A Novel with Thoughts and Ponderings

TO LOVE AND DIE IN DALLAS

Author: Mary Elizabeth Goldman ISBN: 0765309343 7/2007 MYSTERY Publisher: TOR

Catch a Mate by Gena Showalter

Rich in both "rowdy" and big city sophistication, Dallas is a city of paradox. It's a city with attitude where men don't walk, they "stride," women with "big hair" speak with a distinct drawl because they want to. It's a city that has experienced, endured, thrived, and even capitalized on the reputation and scars of assassinations, protests, and murder.

To Love and Die in Dallas unfolds through the pages of  ill-gotten diary that recalls the teenage years of four best friends. It recalls a time of innocence when Dallas teenagers were bopping at sock-hops to the tunes of Buddy Holly and Jerry Lee Lewis, cruising around White Rock Lake, and hanging out at the drive-in on Garland Road. But time changes everything.

It is now the twenty-first century and those carefree teenagers are the power players in Dallas. The murder of one of the friends, Lindsay "Rose" Mitchell, the wife of US Senator James "Buddy" Mitchell turns Dallas high society upside down. Her funeral brings the three best friends back together again, where they vow to find out what really happened. But some stones are better left unturned. Each one of them has deep secrets and they soon realize that anyone of them could be a suspect.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS: Top Pick

TO LOVE AND DIE IN DALLAS was insightful and nothing short of amazing.

Goldman delivers a mystery in which the storyline is based around a diary. It is also a story of two best friends, Lindsey and Annie. The two have a close past, even going on dates with one another. However, as they grow older, Lindsey marries into a family with power, becoming a senator's wife. Then Lindsey is suddenly murdered with no clear motive.

However, Annie contacts an old childhood friend to track down the mysterious diary because it holds some information that could incriminate Annie. Again, I read this book in one read because I had to know if Annie killed her best friend, and if so, why? The ending does have a climax that is shocking, at best, and it stunned me.

TO LOVE AND DIE IN DALLAS is intriguing, engaging, and a different read for someone who is looking for something new. I loved it and cannot say more.

Kym Oetting

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