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Lucy Rothschild is a successful mystery writer just trying to do a little research for her new novel, /dead.com/. All in the name of journalistic integrity, she's working her way through the online dating scene, starting with coffee at Starbuck's, an innocuous and safe locale. The dates are torturous. To keep her cover, she must fabricate many details of her online profile. She quickly discovers she's not the only one fudging the truth -- the men are shorter, wider and less wealthy than they claim. And most are simply out for sex, not a relationship. Her dates have been a mixture of contempt and embarrassing situations, and Lucy gleefully murders the men's fictional counterparts off chapter after chapter. But when /hardluvnman/ enters her life, things change. /hardluvnman/ is tall, dark and handsome, setting all of Lucy's bells ringing. His real name is Quinn McIntyre, and he's actually a police detective looking to nail her for murder. Quinn is a reluctant participant in the scheme. He and another detective are undercover, trying to suss out a serial killer who they believe is a woman, finding her victims through online dating. Lucy has had dates with the victims, so she's high on their suspect list. Quinn poses as a widower to get close to their suspects. When he finds that Lucy's profile is fraudulent, she moves to the top of his list. In the name of research, Lucy must date the handsome, mysterious Quinn, an act she finds herself surprisingly game to do. Quinn has to date Lucy because she's a suspect. It's inevitable that their true feeling get in the way of both their plans. They always say you find love when you're not looking for it. Lucy and Quinn find it in spite of themselves. The background cast is fun and interesting -- Lucy's friends are all writers themselves with plenty of opinions about her unconventional research tools. Her fellow mystery writer and friend Maddy gives her a succinct warning about the dangers of meeting strangers for coffee. "Next thing you know, some guy is wearing your head for a hat." It's a combination of sharply written one-liners and a believable plot that give this book a level of depth that surprised me. SEX, LIES AND ONLINE DATING is my first foray into romantic suspense. I didn't know what to expect, and I was happily surprised by the story. It's described as a very modern romance, a "steamy romantic mystery". Hot sex aside, the story works well, the writing is solid and engaging, and I cared about Lucy's predicament. Quinn didn't seem so bad himself.
Reviewed by J. T. Ellison, March 2006
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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