atlanta, WABC in New York and Global Television in Toronto. At the time of the Afghan civil war, she moved to Pakistan and then went along with the Mujahedin to Afghanistan, reporting for the Toronto Star. After this, she decided to give up journalism as a career. After her return to the U.S. she married and began her career as a comic and a writer with her first, not very successful, novel. She moved briefly to Tokyo, then on her return to New York divorced and went to live in the famous Chelsea Hotel
She then published a further 5 novels, the Robin Hudson series, which proved her breakthrough. She wrote for the New York Times Op-Ed Page, the Nation and Toronto Globe and Mail, was a regular participant on CNN's talk show "CNN & Company" and was also seen on Good Day New York, NPR, CBC, BBC and Paris Premiere. Currently she lives in Paris and is writing her next novel.
Series:
* Robin Hudson
Awards:
* Arthur Ellis Award
o Best First Novel (1995): What's a Girl Gotta Do?
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
January 1, 2024
“It was if my very existence insulted Bigger. He saw me as some kind of wild-eyed antiauthoritarian bohemian, which is so unfair. That was the old me.”
Robin is doing her best to turn over a new leaf: there’s a corporate shakeup coming at her job, the 24-hour news station ANN; her hyper-critical Aunt Mo is in town for a religious meeting, hoping to connect; and her hopes for a happy love life left town with her post-divorce boyfriend, Eric. So she’s cultivating a Positive Mental Attitude through post-its and biting her lip. I remember the positive mental attitude exhortation: my high school friends and I dubbed it ‘PMA’ when we were told to stop being so cynical, and proceeded to use it in place of ‘PMS.’
“I was starting to get very annoyed, but I talked myself down, figuring Fenn hadn’t been out of Betty Ford that long and he was sure to be crabby.”
Unfortunately, trouble has a way of finding Robin.
“Curiosity, I remembered, always got me into trouble… Well, it wasn’t just curiosity. Vodka was also involved. But it was mostly curiosity.”
Her gynecologist’s office cancels her evening appointment, and only hours later, the doctor is found dead, shot and handcuffed to his office chair. This time she isn’t a suspect, but her Special Reports news boss, Jerry Spurdle, wants her and the team to investigate a possible connection to a local S&M club. Of course, it will mean going undercover.
“It’s just the nature of my life that I sleep better at night if I have a good alibi, since this wasn’t the first time I’d had an appointment with someone who later ended up dead. It’s like, my karma or something.”
Hayter was my introduction to my favorite type of character, a feminist, eccentric female investigator, operating in one of my favorite cities, NYC. The tone in this one is a little more series, a little more exhausted, fitting perhaps both Robin and Hayter herself. This one is a little more love-life centered than the last, but at least Robin is aware of the issues and balances it out with concerns about her professional opportunities and her friends. And its always bonus that Hayter and I share a deep affection for NYC. The asides on ‘guerrilla art’ are a clever touch, showing a familiarity with the city and a popular movement of the time. Published in 1996 and set at the news station CNN–excuse me, ANN–it can’t help but be somewhat topical in its references, but I didn’t find it overbearingly so–perhaps because I am of similar time period. But really, so much hasn’t changed at all–tabloid journalism, PTSD from covering wars, creepy fan mail, and producers who just want sensationalist stories.
“‘It makes you wonder what we’ll do for ratings,’ McGravy said. ‘How much is the media unconsciously manipulating events in order to get the best possible story?… To what depths will we lower ourselves to ensure our economic survival?'”
Hayter does a nice job with running jokes, alleviating some of the tension that comes with a murder and job anxiety. Robin’s eccentricities mean that she is vigilant about obscure medical issues–usually discovered through random news reports–and bizarre murder cases, and those stories often provide comic relief. I couldn’t help but laugh:
“‘Take this with you,’ he said, handing me a clipping.
‘You are full of treats today.’
‘It’s about a guy in England who can’t turn his television off because it makes his monkey crazy. The monkey goes ballistic and starts tearing people’s hair out.’
‘I know people like that.’
‘It makes my monkey crazy,’ I like that phrase,’ Louis said.
He yelled at an indolent PA who was leaning on a pod flirting with a writer. ‘Hey, don’t lean on the furniture,’ he said. ‘It makes my monkey crazy.'"
A recent re-release of the first book in e-edition, coupled with a cold, sent me on a Hayter re-read. It’s been a perfect way to divert myself when I don’t want something deeply introspective, full of metaphor and descriptive language (hello, Acceptance), but want something entertaining, without being stupid or full of tropes. In fact, Hayter has become something of a comfort read over the years. I’m so pleased I could find a like-new book to add to my physical collection–it makes my monkey crazy when books go out of print and I can’t find them again.
Robin is doing her best to turn over a new leaf: there’s a corporate shakeup coming at her job, the 24-hour news station ANN; her hyper-critical Aunt Mo is in town for a religious meeting, hoping to connect; and her hopes for a happy love life left town with her post-divorce boyfriend, Eric. So she’s cultivating a Positive Mental Attitude through post-its and biting her lip. I remember the positive mental attitude exhortation: my high school friends and I dubbed it ‘PMA’ when we were told to stop being so cynical, and proceeded to use it in place of ‘PMS.’
“I was starting to get very annoyed, but I talked myself down, figuring Fenn hadn’t been out of Betty Ford that long and he was sure to be crabby.”
Unfortunately, trouble has a way of finding Robin.
“Curiosity, I remembered, always got me into trouble… Well, it wasn’t just curiosity. Vodka was also involved. But it was mostly curiosity.”
Her gynecologist’s office cancels her evening appointment, and only hours later, the doctor is found dead, shot and handcuffed to his office chair. This time she isn’t a suspect, but her Special Reports news boss, Jerry Spurdle, wants her and the team to investigate a possible connection to a local S&M club. Of course, it will mean going undercover.
“It’s just the nature of my life that I sleep better at night if I have a good alibi, since this wasn’t the first time I’d had an appointment with someone who later ended up dead. It’s like, my karma or something.”
Hayter was my introduction to my favorite type of character, a feminist, eccentric female investigator, operating in one of my favorite cities, NYC. The tone in this one is a little more series, a little more exhausted, fitting perhaps both Robin and Hayter herself. This one is a little more love-life centered than the last, but at least Robin is aware of the issues and balances it out with concerns about her professional opportunities and her friends. And its always bonus that Hayter and I share a deep affection for NYC. The asides on ‘guerrilla art’ are a clever touch, showing a familiarity with the city and a popular movement of the time. Published in 1996 and set at the news station CNN–excuse me, ANN–it can’t help but be somewhat topical in its references, but I didn’t find it overbearingly so–perhaps because I am of similar time period. But really, so much hasn’t changed at all–tabloid journalism, PTSD from covering wars, creepy fan mail, and producers who just want sensationalist stories.
“‘It makes you wonder what we’ll do for ratings,’ McGravy said. ‘How much is the media unconsciously manipulating events in order to get the best possible story?… To what depths will we lower ourselves to ensure our economic survival?'”
Hayter does a nice job with running jokes, alleviating some of the tension that comes with a murder and job anxiety. Robin’s eccentricities mean that she is vigilant about obscure medical issues–usually discovered through random news reports–and bizarre murder cases, and those stories often provide comic relief. I couldn’t help but laugh:
“‘Take this with you,’ he said, handing me a clipping.
‘You are full of treats today.’
‘It’s about a guy in England who can’t turn his television off because it makes his monkey crazy. The monkey goes ballistic and starts tearing people’s hair out.’
‘I know people like that.’
‘It makes my monkey crazy,’ I like that phrase,’ Louis said.
He yelled at an indolent PA who was leaning on a pod flirting with a writer. ‘Hey, don’t lean on the furniture,’ he said. ‘It makes my monkey crazy.'"
A recent re-release of the first book in e-edition, coupled with a cold, sent me on a Hayter re-read. It’s been a perfect way to divert myself when I don’t want something deeply introspective, full of metaphor and descriptive language (hello, Acceptance), but want something entertaining, without being stupid or full of tropes. In fact, Hayter has become something of a comfort read over the years. I’m so pleased I could find a like-new book to add to my physical collection–it makes my monkey crazy when books go out of print and I can’t find them again.
January 9, 2021
A friend gave me this book as a gift with the caveat "I'm not sure if it's your thing but it's a cool murder mystery". Well, that's about exactly how I want to describe it now I'm finished! Not completely my kind of book, but heck the mystery aspect was fun. I was roped in from start to finish and even tried to solve the case alongside the titular character, Robin.
Plus, it was a short read which I gobbled up in just a couple of days worth of reading before bed.
Plus, it was a short read which I gobbled up in just a couple of days worth of reading before bed.
June 16, 2020
The first half was smart and funny, full of newsroom stories, but weak on plot, a tendency of newspaper columnists who write novels. But I stuck with it, because, you know, smart and funny is still pretty good. The plot picked up in the second half, and gave the smart and funny some kick.
October 9, 2024
The second book in the series is very much a repeat of the first - Robin is the star of her own story and the mystery, while interesting, very much plays second place most of the time.
As I mentioned in my review of 'What's a Girl Gotta Do' this is a book about reporters, who they are, where they work, and where they socialise.
I was involved in the reporting life for several decades and I am always interested in books that visit it - if only to find out about the tall tales that working reporters tell each other once a couple of drinks have been imbibed. Anything goes, and the grosser the better.
Robin notes: "In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have told a story about necrophilia to a mortician, but how often does one get the chance to tell a necrophilia story with a happy ending?"
This time it is BDSM, a Christian aunt, possibility of being fired/demoted, attempts at dating, Robin's life-changing decision to see only the good in people and life, an 18 pound turtle called Henri, Chuck Turner, and shots fired at anyone Robin is close to.
Wim Young, a fellow resident with Robin, and who she slightly fantasises about, is just a diversion but, ultimately, quite a funny one.
I really, really liked the last two lines!
P.S. I enjoyed the first book so much that I did a bit of research on the series, I was surprised to find that it only extended to five books from 2004-2010 (it seemed to me that it could run forever because Robin is a character to savour). And, yet, I began to see the problem in 'Nice Girls Finish Last' - yes, you can pump them out until they stop selling, or you can continue writing about Robin until you come to a stop because you've run out of memories. I can see how Sparkle Hayter (maybe) eventually made a decision to close it down when, for her, the fun ended.
As I mentioned in my review of 'What's a Girl Gotta Do' this is a book about reporters, who they are, where they work, and where they socialise.
I was involved in the reporting life for several decades and I am always interested in books that visit it - if only to find out about the tall tales that working reporters tell each other once a couple of drinks have been imbibed. Anything goes, and the grosser the better.
Robin notes: "In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have told a story about necrophilia to a mortician, but how often does one get the chance to tell a necrophilia story with a happy ending?"
This time it is BDSM, a Christian aunt, possibility of being fired/demoted, attempts at dating, Robin's life-changing decision to see only the good in people and life, an 18 pound turtle called Henri, Chuck Turner, and shots fired at anyone Robin is close to.
Wim Young, a fellow resident with Robin, and who she slightly fantasises about, is just a diversion but, ultimately, quite a funny one.
I really, really liked the last two lines!
P.S. I enjoyed the first book so much that I did a bit of research on the series, I was surprised to find that it only extended to five books from 2004-2010 (it seemed to me that it could run forever because Robin is a character to savour). And, yet, I began to see the problem in 'Nice Girls Finish Last' - yes, you can pump them out until they stop selling, or you can continue writing about Robin until you come to a stop because you've run out of memories. I can see how Sparkle Hayter (maybe) eventually made a decision to close it down when, for her, the fun ended.
February 5, 2018
Breezy, bawdy, beach read.
The trials and tribulations a 30-year old reporter in New York City working for a 24-hour all news network in the 1990's.
Ms. Hudson starts out the 90's at 30 years old and through five books reaches the mellinium and 40.
Described as like Izzy Spellman. Ms. Hudson is not nearly the character that is Izzy, but fun and a few good quirky supporting characters depsite terrible cover art.
The trials and tribulations a 30-year old reporter in New York City working for a 24-hour all news network in the 1990's.
Ms. Hudson starts out the 90's at 30 years old and through five books reaches the mellinium and 40.
Described as like Izzy Spellman. Ms. Hudson is not nearly the character that is Izzy, but fun and a few good quirky supporting characters depsite terrible cover art.
May 5, 2017
Cute
The author does have a way with wry writing and a nicely twisted sense of humor. I enjoyed the book, the strange characters and the very weird plot. Some quite funny scenes. The book could use a bit more tight editing. Many repetitive words and ideas within a paragraph is unnecessary and irritating. I shall probably check out others of her works.
The author does have a way with wry writing and a nicely twisted sense of humor. I enjoyed the book, the strange characters and the very weird plot. Some quite funny scenes. The book could use a bit more tight editing. Many repetitive words and ideas within a paragraph is unnecessary and irritating. I shall probably check out others of her works.
August 7, 2022
Second in the series. Robin Hudson tries to be good, her gynecologist is murdered, and her feared aunts wants to visit. At least her cat is pulling in money in advertising. Armed with a new hot glue gun, she is pulled into S&M sex clubs looking for clues as the local dominatrix look for free advertising. Smartaleck comments ensue.
July 29, 2025
Robin is back in an effort to be more palatable to her TV network, and awful boss. Suddenly, the murder of her (almost) gyno puts her in the middle of new murder investigation.
The plot was less coherent than the first book, and the middle was not my favorite - those are the downsides, but this was fun, snarky, and featured an awesome aunt character.
The plot was less coherent than the first book, and the middle was not my favorite - those are the downsides, but this was fun, snarky, and featured an awesome aunt character.
February 11, 2023
This is the 2nd book in a series but it could also have been a stand alone. I had no problem following the story and characters. Aunt Mo turned out to be most excellent in the end. Already have the next book on hold.
June 11, 2017
Not as good as the first book in the series.
Too many intertwined characters not clearly delineated.
Good action, good plot.
Too many intertwined characters not clearly delineated.
Good action, good plot.
August 5, 2017
This was a fun book. Nothing deep or preachy. Just a little humor balanced with a bit of suspension. A great summer read.
June 8, 2019
Frothy but fun
July 16, 2019
I don't know if I was just tired, but this book did not make sense, didn't follow, such a surprise ending I didn't get it.
May 29, 2020
Kvinnor det sprakar om!
August 27, 2021
Quirky
December 31, 2023
funny, well written, flowing and very entertaining!
good charcaters too
good charcaters too
March 3, 2025
På svenska
September 2, 2025
The characters and story felt vapid, Robin doesn't seem to have any interests outside of the men in her life.
July 11, 2016
Only got half way through and quit (there are too many more books sitting on my shelf waiting for my attention). My main complaint is that the plot didn't appear to be going anywhere; the story line is mostly a vehicle to show off the trials and tribulations of the protagonist (all other characters seemed cardboard personalities). There are some witty lines and situations in the book and description of newsroom politics. But on the whole - I'll look elsewhere for my humorous mysteries.
June 16, 2010
Fun, but I didn't like it as much as her first book. I didn't enjoy the mystery in this book as much as the one in the first and Robin trying to behave at work and not make sarcastic comments wasn't as fun for me. That was one of my favourite things about the first. I still want to read the third in the series, though!
January 31, 2010
I'm looking for sharp, funny, female-oriented mysteries to send to my mother--this one was okay, but not amazing. The characters were good, but "hilarious" (as some reviews assessed it) seems an exaggeration.
October 17, 2013
Funny. Confusing at times because of all the characters named. Interesting to read a book that takes place before the prevalence of cell phones and when TV news and newspapers were much more relevant.
July 20, 2007
So much fun. Offensive and off-color but a laugh riot.
February 18, 2008
absolutely hilarious.
August 5, 2008
again, campy/stupid/perfect. I'm trying to forget her three books I've read so I can re-read them with virgin eyes.
July 3, 2009
Smart. Funny and Cute. A lite read with a little bit of brain in it.
January 16, 2013
This is the second title in the Robin Hudson Mystery series. Sparkle Hayter is funny; chapter endings have great cliff hangers. I'm recommending this to my sister and friends.
March 22, 2013
A lot of skimming, some backpedaling. But was worth it for the genuine BELLY laughs. Laughed 'till I cried. "it makes my monkey crazy" was a quote from it that make me chuckle. Silly saying!
August 16, 2016
Funny. Goods read.
Good enough that I want to read the other(s) in the series. But,this book was never funny enough that I did more than chuckle.
Good enough that I want to read the other(s) in the series. But,this book was never funny enough that I did more than chuckle.
November 11, 2016
BORING! I got halfway through and realized there is no story. It is just boring unfunny rambling about nothing. How did this book get published?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews