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A Paige Turner Mystery #3
How to Marry a Murderer
Mystery novelist, crime magazine reporter, and detective's girlfriend, Paige Turner gets a chance to hone her keen skills of detection when a popular TV personality, after telling Paige that she believes someone is out to get her, falls to her death, headfirst onto the hood of her limousine. Original.
- GenresMysteryCozy Mystery
308 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 5, 2005
1 person is currently reading
135 people want to read
About the author
Amanda Matetsky
9 books35 followersFrom the author's website:
Amanda Matetsky was a magazine editor and a volunteer literacy tutor before becoming a fiction writer. Her first novel, The Perfect Body, was published by HarperCollins in 1997 and won the NJRW Golden Leaf Award for Best First Book.
Murderers Prefer Blondes, the first entry in Amanda’s popular Paige Turner mystery series, was published by Berkley Prime Crime in 2003 and was an IMBA bestseller. The second book in the series, Murder Is a Girl’s Best Friend (2004), also made the IMBA bestseller list. The third and fourth Paige Turner mysteries, How to Marry a Murderer (2005) and Murder on a Hot Tin Roof (2006), were released to rave reviews, as was the fifth and final novel in the series, Dial Me for Murder, which hit the bookstores in September 2008. Amanda is now working on a stand-alone novel, which she laughingly “categorizes” as a sexy romantic comedy mystery thriller. “I’m a confirmed genre writer,” she says, “but I can’t pick just one!”
Amanda was born in Georgia, and as a result of her father’s many professional promotions and relocations, lived in seven other states (Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, Kansas, Missouri, California, and New York) before reaching the age of sixteen. She graduated from Paul D. Schreiber High School in Port Washington, New York, and earned her BA degree in English at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio.
After college she moved to Taos, New Mexico, where she worked for the local newspaper, The Taos News, and developed a taste for salsa (the sauce and the music). One year later she returned to New York, took an apartment in Greenwich Village in Manhattan, and began her career as a magazine editor.
While working at a large fan magazine publishing company, Amanda fell head over heels for her boss, Harry Matetsky. They eventually married, bought a house in a Long Island suburb, and continued working together in the magazine industry for twelve more years. The work was lucrative but not very satisfying, so they left the industry to pursue more personal interests. Harry is now a collector of old movie posters, original comic strip art, and comic books, while Amanda is living her lifelong dream of writing fiction. They reside in central New Jersey, with their two cats, Homer and Phoebe, in a house full of laughter and love and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.
Amanda Matetsky was a magazine editor and a volunteer literacy tutor before becoming a fiction writer. Her first novel, The Perfect Body, was published by HarperCollins in 1997 and won the NJRW Golden Leaf Award for Best First Book.
Murderers Prefer Blondes, the first entry in Amanda’s popular Paige Turner mystery series, was published by Berkley Prime Crime in 2003 and was an IMBA bestseller. The second book in the series, Murder Is a Girl’s Best Friend (2004), also made the IMBA bestseller list. The third and fourth Paige Turner mysteries, How to Marry a Murderer (2005) and Murder on a Hot Tin Roof (2006), were released to rave reviews, as was the fifth and final novel in the series, Dial Me for Murder, which hit the bookstores in September 2008. Amanda is now working on a stand-alone novel, which she laughingly “categorizes” as a sexy romantic comedy mystery thriller. “I’m a confirmed genre writer,” she says, “but I can’t pick just one!”
Amanda was born in Georgia, and as a result of her father’s many professional promotions and relocations, lived in seven other states (Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, Kansas, Missouri, California, and New York) before reaching the age of sixteen. She graduated from Paul D. Schreiber High School in Port Washington, New York, and earned her BA degree in English at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio.
After college she moved to Taos, New Mexico, where she worked for the local newspaper, The Taos News, and developed a taste for salsa (the sauce and the music). One year later she returned to New York, took an apartment in Greenwich Village in Manhattan, and began her career as a magazine editor.
While working at a large fan magazine publishing company, Amanda fell head over heels for her boss, Harry Matetsky. They eventually married, bought a house in a Long Island suburb, and continued working together in the magazine industry for twelve more years. The work was lucrative but not very satisfying, so they left the industry to pursue more personal interests. Harry is now a collector of old movie posters, original comic strip art, and comic books, while Amanda is living her lifelong dream of writing fiction. They reside in central New Jersey, with their two cats, Homer and Phoebe, in a house full of laughter and love and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 2, 2018
Paige Turner is a refreshing 1950's heroine. Loved her right away. This is the only one I've read in the series so far, but I would like to read the others.
January 20, 2010
Paige Turner would love to write more stories for the crime magazine she works for, "Daring Detective", but she's usually relegated to clipping stories from newspapers and filing. She has had some success in solving mysteries in the past, which is why TV star Ginger Allen hires her. Ginger is convinced that someone is trying to kill her - she claims she was pushed in front of a bus; that someone poisoned her drink; and that someone rigged a piece of scenery to fall on her. Paige discovers that there are plenty of people that would have liked to kill Ginger including Ginger's long suffering husband, Leo Marx; her sister Claire, who may be tired of living in Ginger's shadow; Claire's husband Rusty who knows Ginger better than most people realize; Tex and Toni Taylor who long for a TV show of their own; and director Thelonius Kidd. Even Paige has a moment or two when she'd like to kill the unlikable Ginger. When Ginger falls from the balcony of her penthouse and dies, Paige is left to solve the murder since the police think it was an accident.
"How to Marry a Murderer" is a delightful mystery. It's set in the 1950's and author Amanda Matetsky does a good job of capturing that time period, especially in describing the clothes worn in that period, and making it come to life on the page. I loved the little glimpses into the behind the scenes world of 1950's TV. Paige Turner (you have to love that name!) is a well written character, wanting to be taken seriously as a writer, yet caught in the restrictions of that time period. Ginger Allen is also well written, a bit arrogant and not very likable. Ginger's driver, Woodrow, stands out among the supporting characters, all of whom are well developed and written. Although this is not the first book in the series, Matetsky has a nice prologue that summarizes who Paige is and what she does so first time readers of the series will be able to read this book with no problem. The book is written as if Paige was writing a dime store novel, which is a nice touch, as are the bits of humor scattered throughout the book. The mystery is well written and well plotted, with some neat twists in the book. There are plenty of suspects to keep readers guessing whodunit and the final scene where Paige finds out who the killer is is filled with suspense and will have readers eagerly turning the pages to see what happens next.
"How to Marry a Murderer" is nicely done.
"How to Marry a Murderer" is a delightful mystery. It's set in the 1950's and author Amanda Matetsky does a good job of capturing that time period, especially in describing the clothes worn in that period, and making it come to life on the page. I loved the little glimpses into the behind the scenes world of 1950's TV. Paige Turner (you have to love that name!) is a well written character, wanting to be taken seriously as a writer, yet caught in the restrictions of that time period. Ginger Allen is also well written, a bit arrogant and not very likable. Ginger's driver, Woodrow, stands out among the supporting characters, all of whom are well developed and written. Although this is not the first book in the series, Matetsky has a nice prologue that summarizes who Paige is and what she does so first time readers of the series will be able to read this book with no problem. The book is written as if Paige was writing a dime store novel, which is a nice touch, as are the bits of humor scattered throughout the book. The mystery is well written and well plotted, with some neat twists in the book. There are plenty of suspects to keep readers guessing whodunit and the final scene where Paige finds out who the killer is is filled with suspense and will have readers eagerly turning the pages to see what happens next.
"How to Marry a Murderer" is nicely done.
July 29, 2008
This time around Paige gets involved before the murder takes place. When a starlet thinks her life is being threatened she calls on Paige to help solve it before she dies but alas the starlet dies before Paige can and then Dan and Paige have to solve it together. Of course, Paige life is in peril again but she always manages to avoid being bumped off.
May 27, 2017
I adore this series! I just wish there were more than just 5 books.
And I adore Paige Turner! She may be a woman in the 1950's, and she may have to basically bow her head to every man who likes to walk all over her, but she has spunk, she's funny, she has balls, and she's a feminist, probably without even realizing it!
When places were bought into the story, I found myself curious that I had to google map. For example, Chumley's at the corners of Bedford and Barrow, and then read up on them.
I figured out "who done it?", so that was a nice bonus.
The only thing I could complain about is Paige's best friend, Abby's love of saying, a lot, "you dig?" agh!
So what if everything wrapped up nicely at the end, it's supposed to in this type of story.
I'm looking forward to reading the next one.
And I adore Paige Turner! She may be a woman in the 1950's, and she may have to basically bow her head to every man who likes to walk all over her, but she has spunk, she's funny, she has balls, and she's a feminist, probably without even realizing it!
When places were bought into the story, I found myself curious that I had to google map. For example, Chumley's at the corners of Bedford and Barrow, and then read up on them.
I figured out "who done it?", so that was a nice bonus.
The only thing I could complain about is Paige's best friend, Abby's love of saying, a lot, "you dig?" agh!
So what if everything wrapped up nicely at the end, it's supposed to in this type of story.
I'm looking forward to reading the next one.
May 2, 2020
Meh ...
February 14, 2022
Another great book in her series, enjoyed the read as always
March 29, 2007
Mystery novelist and crime reporter Paige Turner is investigating the murder of a television star whose killer is looking to improve his ratings with further deaths.
Set in the 50's. It may be a good book, and I have read great reviews on it, but it's definitely not for me.
Set in the 50's. It may be a good book, and I have read great reviews on it, but it's definitely not for me.
March 15, 2007
This is an okay murder mystery. It's set in the 1950's and focuses on the murder of a famous Lucille-Ball type early TV star. The ending was too predictable for my taste.
December 31, 2012
Decent, but distracting use of parantheses that I didn't see a reason for using.
July 16, 2009
Quick read for an airplane; not particularly well written - a bit too "cute" with the 50s details
May 11, 2009
I still love this series.
October 26, 2013
Not as good as the others, in my opinion.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews