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Debutante Dropout #5

Too Pretty to Die

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They call them "pretty parties," and they're the latest rage among Dallas debutantes—get-togethers with light refreshments, heavy gossip, and Dr. Sonja Madhavi and her magic Botox needles. Former socialite Andy Kendricks normally wouldn't be caught dead at such an event, but she's attending as a favor to her friend Janet, a society reporter in search of a juicy story. And boy does she find one when aging beauty queen Miranda DuBois bursts into the room—drunk, disorderly, and packing a pistol.

Miranda's wrinkles have seen better days, and she blames it all on Dr. Madhavi. Luckily, Andy calms her down and gets her home to bed . . . where she's found dead the next morning. The police suspect suicide, but Andy knows that no former pageant girl would give up that easily. She's determined to find Miranda's killer herself, but she'll have to be careful. After all, Botox can make you look younger, but it can't bring you back from the grave.

322 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 29, 2008

28 people are currently reading
377 people want to read

About the author

Susan McBride

24 books497 followers
Susan McBride is the USA Today Bestselling author of Blue Blood and five more award-winning Debutante Dropout Mysteries from HarperCollins, including The Good Girl's Guide To Murder, The Lone Star Lonely Hearts Club, Night Of The Living Deb, Too Pretty To Die, and Say Yes to the Death. Susan has a second bestselling series with HC/Avon, the River Road Mysteries, that include To Helen Back, Mad as Helen, and Not a Chance in Helen. A fourth installment, Come Helen High Water, will be released in 2017.

Walk Into Silence, a thriller featuring Texas police detective Jo Larsen, was named a Kindle First pick for November 2016 and was the #1 paid Kindle bestseller in the US and UK (and #3 in Australia!). Walk a Crooked Line, the second Jo Larsen book, will be released in July 2018 by Thomas & Mercer.

Susan's young adult thriller, Very Bad Things, was released by Random House in 2014. In addition to her mysteries, she has penned three well-received women's fiction titles from HarperCollins: The Truth About Love & Lightning, Little Black Dress, and The Cougar Club. Foreign editions of Susan's books have been published in France, Turkey, Croatia, Lithuania, and Bulgaria.

Susan has one nonfiction title: In the Pink: How I Met the Perfect (Younger) Man, Survived Breast Cancer, and Found True Happiness After 40, which tells her tale of becoming an "accidental Cougar" and marrying a younger man, her cancer diagnosis at age 42, and finding herself pregnant at 47.

She has authored several YA non-mystery novels for Delacorte about debutantes in Houston: The Debs (2008) and Love, Lies, And Texas Dips (2009). Gloves Off, the third book, will be out sometime in the future.

In January of 2012, Susan was named one of St. Louis's "Most Dynamic People of the Year" by the Ladue News. In April of 2012, she was given the "Survivor of the Year" Award by the St. Louis affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. As Susan likes to say, "Life is never boring."

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
Profile Image for Margitte.
1,188 reviews668 followers
December 29, 2013
"Yes, positive,” I (Andrea Kendricks) said, because I’d seen with my own eyes the “Dear Miranda” letter telling her she’d been unadmitted. “Anna Dean bagged the letter telling Miranda she’d been booted. It’s as good as a suicide note as far as she’s concerned. She figures Miranda getting rejected was related to her death.”

It was a Dallas Pretty Party going awfully unpretty when Miranda DuBois, a former Miss USA runner-up, crashed it, accusing Dr. Sonja Madhavi of destroying her future and shooting a whole in the frame of the Picasso. The next moment Miranda was dead herself.

Private clubs for the moneyed set were numerous and mostly exclusive. One of those was the Caviar Club. " It’s all about the pretty people, you see. The beautiful ones . . .” Janet paused. “. . . at least on paper. Photo paper,” she clarified. “They pick and choose their members based on looks, or looks that they find appealing. They don’t want any average folks at their secret parties messing up the ambience."

It was the digs where power and money are the male equivalent of pretty faces and big breasts. “Oh, hon, it’s such a wonderful way to meet like-minded people who are successful in their fields and oh-so-philanthropic, always giving, giving, giving. ‘Our goal is bring together those of the same level of aesthetics so as to avoid intermingling with those of lesser aesthetics."

Whatever they chose to call themselves, Andrea Kendricks thought them to be 'eemer-driving snots who only want to mix with other Barbies and Kens.'

Andrea did not believe the suicide theory  of the police.  Her friends Janet, the newshound, did not think so either.

"Maybe if the whole world stopped worshipping shiny objects, the shiny people would cease parading around in butt-baring jeans and too-tight T-shirts, showing off bodies carved by scalpels and hair glued into place with more gel than the cranberry mold at Thanksgiving.

You don’t get it,” Janet said, sniffing. “It’s much more than a dating service for the plastic set. Waaay more. I’ve heard the rumors, Andy. I just have to find another way to prove the whispers are true.

Cissy Kendricks, Andrea's mother also suspected a Botox experience gone snakey, it did not matter that she was best friends with Anna Dean, the senior police investigator. She was getting the balls rolling with a private investigator, as fast as possible. “ It’s about a little girl who doesn’t have a voice anymore. She needs someone to see this through, to make sure she isn’t remembered by a lie.

Andrea was also taking the trail of the bulldogs, thin dangerous bulldogs, with their big hair, pancake plastered make-up, perfect manicures, right addresses and phallic symbols for cars. But finding the right track, would require of Janet to get herself an Angelina Jolie kisser in order to grab a headliner for her newspaper. And Andrea would have to sneak out and become her usual risky self.

Like everything else plastic the secret formula , known as the Way of the Park Cities Woman was: If it’s broke, fake it.

Who better to gain access to all the secrets than Andrea who was born into these circles.

Comments: I loved this fast-moving, evocative, satirical murder mystery of Dallas high society. It is book 5 in Susan McBride's Debutante Dropout Mystery series. I got so used to the characters in all five books, it felt like saying goodbye to some special new friends. Not that I belong in their social circle of course (in fact, you will have to pay me big bucks to make friends with them! Actually you will have to throw in a few life-threatening moments as well to get me even smiling at them! ).  But the sneak preview into their lives was a delight. I leave it behind with a smile, and a giggle here and there as well.

The series was a pleasant, relaxing experience. It is the perfect books to read between Christmas and New Years when the world is relaxing and the holiday spirit is at its peak. Every book had a totally new murder theme which involved the same characters flocking together on a new adventure with new people thrown into the new story. There were a few boring aspects though: the fake rich people themselves, and perhaps too much dialogue in some places, as well as Cissy Kendricks, the overbearing, snobbish, often annoying mother, who got to me, especially in the end. But overall I never had time to feel anything but 'angst-driven' for the stories to conclude. They were all riveting and worth all the hours I spent reading all five books in a row. I enjoyed the easy-going, down-to-earth, straightforward humor in the books. The endings of all the books were surprises!

The best thing is of course that each book has a free-standing well-planned ending. Believe me, if you have read one, you would want to read them all. They are that relaxing! I recommend this series to everyone who loves light-hearted, yet riveting tales of murder, greed, cheap poshyness, the nouveau-riche spectacles, and the how-to-not-show-wealth in society spotlighted this way. Of course, a sense of humor is essential. If you take life too seriously, you won't make it. But if you need a fun read with a mystery twist, this is it! For those who refuse to grow up, this will be a winner!

ARC received from edelweiss.abovethetreeline.com
MY REVIEWS FOR THE SERIES
#1 Blue Blood
#2 The Good Girl's Guide to Murder
#3 The Lone Star Lonely Hearts Club
#4 Night of the Living Deb
#5 Too Pretty to Die
Profile Image for Songül.
624 reviews3 followers
November 5, 2016
Veee bir seride böylelikle bitti , açıkçası yayın evini kutluyorum . Beş kitaptan oluşan bir seriyi hızlı bitirdikleri için ve çevirisini düzgün olarak karşımıza Çıkarttıkları için tebrik ediyorum. Seriyi genel anlamda değerlendirecek olursam çik-lit tarzı sosyetik bir polisiye kitabı ... konu olarak, her olayın içinde kendini bulan andy ve yakın çevresinin yaşadıkları olaylar silsilesi diyebiliriz. Genel olarak tavsiye edebilirim, fakat sahafta bulursanız alın diyebilirim. Kısmen ben öyle yaptım çünkü, arada esprili diyaloglarla örülü keyifli bir seri demek yanlış olmaz.
Profile Image for Mooncat.
364 reviews2 followers
October 21, 2018
It was just boring, boring and oh yeah, boring. Added to that not unrelevant fact, Andy, The supposedly so smart heroine, was acting stupidely and jeez, her never ending thought processes neither shone with the brighteness of her intelligence.
Shame, because I was looking forward to reading this one.
288 reviews2 followers
May 4, 2020
Not as enjoyable as others in this series. Andrea was less likable than usual, what with not standing up for herself & her boyfriend when her bossy mother or her aggressive friend Janet interfere & with being downright rude & unpleasant on inappropriate occasions. It was entertaining though with an involved & attention-getting plot.
1,450 reviews
December 8, 2018
Ridiculous story. Just when it looked like Andrea was maturing, we were subjected to more valley-girl expressions. A woman of her age and life experience should know better than to accept a drink from a shady person, and then wonder why she felt drugged.
Profile Image for Doris.
273 reviews2 followers
June 8, 2019
Had read this previously. Main protagonist doesn't seem to be growing or getting any smarter. This one left me uninterested and bored. Just a lot of unnecessary repetitive filler. Don't know if I'll continue this series.
325 reviews4 followers
January 10, 2021
I love the way Sasan McBride writes, so descriptive, however I do not like the main character "Andy" to not to use her brain when she agrees to help out her friend.
Profile Image for Stacy  Alesi.
271 reviews32 followers
Read
January 24, 2008
Tupperware parties are no longer. Now there are "pretty parties", where a bunch of Dallas socialites get together and get shot up with Botox or whatever the latest anti-aging wrinkle filler is, by Dr. Sonja Madhavi. Except the cream of the crop, Miranda DuBois, former beauty queen and current news bunny, has a problem with Dr. Sonja; her injections have left Miranda with an eye won't stop twitching and a droopy mouth, definitely not television-worthy. She shows up at the latest pretty party drunk, brandishing a gun and ends up taking a wild shot at Dr. Sonja. She misses, but gives the girls plenty to talk about and effectively breaks up the party. Our heroine, Andy Kendricks, was dragged to the party by her close friend, a society reporter for the local rag, who now really has a hot story. Andy ends up taking Miranda home, where she passes out on the couch. The next morning, Andy decides to check up on her and finds the neighborhood swarming with cops because Miranda is dead, apparently by suicide. Or is it? Do former beauty pageant queens off themselves? Andy doesn't think so, and the fun really begins. This latest entry into a terrific series is back on the murder track - it's light, fast, and a great way to while away a winter afternoon. 01/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch
Profile Image for Jennifer Vido.
Author 8 books209 followers
April 29, 2014
Dallas heiress Andrea “Andy” Kendricks never follows the rules. A debutante dropout, her carefree lifestyle is quite the opposite from her busy socialite mother’s. Nowadays, she designs websites while cuddling up alongside her handsome lawyer boyfriend, Brain Malone. When local society writer Janet Graham asks her to tag along on assignment to a “Pretty Party” featuring cosmetic dermatologist Dr. Sonja Madhavi, Andy halfheartedly agrees. While Botox and facial fillers are not her thing, the prospect of rubbing elbows with her former classmates sparks her interest.

As local newscaster Miranda DuBois crashes the party, all eyes are drawn to the gun-slinging beauty queen. The recipient of botched Botox injections by Dr. Sonja, her twitching eyelid and drooping mouth have ousted her from the airwaves. Threatening to seek revenge on the doctor of beauty, the intoxicated television star wields a gun. In an act of compassion, Andy whisks Miranda away as her friend Janet departs to report the tantalizing scoop. The next day, Miranda turns up dead in an apparent suicide with Andy being the last one to see her alive.

Too Pretty To Die is the fifth and final book in the highly popular Debutante Dropout Mystery series. A tongue-in-cheek look into Dallas society life, this mystery is a sassy read sprinkled with humor, intrigue, and romps of fun.
Profile Image for Michelle.
524 reviews193 followers
Read
September 20, 2008
Too Pretty To Die
Susan McBride
Mystery
322 pages
copyright: 2008
isbn: 978-0-06-084601-5

They call them "pretty parties," and they're the latest rage among Dallas debuntantes--get-togethers with light refreshments, heavy gossip, adn Dr. Sonja Madhavi and her magic Botox needles. Former socialite Andy Kendricks normally wouldn't be caught dead at such an event, but she's attending as a favor to her friend Janet, a society reporter in search of a juicy story. And boy does she find one when aging beauty queen Miranda DuBois bursts into the room--drunk, disorderly, and packing a pistol.

Miranda's wrinkles have seen better days, adn she blames it all on Dr. Madhavi. Luckily, Andy calms her down and gets her home to bed...where she's found dead the next morning. The police suspect sucide, but Andy knows that no former pagent girl would give up that easily. She's determined to find Miranda's killer herself, but she'll have to be careful. After all, Botox can make you look younger, but it can't bring you back from the grave.
Profile Image for Lori Whitwam.
Author 5 books158 followers
June 2, 2008
I was sort of disappointed in this book. Though it's been a while since I read book #4, it seems to me that I liked the series better up to now than I liked this book. It was a lot more simplistic than I remember the others being, and there wasn't any new character development to be found. McBride wastes too many paragraphs describing every thought, theory, reflection, flash-back and idea Andy has, and that gets tedious. The plot was OK... though not very compelling. Some of the "criminals" were obvious early on, though there was one development at the end that I hadn't seen coming... by then I'd sort of gone into "just finish this and get on with it" mode.

In fairness, I learned in the acknowledgments that McBride was being treated for breast cancer while writing this book, and I imagine that had some effect.

I'll still read book 6 when it comes out.
Profile Image for Jane.
3 reviews1 follower
July 10, 2008
I loved this book. Susan McBride is one of my favorite authors and this series is wonderful.

Andy (short for Andrea), trying to do a good deed, takes an old school friend home after she makes a fool of herself. She makes sure she is asleep, she closes her computer, locks the door and heads home.

The next morning she finds out that her old school chum was dead. The police say it looks like suicide but Andy is skeptical.

When Andy's mom gets involved things get interesting. What really happened?

I recommend this book if you love 'cozy' mysteries, if you are a Susan McBride fan or if you just want to read a good book.
Profile Image for Jenn.
1,647 reviews33 followers
April 24, 2008
Unfortuantely, I found this 5th book in the Debutante series to fall a little flat. Not that I can exactly put my finger on why. I felt that there was a lot of wasted time in the book, too much reminiscing or sitting still and thinking. I like my cozies to be full ofaction, or full of talking through through. Or maybe I'm completely off base as to why this wasn't one of my favourites. *shrugs*
265 reviews1 follower
December 29, 2008
I was disappointed in this book. Susan is one of my favorite participants in Birmingham's Murder in the Magic City annual event. She is cute and so-o-o funny. And I am very thankful that her cancer scare is over. However, I just don't enjoy her writing. I believe that her humor is simply funnier in person and not in print. I do want to try her newish books for young adults.
Profile Image for Carol.
466 reviews
Read
March 21, 2013
Susan McBride has a good sense of humour, which made this book enjoyable. It was also neat to hitch a ride into the weird and wonderful world of "pretty parties" and other odd biproducts of our at-times very superficial society. The acknowledgements were also touching. Good for McBride for writing this one while struggling with a major illness.
Profile Image for Terri.
1,354 reviews706 followers
April 26, 2009
What women will do in the name of beauty. Miranda DuBois seemed to have everything only in her quest to look younger, she was horribly disfigured setting a chain of events in motion that led to her own death. This is a book that is funny and sad both and an interesting mystery to boot.
Profile Image for Christi.
23 reviews5 followers
April 7, 2014
This story was very creepy while at the same time--intriguing and educational. The desire to look young and beautiful forever sometimes blurs the reality that one may be happier letting nature have its way. Susan McBride is a very good storyteller. I loved all the colorful characters.
Profile Image for Susan.
60 reviews
May 8, 2009
A cut above the usual fluffy mystery, this one has a fairly intricate plot that kept me turning pages long after I should have been doing something else
92 reviews33 followers
September 13, 2011
Was a fast, cute read. Liked the way it was written. Entertaining for a cozy mystery
Profile Image for Ann.
6,022 reviews83 followers
December 15, 2013
This is a cute little cozy series that is being re-released. Andy and friends are back solving murders, this one centered on Botox parties and sex clubs. Good story and likable characters.
250 reviews2 followers
April 19, 2014
I really enjoyed this book! It was entertaining, witty and moved along at a good pace. If you are looking for a good summer read, I would highly recommend it!
Profile Image for Rennie.
72 reviews1 follower
July 1, 2014
Loved the twists & turns to this murder mystery with a "light" feel.
Profile Image for Michelle.
11 reviews
July 27, 2014
This was an easy read, but wasn't overly predictable. A good "happy medium" between a light beach read and a more intense mystery. I'll.probably pick up another Susan McBride book soon.
Profile Image for Kim.
112 reviews2 followers
July 23, 2014
Can't believe I kept reading this after the first 25 pages..... But I guess it is a vacation book. Yeah. Won't be revisiting this series.
Profile Image for Linda.
2,324 reviews59 followers
February 1, 2016
I really enjoyed this book. I like Andy and how real she is even though everyone around her isn't. Good mystery.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews

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