cover image What Goes Around

What Goes Around

Susan Diamond, . . Morrow, $24.95 (358pp) ISBN 978-0-06-113781-5

In Diamond's sparkling debut, five determined L.A. women—Polly, Kat, Dinah, Justine and Charlotte—set out to avenge the murder of their friend, Ginger, a society matron turned high-class call girl, whose body is found outside the Palatine Club's men's only country compound after a paid assignation turns deadly. Getting justice for Ginger means focusing on those responsible for the crime and coverup: L. Walker "Loose" Cannon, a state senator high on "family values"; Mitchell Reinhart, a high-profile lawyer known as "Mr. Divorce"; and Milo Till, a brilliant real estate developer and financial whiz. The avengers don't wear capes or use supernatural powers to deliver justice, relying instead on individual expertise in such fields as art, investing, law and medicine as well as good old chick chutzpah. Careful research, clever plotting and credible characters enhance this intelligent vengeance quest. (Jan.)