Shades of Red

by Doris Mortman

Vera Hart has it a cosmetics empire, international recognition, a devoted daughter, and a legion of fans. But her world suddenly comes crashing down. First, someone is sabotaging her company. Next, her enemies are moving in. And then someone begins to kill using the most insidious means possible--cosmetics that bear Vera's name.

Martie Phelps is estranged from Vera, her mother. A military doctor in the first Gulf war, Martie has scars and demons she holds close. As a single mother, all she wants is a quiet life with her daughter. Now, the glamorous, complicated Vera Hart is making overtures to Vera wants Martie back in her life.

Greta Hart wants her sister, Martie, to stay gone. Greta has always been the dutiful daughter who Vera has taken for granted. This current crisis is helping Vera pull Martie closer. And Greta doesn't like it.

All three women are searching for answers. Who wants to bring down Vera Hart? How intense can a rivalry between estranged sisters get? And when will the killer strike next?

Genres: Romance, Fiction

416 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 2005

About the author

I was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico—before it was chic. My family moved to the East when I was three. I grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey and went to Skidmore College when it was still an all girl's school.

Being a lifelong wordsmith led me to such jobs as writing copy at ad agencies and doing sales promotions at Mademoiselle magazine. My first book, Circles, was published in 1984 as a paperback original and stayed on The New York Times Bestseller List for three months. Since then, I've published First Born, Rightfully Mine, The Wild Rose, True Colors, The Lucky Ones, Out of Nowhere, Before and Again, Shades of Red, and recently The Nest, the first in a series: Country Club Crimes. With both the hard and soft cover publications, I've resided on Bestseller Lists many times and have nearly twenty million books in print worldwide, with translations in fourteen languages.

I've been married for thirty-one years to a classic Type A personality who works hard, plays hard, sleeps fast, thinks deeply, and believes that commuting is a form of vehicular combat. I have two grown children, a daughter-in-law and two gorgeous grand girls!

My hobbies include golf, bridge and raising funds for breast cancer research.

Reviews

[Anne Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically this book is summed up by the daughter of a once famous actress turned Martha Stewart wannabe grew up without being noticed, raised by governesses, now works for her mother (Vera), and wants the company. How does she think she’ll get it? By making death threats to herself, her mother and sister (Martie) who has reappeared in her life and is hired by Vera as the head of the skin care division. Greta partners herself up with an employee who was let go from the accounting division after the head of the department is fired for falsely doctoring the books. Tim Polatchek not only has a background in finance, he also has an interest in chemistry and could have easily gotten hold of poison to put in the Valentine Red lipstick. A Central Park jogger is dead from the lipstick being put all over her after being attacked. Martie Phelps daughter, Lili, is hospitalized for putting a lipstick sample on that her grandmother gave her. Even another POW with Martie, Delilah, is hospitalized when she is beat up by Tim.
With the mess Hart Line International is in, Vera hires Bryan Chalmers to be her attorney. Bryan happens to have served in the army with Martie and they were an item up until the war was over and Martie was freed from being a POW. Now that Martie is a widow and they are reunited, it seems too coincidental that Martie and Bryan were both hired one right after the other. There are occasional flashbacks of when Martie was a POW, an unfortunate mess, but at least it made the book a little better.
Throughout the book, everyone is guessing who would want to take Vera and her company down, and who would be sending threats. Finally things are winding down when Vera, Martie, Lili, and her nanny are brought to Vera’s Valhalla estate. Lili and her nanny are put into a sealed room and Vera and Martie are put in a bunker. Then Tim and Greta reveal that they’re the bad guys, Greta organized everything, telling Tim what to do, all to have control of the company. In the ensuing moments, Martie and Vera stall for time by talking about the situation and why Greta is doing this. Greta shoots Tim, and eventually Martie and Vera are able to take control. Miraculously, Lili and her nanny are found before Greta blows up the building they’re in. And Bryan, Hugh, and Martie’s former drill sergeant, now working at Hugh’s security agency, blow up the bunker door to get in. Tim is taken to the hospital, Greta is arrested, Hugh and Vera rekindle what they had long ago, and Bryan and Martie will have the future they should have started after the war.

[Patricia Bermudez · Rating 4 out of 5]

For people who like stories centered around successful women, this book is for you. A story of love and any more, you surely won't be able to put down this book once you begin to read it. 

[Pam]

08/07/08 rec via bookmooch

[Jpalasak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this book. Well written

[Ellyn Cassey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I made it halfway until I got bored. I never found out who the culprit was. xD

[Jackie Simons]

Read 3/05

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was a ok book but really couldn't follow it

[Ayo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as her earlier works but entertaining none the less

[MaxK]

not good