The last time Chrissy did a favor for the Senator, she almost got killed. Miguel, appealing to Chrissy's feelings toward Jack, claims that he has been having a dream in which a young woman who has just died, Kathleen Baltimore, is laying on a cement slab next to his son, who is also dead.

Chrissy isn't sure she wants to get involved, but becomes intrigued asshe asks questions and researches the woman's death. When the Senator calls off the investigation, mentioning "deaths" plural to Chrissy and encloses a $10,000 check, Chrissy knows she can't stop, especially since all this has put a damper on her activities with Rivera (literally as the Senator barged in on the pair one night in the kitchen).

Soon she realizes that there are several more "accidental deaths" connected to the Senator, but can't figure out any pattern or similarities that might lead her to the murderer - unless she has already found him.

Funny, brash and bold, Chrissy is not one to be easily scared off and doesn't like to be told what to do, especially by a man, especially one with whom she has a tenuous relationship. Even though it seems odd to Chrissy that the Senator would choose her to look into the death, it makes sense to a man who wants to keep his connections to the murders kept quiet, citing a possible run for the presidency, and to a man who appreciates women on all levels, in spite of the accusations of his son.

Chrissy is very brassy, going places that could be considered trespassing and asking questions of people she doesn't know and who might be dangerous. She is very good at reading human behavior and has a logical mind, putting together a very clever puzzle to not only connect several seemingly accidental deaths, but figuring out the pattern and how the deaths are connected to the Senator.

Bringing her brother's friend D into her investigation may be bringing him into her life for a little more, but that may be just the thing Jack needs to come back into Chrissy's life. A brief flirtation (more like proposition) with a policeman from the first dead woman's hometown adds some more competition for Jack. Chrissy's friend Brainy Laney makes a brief cameo from filming her Amazon Queen series, but is never more than a phone call away when Chrissy needs her.

A fun, fast-paced read, One Hot Mess will keep readers entertained and guessing at the same time.

--Jennnifer Monahan Winberry

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