Kate will combine exercise with her next story, a star-studded triathlon to be held at the camp over the weekend.  When she arrives there she realizes it is a serious place and almost doesn’t make it over the Beast (a climbing wall) during her placement trials.  Roommate Marnie Taylor doesn’t make it over the wall and will be assigned to remedial exercising until she is fit.  Marnie’s heart is not entirely in her stay at Body Blast. She is caught with Snickers (a major no-no), had an argument with her boyfriend, possibly ex, only the way to camp and has issues with one of the counselors, Darwin, who is a former football pro (Marnie’s dad was the team’s doctor). Waking up on the first morning, Marnie isn’t in bed, but is found next to the Beast with her neck broken. 

Investigators call it a tragic accident, but Kate isn’t so sure, especially when she learns that another young woman died on an outing from the camp six months ago.  Now the focus of Kate’s story has changed from exercise boot camps to murder and she is once again on the trail of a killer.

 A Killer Workout is a fun, fast-paced book, but the ending isn’t quite satisfying. The first woman’s murder is wrapped up satisfactorily, but Marnie’s is a little disappointing.  Kate is a great character, undaunted by her size, and while she would rather be a size 8 or 10, she’s not letting it stop her. Her relationship with Atlanta lawyer Lou takes a surprising turn, but demonstrates all the more Kate’s independence and self-confidence. 

Marnie dies so early on in the book it’s hard to muster up an enthusiasm for Kate’s investigation, but paired with the first death makes for an interesting plot.                                    

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry