What the Lady Wants
If he's Cary Grant, where's his Girl Friday?
A book about an heiress with no money, a private eye who isn’t one, a murder victim who died of natural causes, and a dog named Bob.
1995 AOL Best Category Romance Novel
Literary Times Outstanding Contemporary for 1995
The Story
Mitch Peabody was learning pretty fast that the life of a private detective was nothing like the movies. He’d envisioned a world of tough-talking detectives and smart-mouthed, stunning dames. Instead he saw case after case of cheating husbands, suspicious wives and unsuspecting mistresses…until she walked through the door.
Right down to her stilettos, Mae Sullivan was a knockout with a lethal body—and a lethal family to go with it. There was something not quite on the up-and-up about her, but she came with a case he couldn’t afford to refuse…and left him with a case of lust he hadn’t had since high school. It didn’t take long for him to fall for her, hook, line and sinker. But was Mae interested only in catching the double-crossing crooks who murdered her uncle…or did the lady want to catch him?
Book Notes & Stuff
Original Title: Whatever MaeBelle Wants
Writing Note: This book was born when an editor and I discovered we both loved the Thin Man films, and I started wondering how Nick and Nora might have met. After that, I lost my grip on the original idea as usual, but it was a fun way to begin. I almost cut the pipeline scene, because it didn’t move the plot or develop character, but wiser heads prevailed.
Animal Note: Bob is really Bernie The Dumbest Dog On the Planet. Bernie is a beagle mix from the pound who smacks his head into cabinets and goes into such ecstasy when you pet him that his legs slide out from under him and he falls over. He also eats everything under the sun including dog biscuits, my neighbor’s chickens (not funny; they had names), and our couch.
Food Note: You can find the recipe for June’s Epicurean Chocolate Chip Cookies in our trivia section.
