One of Us is Dead by Jeneva Rose
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
**3.5-stars rounded up**
Jenny is the owner of a posh salon in the upscale area of Buckhead in Atlanta. Her salon, Glow, caters to a set number of wealthy clients who come in for very regular treatments.
Because of this exclusivity and frequency of visits, Jenny has come to know her clients very, very well. Almost too well for her tastes. Along with her assistant, Jenny has become quite versed in navigating the ups-and-downs of her clients toxic relationships.
The most recent drama involves former Queen Bee, Shannon, whose politician husband, Bryce Madison, recently left her for a 20-something waitress he met while on a business trip to Texas.
The waitress, Crystal, has recently moved to town and become the new Mrs. Madison. Young and innocent, like Dorothy walking into Oz, Crystal has no idea what she is in for when it comes to Buckhead society.
For her part, Olivia is all too happy to sit back and watch Shannon’s demise. Truthfully, she’s been waiting for that star to fall for a while. As she sees it, now is her time.
Lastly, there’s Karen. The least aggressive socially of the bunch, Karen’s still hiding some big secrets of her own.
These women are used to a constant state of drama, with under-handed insults being slung back and forth, but how far are they willing to take it? Would someone actually kill to protect their position in the community? How about to keep their secrets secret?
Y’all, somebody is not going to make it out alive…
One of Us is Dead is like Fried Green Tomatoes met The Real Housewives of Atlanta, they fell in love and had a baby that was essentially an Adult version of Mean Girls.
You know based off that description that my evil a$$ is 100% here for it.
I had the pleasure of listening to the audiobook for this one, which does feature a full cast. It was really well done and I definitely recommend that format.
It was fun having a different narrator for each perspective. It felt like I was really getting to know these characters and they are twisted. Everyone was hiding something. Everyone knew things they shouldn’t. They were just all up in each others business. It was captivating.
The more I think on it, the more I am realizing just how much fun I had with it. It was really close to a full 4-stars for me. I think initially though, I was disappointed that the ending wrapped everything up so quickly.
I wanted more intrigue as far as the murdery bits were concerned. For most of the narrative I actually forgot that the whole point was that someone was ultimately going to end up dead. There was so little focus on that.
I would have appreciated more time invested in those aspects, but of course, that is completely a personal taste issue. I was just sort of hoping for a wee more mystery.
Overall, this is a super fun, fast-paced, dramatic and slightly ridiculous read.
Be forewarned, however, if you are not into girl-on-girl slander, back-stabbing and crime, this may not be for you. Just know going in these women are brutal. They aren’t holding any punches.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Blackstone Publishing, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I had a ton of fun with this one!