Ashley is a struggling actress, who is desperate to get a break. When she meets retired casting director Louisa Lake George, she thinks she finally got her big break. But then Louisa dies and leaves her all of her money.
This was such an intriguing set-up, I didn't know what to expect. I kept wondering what I would do if a stranger died and left me her millions. Louisa had kids, so why did she cut them out of her will? And what was so special about Ashley?
This mystery unspooled quickly, with lots of twists and turns. I can't say I liked any of the characters very much, but they were all so interesting, I couldn't stop reading. Louisa was a trickster, but turns out she's not the only one! And the ending was so shocking I had to read it twice.
I really like this author. You can tell she was a screenwriter because her dialogue is always so sharp and funny.
Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

𝘊𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤!

I love when a story surprises me and this one did in the best possible way. Once I started it was impossible to put down.
It was twisty, clever, wild, funny, emotional and original, a wild ride that you’ll going to love.

Thank you Suzy Approved Book Tours for this tour invite.

𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗕𝗼𝗱𝘆 by Susan Walter releases November 1, 2022.

https://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx/

OH MY GOODNESS, this was such a suspenseful and twisty book! I loved everything about this book, the plot, the short chapters, multiple POVs, and the great ending! When going into this book you will definitely not expect the ending. It’s such a fun and quick read!

Definitely read this book! It now available as an Amazon First Read for October 2022 so go grab it up! Thank you Susan Walter’s for the #gifted ARC!

Giving 4.5 stars but rounding up to 5 stars.
Will be posting this on Instagram (thriller_book_sisters) prior to pub date.

Shake & Stir Me Like Bond's Dirty Martini! 😳😯🤯😳🤯

Uhm... pardon Mademoiselle! Just.. just hold my dog... my iced coffee.. my book... oh fluff! Just hold ME! I've been wolly-whooped! I'm gobsmacked! Once again; Walter has hit another novel right out of the park, past Lady Liberty, The Eiffel Tower, & straight for the moon! The absolute delectable thrills, suspenseful uncovering of the plot and don't get me started on these fab characters! Freakin' brilliance!

Mყ 𝐒ყɴ𝐨ρѕιѕ: Ashley is a struggling actress in L.A. She's been at it for nearly several years. But her luck is about to change after a chance encounter with retired casting director, Louisa. Louisa is positive Ashley is perfect for a role she has in mind. And Ashley, well... she's about to enter the role of a lifetime. That is, certainly someone's life. Ashley's luck is definitely about to change... but will it be for the better?

I KNEW it was gonna be good, but I didn't realize how good until I got to that ending and Walter reduced me to gasps and jaw drops. This fab lady can do no wrong with her novels. This gem is worth the wait darlings, I assure you! I don't know if I need to stuff my face with cheesecake, take my dog on a walk, or a cold shower (perhaps all 3!), to deflate after this devious, crazy, suspenseful family drama with one twisted twist of an ending like 3 pretzels intwined. Gah! Sumptuous!

Thank you to NetGalley & Lake Union Publishing for this ARC.
Release Date: November 1, 2022

𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭: 5 / 5 Beach Waves! 🌊

Ashley Brooks is having a bad day. She had a humiliating audition, she worked a birthday party with a bunch of screaming kids, and now she lost her dog. She thinks the universe is trying to tell her she will never make it as an actress ... and then she meets Louisa Lake George, a legendary casting director who offers to make all her dreams come true. But the day after Louisa puts her on tape for a show she is certain will cast her, Louisa turns up dead. Weirder still, she left her estate and all her money to Ashley!
As intriguing as this premise is, it is just the tip of the iceberg in a novel jam-packed with so much intrigue it will blow your mind. What happened to Louisa? Why did she snub her kids in her will? Is Ashley going to keep the money? What does Louisa's (gorgeous heartthrob) nephew know that he's not telling?
The writing is crisp and and the plot moves at a lightning pace. I have never read a book like this, and I was ravenous to know what happens next.
There are so many twists I don't want to say more, except that the biggest twist was so explosive I literally gasped. Because no way! But of course! Walter's plotting is nothing less than masterful, this book is why I love thrillers, and I am now a die-hard, life-long fan of this author.
*****Five enthusiastic stars! *****
Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union for giving me advance access to this title in exchange for my honest review.

I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I don't like to give spoilers in my reviews. So, I've given as much info as I can while trying not to compromise the thrill of the chase.

I was immediately drawn into "Part 1" of the story wherein Ashley (an aspiring broke actress) loses her dog, Brando, in the yard of Louisa (a rich retired Hollywood casting director). Their meet cute sets up the bigger arc for the book's mystery and exciting plot. Both characters have interesting voices and if you go in blind, you will be left guessing where the story is going and even what type of book this is. As you move through the book, you'll be introduced to the entire ensemble. This book sets you up for a twist, but leaves you guessing right until the end.

I sat down to start the book and zipped through the entire section and the through the second section and so on and so on.

The way the story is woven is interesting and different, richly textured and layered. There are many perspectives but never too many at one time. You're getting several sides to a story, but usually just from two viewpoints. By the time you have all of the voices you know which character is which. So, you don't get lost like with some multiple perspective books--I give up on those ones.

Susan Walter Delivers Another Stunner

Mix a despicable antagonist you love to hate (almost as much as her family does) with a whiny protagonist who is a struggling actress who can’t catch a break, drop in one gorgeous and unsuspecting nephew, and then shake the hell out of it with a whack-a-doodle plot, and you’ve got “Over Her Dead Body,” written by Susan Walter. Oh, and don’t forget the plot twist to the plot twist that I never saw coming.

Ashley is out walking her dog (Brando) one evening and removes the leash …. and Brando charges off to the creepiest house in the neighborhood. In retrieving Brando, Ashley meets Louisa – a legendary casting director – and Louisa’s nephew, Nathan. Louisa had just cooked Nathan dinner and showed him where to find her Death Folder.

And then the fun begins.

"Was I vindictive? Maybe. But better vindictive than a sucker."

“Be careful what you wish for” is a great warning, and in “Over Her Dead Body” it’s the “lest it come true” half that shakes up the world of this novel.

“Over Her Dead Body” is a gripping, slyly ensnaring story that sets author, Susan Walter, as a bona fide twisty-mystery writer of the first order. A fantastic follow up novel to her first, you feel Walter easing into her strong voice with an even greater rhythm and flow. Added to that are unique and complex characters that make this story come alive.

Ashley Brooks is an actress who’s come to Hollywood in search of her big break. When she meets Louisa Lake George, one of Hollywood’s legendary casting directors, a star maker, she thinks, “This is it.” Louisa offers to set Ashley up with an audition for a role she’s “perfect” for. Hope quickly turns to dismay when the next day Louisa is dead. Then comes the reading of the will and a bewildered Ashley, asked to attend by Louisa’s lawyer, finds out Louisa’s left everything of her vast estate to her. But is this all too good to be true? It soon becomes obvious to Ashley that something more is going on here. There’s the doting and adored nephew, left completely out of the will, and Louisa’s fraught relationship with her adult children--all in turmoil as they resolve to find out what exactly has gone on here and who exactly is this stranger, Ashley Brooks?

What makes this a wickedly devouring dish of a book for the reader is nobody is who you think they are—heightened even more as the story unfolds from varying perspectives. The cast of character are perfection—and well, then there’s the character of Luisa Lake George…a mother the likes of which we have’t seen since “Mommy Dearest.”

Walter knows how to build a world, fill it with vivid imagery, and add an emotional depth that enables the reader to just fall in and be taken away. Her skill with story and characters, caught up in uncertainties, draws the reader into a hunger to find out “what next?!”

And here’s the difference between Walter and a lot of the top selling mystery/thriller genre writers out there: many have solid stories abound with surprises and clashes, but the actual crafting, the actual writing of a sentence is underwhelming. This is what rises Walter above the rest—she is a gifted writer, and everything is thoughtfully, creatively and beautifully written – every page, every paragraph, every sentence. There is a skill and it’s impressive. It’s as much and more as any reader could want!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Poisened Pen for the advance read.