When curvy P.I. Savannah Reid signs on to guard the newly svelte body of a star on the comeback trail, she finds herself rubbing elbows with the rich, famous--and deadly. Getting the skinny on the killer soon has Savannah starring in a real-life murder mystery that gives "location shoot" a whole new meaning...

There's nothing like a makeover story to get people hooked, and America is certainly addicted to the weight-loss saga of once celebrated actress Dona Papalardo. Savannah's no exception although she can't imagine wanting to shed her own hourglass figure by undergoing gastric bypass surgery like Dona did. After Dona's personal assistant is shot dead in the star's mile-long driveway, Savannah becomes her bodyguard. The victim was wearing one of Dona's fur coats, indicating that Dona was the target. And when Dona's hunky gardener takes a bullet between the eyes, Savannah and Detective Sergeant Dirk Coulter know they must act quickly to find the killer.

Knocking around Dona's palatial estate gives Savannah plenty of opportunity to hobnob with A-list celebrities and compile a list of suspects that proves some people can never be too rich, too thin, or too vindictive. There's the resentful best friend whose dream of shared singing stardom crumbled when Dona made it big as an actress instead; the loyal boyfriend who loved Dona through thick and thin but now lacks luster next to the hotties beating a path to her door; and the most potentially dangerous jiltee of all: Dona's litigious former agent.

But just when Savannah's sure she's had her fill of the macabre, the shooter strikes again, and this time Savannah is nearly caught in the crossfire. Now, as the case turns ever more personal, Savannah's determined to find the truth. After all, it's pretty hard to enjoy fifteen minutes of fame--or a double chocolate brownie--from six feet under...

• modern mysteries