Author:
Writer, singer and actor Joanne Sydney Lessner draws on her own experiences pursuing a performing career in New York City for her acclaimed Isobel Spice Mysteries. With her husband, composer/conductor Joshua Rosenblum, she has co-authored several musicals, including the cult hit Fermat’s Last Tango and Einstein’s Dreams, based on the celebrated novel by Alan Lightman, opening Off Broadway in November 2019. Her play Critical Mass received its Off Broadway premiere in October 2010. Joanne is also a regular contributor to Opera News and a graduate of Yale University.

In the world of PR, there’s only one crime worse than killing a deal—killing a client. 

Aspiring actress and office temp Isobel Spice finds a warm welcome at Dove & Flight Public Relations, thanks to her old school friend Katrina Campbell. However, the atmosphere chills considerably when Isobel unwittingly serves an important client a deadly dose of poisoned coffee. Her stalwart temp agent, James Cooke, rushes to her aid, but balks when he learns that the victim was the fraternity brother who got him expelled from college. News that Dove & Flight is being acquired by an international conglomerate quickly supplants the murder as the hot topic of office gossip, but Isobel is convinced the two events are related. When all roads of inquiry lead back to Katrina, Isobel is forced to consider the possibility that her friend’s killer instincts go beyond public relations.

Bad Publicity

Would he ever be able to visit Isobel at her place of work without running into the goddamn cops?


James paced back and forth, while Isobel sat at her desk, nervously shuffling papers. 


"Will you sit down? You're making me nervous," she said.


"Stop messing with those papers. You're making me nervous!" 


Isobel gave a frustrated sigh and stood up. "Fine! Will you please just tell me whatever it was you wanted to tell me?"


She thought for a moment. "Liz is gone. We can use her office."


"If they can't find us, they're pretty crappy cops."


It was hard to argue with that, so he followed her a few paces down the hall into the vacant office. She shut the door behind them and put her hands on her hips.


He cracked his knuckles. "It's not really that much."


She eyed him. "But it was worth coming by to tell me in person? Or were you just looking for an excuse to buy me dinner?"


Chapter 28