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DEAD FILE by Kelly Lange Warner Books, July 2003 320 pages $24.95 ISBN: 089296751X Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

We last saw glamorous TV reporter Maxi Poole looking a little the worse for wear after a run-in with the seedy side of the film industry. In her second outing, Dead File, she dives head-first into the world of vitamin supplements and miracle cures.

Maxi is sent to cover the story on the death of Gillian Rose, boss of a successful firm manufacturing designer health supplements. But she is bemused to notice that the dead women's striking blue eyes have suddenly become brown.

There's a suitably sleazy cast of suspects -- the philandering husband, his ice maiden personal assistant and a predatory businessman -- and Lange shows her hand early on when it comes to exposing whodunnit. But don't sit back expecting a whydunnit . . . there are some twists and turns awaiting you as you hurtle towards the finale.

Lange is settling into her stride and producing polished, energetic tales set in the frenetic world of TV journalism. And we spend more time with Maxi this time around, getting to know her considerably better. Love interest Richard Winningham is lurking in the background, in between postings to Afghanistan and the Middle East, but Lange mercifully resists the temptation to give Maxi a twee and tidy lovelife.

The book's main strength is its portrayal of the media world, as you might expect from one of America's best-known TV journalists. There are some sharp cameos amongst Maxi's colleagues -- the aging and fading presenter, the workaholic producer, the pushy intern and the bone-idle cameraman who wouldn't know a story if it jumped up and bit him on the nose. Sexist, loud-mouth managing editor Pete Capra is still there, but he's treated with affection and his inappropriate comments to the women journalists are used as a running gag. And there's a neat sub-plot concerning producer Wendy's planned fashion book for short women.

This is a slick, satisfying read -- not only for news junkies like me, but also for those of you who enjoy a touch of glamour and panache with your crime.

Reviewed by Sharon Wheeler, August 2003

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)

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