Red Hot Lies Audiobook By Laura Caldwell cover art

Red Hot Lies

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Red Hot Lies

By: Laura Caldwell
Narrated by: Nancy Liem
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"Usually I pride myself on my intuition. I listen to that voice that says, 'Something bad is happening...' or maybe 'Get out. Now.' But on that Tuesday at the end of October, my psyche must have been protecting the one remaining day I still believed life was orderly and the universe liked me. Because I didn't hear that voice. I never saw it coming."

They say bad things happen in threes. When her fiancé, Sam, disappears on the same day her mentor and biggest client is killed, hotshot Chicago attorney Izzy McNeil starts counting. But trouble keeps coming. Sam is implicated in the client's death, her apartment is broken into and it's not just the authorities who are following her.

Now, to find Sam and uncover her client's murderer, Izzy will have to push past limits she never imagined. Lucky for her she's always thrived under pressure, because her world is falling apart. Fast. And the trail of half-truths and lies is red-hot.

Listen now to author Laura Caldwell and narrator Nancy Liem discuss how the three Izzy McNeil mysteries - Red Hot Lies, Red Blooded Murder, and Red, White & Dead - came together in the Audible studios.©2009 Laura Caldwell (P)2009 Audible, Inc. Detective Fiction Mystery Romance Romantic Suspense Suspense Thriller & Suspense Women Sleuths Women's Fiction

Editorial reviews

In Red Hot Lies everybody's got a secret. But when the secrets start crashing into each other, the pillars of Izzy McNiell's world crumble faster than she can run around in her stilletos to prop them back up. Izzy, the redheaded bombshell lawyer in figure-hugging power suits, is having a very, very bad day. Her client and mentor, Forrester Picket, is dead. And Sam, her fiancé, is missing along with $30 million in Forrester's real estate bonds.

Capturing the nail-biting pace and smart, sexy energy of this first book in Laura Caldwell's sizzling summer trilogy, Nancy Liem's terrific narration of Red Hot Lies brings the resilient, upbeat, and gutsy Izzy McNiell to life. From the opening scene, Liem's charm and command of the character are complete she even sounds like a redhead. And she shifts effortlessly from character to character, between 20-something Izzy and a street smart, cynical PI; from a series of Panamanian real estate agents to a four-year-old diva with an attitude.

With the cops and FBI staking her out, Izzy has to find her fiancé fast. She turns to PI John Mayburn for help and barters her assistance on one of his cases in exchange for his expertise in tracking down Sam and the $30 million. Liem's pacing, especially in the scene where Izzy hacks a mobster's computer to download evidence, is so in tune with the action it will leave your heart pounding and your palms sweating.

Red Hot Lies is Lisa Scottoline meets Janet Evanovich, with a whole lot that's pure Laura Caldwell. And Liem captures Izzy McNiell's tenacity, her sexy exuberance, and her vulnerability with the sparkle of sunshine on the Chicago shoreline. There's no better way to spend summer downtime than listening to the perfect marriage of Laura Caldwell and Nancy Liem in this season's best mystery series: Red Hot Lies, Red Blooded Murder, and Red White & Dead. Nancy Carter
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Usually I don't care for characters for whom money is no object, especially when they are young and beautiful like Izzy and her clique. Wealth often drives the plot along too easily, too neatly, and the characters seem one-dimensional. But in Red Hot Lies, I got over my initial skepticism, and I "fell in love" with Izzy.

Audacious but earnest, naive but smart, Izzy is the kind of female character I can love to hate: she's young, beautiful, smart, rash, and loyal to a fault. Her credit card seems to know no bounds as she tries to solve the mystery of her fiance's disappearance as well as the death of an extremely important client.

Nancy Liem's narration was spot-on ... all her inflections brought to life the world of young, know-it-all upstarts. I think it's harder for female narrators to take on male characters, but Nancy did a fine job. She should get kudos for taking on such a range of characters: from drunk gay men to a bratty 10-year-old to Spanish real estate agents.

The novel is generally fast-paced (with one particular scene so nail-biting that I had to listen until the end even though it was way past my bedtime). I was kept guessing about the primary culprit until the end, although in looking back, I think Caldwell left plenty of clues. All the parts of the mysteries fell neatly into place, but the final scene was not pat. It was more realistic than I would have imagined, and I'm grateful for that.

The novel has a fair amount of romance, but not gratuitous sex, and it was still heavy on the mysteries, which is why I wanted to try it out. In the end, Caldwell definitely leaves you wanting to know what Izzy will do next.

A bit uneven, but fun!

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So surprised to see the negative reviews -- I loved it, and this isn't my normal choice for something to listen to. I thought the narrator did a great job -- I could picture Izzy - and especially Lucy. Several of the characters reminded me of people I knew -- but then, I spent 35 years practicing law, too, so I've had my own runins with crooks and connivers. She had those types down cold.

Two evening in a row I chose to listen to this book rather than read a paper one -- that doesn't happen often. If you like plenty of suspense -- the scenes when she's downloading from the computer -- plenty of surprises -- all of it -- I think you'll like this book. Don't believe all the negativity.

This book just shows, I think, how many really good authors are out there. It's not just the big names -- it's dozens of these lesser known people who are writing books that are at least as good, often better, than their more famous counterparts. I'm definitely looking for more in this series.

Huh! I loved it!

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I thought this was a good book and was surprised to see the negative reviews. Yes the book was long, but that is what I like. It kept me interested all the way to the end. I am getting the next one now.

Good Book

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This book won't keep you up at night, or make you hurry back to listen.
Good Narrator, very mediocre book. Very predictable.
I won't be buying the rest in the series. Don't waste your credits.

Not awful but not great

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This is an entertaining listen. I had to adjust to the narrator.

Entertaining

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I loved this mystery which wasn't gory (gives me nightmares) and peppered with some romance and family "stuff." All THREE of Laura's "Red Hot" books are wonderful. Nancy Liem's narration is one of the best...... love her voice and intonations. I wish there were more Laura Caldwell books on Audible.

A worthy read

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I liked it I can't wait to see what happens in the next book it was good

It was good

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I struggled to finish this book several times I wanted to just turn off because it just was slow and that made it hard to listen to it was just too long

Struggled

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I did get through the book but not a great good. The narrators voice is the only reason I got through the book. Not one I will read again for sure, nor will I try the other books in the series. One was enough.

not a great book

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This is bar none the most awful book I listened to the plot was so sappy, and the narrator is horrible. Glad I only paid 4.95... Don't waste your money.

Oh My!

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