Lori Avocato, Nip, Tuck, Dead

Nip, Tuck, Dead

Lori Avocato

Avon, December 2006, $6.99, 304 pp.

ISBN 0060837047

Wanting a career change, former nurse Pauline Sokol now works as an insurance fraud investigator for the Scarpello and Tonelli Insurance Company. Her latest job is to investigate Highcliff Manor, a plastic surgery and spa clinic in Newport, Rhode Island. They have suddenly submitted a big increase in health claims, and the companies client thinks fraud is involved. Pauline goes undercover as a private nurse (talk about typecasting) caring for her friend Goldie, who is really getting a nose job at the manor.

When they arrive at Highcliff, Pauline gets right to work snooping into employee Ian's computer, asking questions and looking in desks for evidence. Her nemesis Jagger, is staying at the same inn where she took a room, and he drives her crazy with his sexy come-ons and unwanted advice. When she finds Ian's body, she is certain his death is linked to the fraud, even though the police think he committed suicide. Between taking care of Goldie who is not the easiest patient she ever dealt with, and going home for a weekend to say hello to her mother who has a broken arm, Pauline starts investigating in earnest and almost ends up becoming murdered by a killer who hid in plain sight.

Readers who like the Stephanie Plum series will want to read the Pauline Sokol tales. The heroine is similar to Plum, who is in a job that she isn't really qualified for, while Jaguar is similar to Joe Morelli who watches out for the damsel in distress who never thinks she is in danger. Of course there are many differences between the two humorous crime caper series because Lori Avocato has her own distinct style and humor, with characters who feel like the reader's next door neighbors.