Lady Killer

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Pub Date 01 Oct 2019 | Archive Date 15 Nov 2019

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Description

Mitch Lovett, a recently divorced father of two, wasn’t looking for anything serious—but when he fooled around with an old friend, Dee Wynn, serious was what he got. Dee has decided that Mitch will be hers and nothing is going to stand in her way. But Gail, another member of their college group (and now their babysitting co-op), has had her eye on Mitch as well—nevermind the fact that she’s married to a jealous, abusive husband who just happens to have received a new gun for his birthday. When Mitch and Gail consummate their long-standing attraction—recklessly following their heart’s desires—they set into motion a series of events with ultimately tragic consequences for all involved.

Set in Takoma Park (a close-knit liberal community that borders Washington, D.C.) among a group of college friends now raising families together, Lady Killer explores spousal abuse and the ways that both long-standing friendships and marriages can unravel when put to the test. Ultimately, both Mitch and Gail will have to decide who they really are and what they really want—both for themselves and their children.

Mitch Lovett, a recently divorced father of two, wasn’t looking for anything serious—but when he fooled around with an old friend, Dee Wynn, serious was what he got. Dee has decided that Mitch will...


Advance Praise

Lady Killer by Jeff Richards is a quick burst of a book, with action and insight on every page. In all the best ways, it reminded me of some of John Updike’s famous suburban romps. However, make no mistake, this is a thoroughly modern story.”

—Matthew Norman, author, Domestic Violets, We’re All Damaged


“Jeff Richards’ Lady Killer is fast-paced, assured storytelling that dramatically brings us into the intimate lives of couples, now at the edge of their forties, who have been friends since high school in Takoma Park, Maryland, a town at the edge of Washington, DC. Richards’ fluid sentences and evocatively-written dialogue reveal men and women contending with the pressure of marriage and parenthood, with jealousy, anger, and infidelity, and—not least—murder.”

—Merrill Leffler, author, Mark the Music, Take Hold


“It’s hard to put Lady Killer down. The characters are original yet all too familiar. We recognize friends and spouses, neighbors whom we like and don’t, and we shudder at their actions and frailties. Written with empathy, Lady Killer is exquisitely human, fragile, vicious at times, and kind at others. Jeff Richards’ latest work is a compulsively readable look into our own seamy behaviors and joyous willingness to engage in destructive yet irresistible behavior.”

—Thierry Sagnier, author, Thirst, L’Amérique

Lady Killer by Jeff Richards is a quick burst of a book, with action and insight on every page. In all the best ways, it reminded me of some of John Updike’s famous suburban romps. However, make no...


Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9781599487380
PRICE $15.00 (USD)

Average rating from 32 members


Featured Reviews

I received this book from #Netgalley for a honest review. This was a book that was different then what I read. But it caught my eye so I read and enjoyed this novel. It starts with a group of friends since college. Reading the book was like desperate house wife the ending blows you away didn't see it coming. I would recommend this book to others.

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Mitch Lovett is a cad. He loves women but hates himself, mostly because he can't keep it in his pants or truly commit to one woman, which is why he's divorced. In spite of his divorce, Mitch has stayed in touch with all of his old college friends, and, in true Mitch fashion, decides to sleep with not one but two of his ex-wife's old college friends. But not all women just walk away when they thwarted and Mitch fails to recognize the peril. Good, twisty tale of domestic mischief.

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Mitch is the quintessential lady's man after his divorce. He has remained friends with his group from college and the ladies all have their eyes on him. This book reminded me of Fatal Attraction, but for desperate housewives with an agenda and Mitch on their mind. I thought the story was well written and had good mixtures of mystery and deceit. This is the first I have read from this author and found this book to be decent. Thanks for the ARC, Net Galley.

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From the beginning of Lady Killer there is tension in the air. It feels as though something bad is going to happen and, eventually, it does. The characters have known each other for years. The relationships have often changed over time. Some have even become dangerous. Even so, the bonds remain. The characters are well drawn and the author vividly brings them to life. The story is fast paced and addresses some serious issues including spousal abuse and infidelity. The novel is well worth reading.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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I am going with 4 stars since there isn't a 3.5. It is a fast paced easy read. I was so caught up in it I was at 90% before I realized it was near the end! Difficult to describe this book. The characters are a group of 'yuppies' who have been friends from their teen years to middle age. Some single, some married, some divorced and all remain right up in the middle of each other's business. There are several very descriptive sex scenes with a little more detail than I care to read but found it interesting that the sex was described from the male viewpoint as well as the female. Many lies, deceit, anger, abuse, violence, adultry, and proof that all actions have consequences and that what goes around comes around, you reap what you sow, or do you call it karma! Overall a good read.
I received this book as a complimentary copy for an unbiased review. The opinions expressed are my own.

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As I sat down to write this review, I wondered why on earth I liked this book. Many of the characters border on unlikable, I detest adultery in fiction (and real life, too, of course), and I have almost nothing in common with any of the characters or their circumstances. Yet against those odds, I still liked the book. The only other book I've enjoyed despite these issues is The Great Gatsby. I haven't figured that one out, either.

The probable ending haunts the beginning chapters. It's easy to see what could happen. I wanted to reach into the story and shake some sense into the characters. Can't you see that you're making a mistake? You have kids! Why are you doing this?!

Sleeping with your best friend's ex-husband and calling to brag about it. Carrying a loaded gun around the house after you've been drinking too much. Flirting with a woman with an abusive husband. These are troubled characters. It's hard to feel sympathy for how they destroy their own lives. But it also makes them realistic, too.

Maybe I misspoke (mis-wrote?) earlier when I said I had nothing in common with the characters' life circumstances. Dee is rather full of herself, with an inflated sense of her own beauty and allure; who calls her best friend to brag about her sexual escapades with that woman's ex-husband?

Yet there were moments when I did identify with her. Her sense of self has become wrapped up in Mitch Lovett. (Cue memories of high school and college, when I was the same way!) When she realizes that Mitch cheated on her--though he is hardly hers--the truth tears her apart. She finds that she has nothing left. The life she thought she had? It was only an illusion.

I feel the same way about Gail. She's haunted by the past, abused in the present, and confused about the future. The tragedy in her past makes me sympathize with her and understand how she married Ed, an abusive man with whom she shares little in common. (Cue memories of college, when I did similar things, minus the abusive marriage.)

The story unfolds slower than the typical thriller, and the pacing and tone is more literary than the standard crime or suspense novel. So if you're looking for heart-stopping action and unexpected plot twists, look elsewhere.

Yet it's also an easier read than many literary novels are. Richards doesn't bog down the narrative with flowery descriptions or excessively-detailed introspective narratives. If you're looking for ultra-literary prose, then you'll need to look elsewhere.

The bottom line is this: it's a slow burn of a story, starting out slow and speeding up later. It takes a while to get into the rhythm of the story. But once I did, it was rewarding.

Thanks to Emily HagenBurger of MindBuck Media Book Publicity and Main Street Rag for a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

(Blog post review will be published on September 16, 2019.)

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Both the book title and description didn't really fill me with much enthusiasm for this book, however once I got a couple of chapters in I was intrigued to find out where it would all end, Mitch was a very likable main character although I did find myself more interested in Dee and cheering her on in her sneaky underhanded pursuit of Mitch.
I think this is the only book I've ever read that uses the word Pecker in sex scenes, strange and cringy and really doesnt work at all.
I read this book constantly wondering what would happen and how would it all end, sadly the sad action came and went in the blink of an eye with none of the characters seeming to really care, which I found disappointing. I disliked the character Gail from the start and by the end I still hadnt warmed to her at all and sadly I didnt care what she was doing, this opinion did sadly make the books end rather boring for me. I would recommend this book despite my personal feelings for individual characters the story is still well written and engaging.
#jeffrichardsladykiller #NetGalley #booklover

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This is the story of a man pursued by 2 women - one is trying to get out of an abusive marriage, and the other woman is single and determined to keep that man no matter what. It was a good read.

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Coupling and uncoupling. A lot of relationships in this book and a lot of busy gossip, tattletales etc.
You just know how it's gonna end...

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Mitch is a bit of a l"ladies man". Hes a recently divorced dad of two. But there's something about him that women find appealing. He has remained friends with a groupmfrom college. He starts a romance with two women, Gail and Dee. But then a jealous husband arrives on the scene. Gail's husband is abusive. This is a story about abuse, jealousy, sex and obsession.

Yes, I can see how love triangles start. After all, they happen all the time. I neither liked or disliked any of the characters. They seemed a little lack luster. The writing was not the best either. The word "pecker" (who still calls their manhood that?) was a bit overused. The story is very slow to start with but it does pick up a little. When the action happened it was over in a flash. This is a very quick read.

I would like to thank Netgalley, Main Street Rag and the author Jeff Richards for my ARC in exchange for an honest review

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I'm on the fence with this book. At times I felt that it read quickly, but the majority of the time it was slow paced. I kept waiting for something to happen. I found it to be interesting enough but it's not a book that will stick with me.

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I would probably go to 3-1/2 stars if I could. The book blurb drew me to this book. The story was interesting in that it followed a group of people who had been friends from college on through the first part of middle age. I found some of the characters to be likeable and some, not at all. The love triangle was pretty much as I expected. It contained a lot more domestic drama than I was prepared for. Not a bad book, but not a personal favorite. I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

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The Lady Killer is Mitch Lovett. He's a divorced father of two, good looking 42-something, fit, gainfully employed, and he likes the ladies ... and they like him back.

He's still on good terms with his ex-wife, and she's now married to Mitch's girlfriend's ex-fiancee. He's sleeping with Dee .. and she's only too happy to tell anyone and everyone. But Mitch isn't as elated as she seems to be.

He falls into an affair with Gail, who's been a friend for several years. Her husband, ED, is an abuser and has a temper that flares all too often and violently.

Needless to say Ed flies off the handle when he is sent an anonymous letter claiming his wife is having an affair with Mitch.

And then all hell breaks loose.

This is a character driven novel involving spousal abuse, lying,cheating., sex, obsesssion, drama, love and hate and relationships in general. Not all the characters are likeable ... they all seem to have one issue or another. It's like driving by an accident ... you don't want to look, but you can't help yourself.

The story premise was interesting, although not unique. It was mostly predictable with an ending that left me a bit disappointed.

NOTE: There are very graphic intimate moments.

Many thanks to the author / Main Street Rag / Netgalley for the digital copy of LADY KILLER. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

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A suburban nightmare where spouses are passed around between “friends” when they are done with them. This is a story that will hold your attention as you try to figure out what makes these people act the way they do. Mitch is getting over a divorce and finds himself in bed with one of his wife’s best friend. Following this incident things get crazy as the relationship goes nowhere. A fit of jealousy sends things spiraling and puts life in danger. In the end the damage is done and several people are left affected.

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