Rating: 
Summary: Solving A Murder With Vintage Style
Review: If you like Jennifer Cruise or Janet Evanovich books, you'll love Nancy Martin's series. There is a cast of quirky people, a mini-mystery to solve, and lots of great banter. Nora Blackbird finds herself at thirty-one, having to work for the first time in her life. She and her two sisters grew up among the high society of Philadelphia. The Blackbird name is know for being around since the Civil War, for the "curse" of the Blackbird women, and always providing the rumor mills for ripe gossip. When Nora's parents left the U.S. for a sunnier locale (and for tax evasion), they split the remains of the family fortune among their three daughters. Libby, the eldest and mother earth type, received the family furniture. Nora, the middle daughter was left with the original family estate (and a two million dollar property tax bill, hence her need to find employment). Emma, the baby of the family, owns the families' multi-million dollar art collection. Nora asks a longtime family friend, Rory Pendergast, for a job at his newspaper. Rory has a special place for the Blackbird sister's and hires Nora to work under the cities most feared gossip columnist, Kitty Keough. Kitty is non too happy at Nora's new position. Since this position will not make much of a dent in the tax bill, Nora is forced to sell off some acres of ancestral land. She sells it Michael "The Mick" Abruzzuo, who reportedly is related to a New Jersey crime family. While on assignment at a party at Rory's house, Nora stumbles upon Rory's dead body. The lead homicide detective, Lt. Bloom, thrusts her into the investigation. He needs someone who understands the ways of the elite. Nora continues to investigate long after the police are finished with her help. Along the way, Michael becomes an ally. Nora is careful not to ask him questions that she doesn't want to know the answers to. As the investigation continues, Emma and Libby disappear. There is a cast of hysterical characters who come out of the woodwork to add to the flavor of the story. Nancy Martin gives us plenty of twists and turns to keep us guessing. Her storyline keeps you interested the entire way through.
Rating:
Summary: Can'r wait for the second in this series!
Review: It is always a great thing when you find a new mystery series to read and follow. The Blackbird Sisters move right onto my list! This book was entertaining, clever and I could hardly put it down. Let's hope Nancy Martin is true to her word and that this is just the first of a long series.
Rating:
Summary: A Hit!
Review: Martin's MILLIONAIRE is a well-thought-out, excellently crafted, entertaining read! Not only are the society girls, Nora and her sisters, a hoot, but the range of legitimate suspects makes it a toughie to figure out, holding your interest until the very end! Martin's knack for presenting engaging characters in interesting situations puts her up there with Strohmeyer and Evanovich in my book. I can't wait for her next release! Also recommended: BUBBLES IN TROUBLE by Sarah Strohmeyer; FULL HOUSE by Janet Evanovich
Rating: 
Summary: Beach Book
Review: Mix Stephanie Plum and Goldy Shulz, shake well. In the end, you have this new series. The protagonist is fairly sensible, the relatives wacky, and the scenery delightful. And, who doesn't want to read about a rich, debutante finding herself in debt and having to work for a living? Although the mystery was not perfect, the book is still a good, fun read. I look forward to reading the next in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Keep Reading....
Review: Nancy Martin has a great new series with this first book centering around Nora Blackbird and her sisters. Many parts of it are flippant and just plain funny. The characters are terrific! I do have to say that this is one of the very few books that took me about two chapters to get into that I turned out to really like. So, although it does have a somewhat slow start - it is really worth reading. The romance that is heating up between Nora Blackbird and Michael as well as the "fate of the Blackbird Widows" is intriguing. Nancy Martin's description of Nora's brother-in-law Ralph was just terrific especially in the finally pages. The description of Nora's sister, "Not the sharpest knife in the drawer" was hilarious. I have a feeling that Nancy Martin's Blackbird Sisters series is only going to get better.
Rating:
Summary: Keep Reading....
Review: Nancy Martin has a great new series with this first book centering around Nora Blackbird and her sisters. Many parts of it are flippant and just plain funny. The characters are terrific! I do have to say that this is one of the very few books that took me about two chapters to get into that I turned out to really like. So, although it does have a somewhat slow start - it is really worth reading. The romance that is heating up between Nora Blackbird and Michael as well as the "fate of the Blackbird Widows" is intriguing. Nancy Martin's description of Nora's brother-in-law Ralph was just terrific especially in the finally pages. The description of Nora's sister, "Not the sharpest knife in the drawer" was hilarious. I have a feeling that Nancy Martin's Blackbird Sisters series is only going to get better.
Rating:
Summary: Step One: Write A Wonderful Book
Review: Nancy Martin is an amazing stylish author with a flare for fashion. I truly apreciated her flow of clothes into the book. It just so impressed me how she wove that into the novel. The three Blackbird sisters I feel as though could be my sisters also. They are an amazing bond of women who I am happy to have glimpsed into their lives. The lavish life they live and they awesome adventures they encounter make this book a must-read.
Rating:
Summary: strong amateur sleuth
Review: Nora Blackbird is Philadelphia Mainline. However, she and her sisters are hardly rich since her parents squandered the family fortune and left town to avoid getting arrested for failing to pay taxes. Her older sister inherited the Blackbird art collection, while the younger sister got the Blackbird antique furniture. Poor Nora got the Bucks County farm and a tax bill of two million dollars. She sells five acres of the property to Michael Abruzzo who uses the land to expand Mick's Muscle Cars. If he wasn't such a sexy studmuffin, Nora would cry. She also uses her connection to newspaper owner Rory Pendergart to land a job as a society columnist at the Intelligencer. When she's invited to Rory's house for a party she comes across his murdered body and decides to do some snooping to see if she can ferret out the killer. Because of her society connections the police encourage her but Nora doesn't realize the danger she's placing herself in from a killer whom would murder again to keep his crimes secret. Nancy Martin gives her audience a scenic tour of the different Philadelphia neighborhoods that makes them appealing enough so that reader will want to visit them. The heroine is an adorable eccentric who is always on the verge of fainting when life gets too stressful though why she would turn to sleuthing with that problem seems questionable. The plethora of suspects will keep readers turning the pages until they find out who done it and why. HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE is a book that amateur sleuth readers will want to have as a series, especially if the star is the delightful heroine. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Smart, Sophisticated, Sexy New Mystery Series!
Review: Nora Blackbird's parents left the US for a sunny, tax evaders resort leaving Nora's sister Emma with the art collection and her other sister Libby with the furniture collection. All Nora gets is the property that has been in her family for generations - and a two million dollar tax bill. For the first time in her life, Nora, a former socialite, is forced to *gasp* work. Rory, an old friend of the family who owns a Philadelphia newspaper takes pity on her and hires her as a society page columnist. This is not quite as much fun as it could have been because Kitty, the reigning queen of the society column, believes that Nora is trying to take over her job and gives her all of the bad assignments - like the opening of the monster truck dealership on land that Nora was forced to sell. I mean, its bad enough that Nora sold land that had been in her family for generations, but she sold it to the son of a rumored New Jersey crime boss who sells trucks! To top off her day, Nora discovers the body of her employer and family friend at a party that evening. Nora quickly realizes that the police are out of their depth when it comes to dealing with high society and tries her best to help them out. However, she keeps getting distracted by her flaky sisters and their problems, a slimy art dealer, and the bone-melting come ons she can barely resist from Abruzzo, the suspected crime boss... First of all, in case the synopsis didn't tip you off, this book is not for the hard-core mystery lover. It is kind of a cross between a romance and a mystery novel and fits quite neatly into the "mystery cozy" genre. This is a fun, fast read for those who enjoy their mysteries filled with comments about clothes, food, romance, socialites, art and weird families. Nancy Martin has a nice, smooth writing style and the plot unfolds nicely. I also loved her characters. I mean, where else do you find a reclusive billionaire who collects erotic art, a brother-in-law who dresses up in full Confederate regalia for formal occasions, two flaky, funny sisters, a baby-faced detective who is a lot sharper than he seems, and hosts of other entertaining characters. Sound like fun? This book definitely is!
Rating:
Summary: Fun new series
Review: Nora Blackbird's world has been turned upside down. Her husband was killed during a drug deal and her socialite parents have fled to a tropical tax haven to escape creditors. Her sisters got the furniture and art collection and Nora got the family farm and the two million dollar tax bill. She manages to get a job as a social reporter for a family friend's newspaper, but the friend ends up murdered at a party. Nora's curiosity gets the better of her, especially when a folio of erotic art is given to her by her sister to return to the estate. Nora wants to know who killed Rory and why. She has the help of Mick Abruzzo whether she wants it or not. This is a promising new series. The three Blackbird sisters are very quirky from Emma's horse obsession to Nora's fainting spells. The plot is entertaining without being too far fetched and I look forward to the next installment of the series.
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