cover image Death by Chick Lit

Death by Chick Lit

Lynn Harris, . . Berkley, $14 (242pp) ISBN 978-0-425-21524-1

Chick lit authors become a killer's target in this loving sendup of the popular genre from journalist Harris (Miss Media ). After Mimi McKee, author of Gay Best Friend , has her throat slit with a shard from a broken martini glass, Lola Somerville, a 32-year-old freelance writer living in Brooklyn, determines to unmask the murderer. The investigation could help land Lola a new book deal and boost flat sales of her debut novel, Pink Slip . Is the fiendish killer "Reading Guy," a 40-something dweeb who stalks chick lit author signings? Or could it be Mimi's boyfriend, Quentin, a crossword puzzle composer? Then there's Wilma, the militant leader of the Jane Austen Liberation Front, who has no love for authors of low-brow literature. When not sleuthing or scribbling, Lola gabs on her cellphone to best friend Annabelle and leans on her "geek-hottie" husband, Doug, for support. Readers will down this fizzy "murder-tini" in one gulp. (June)