Private Investigator Kathleen Stone is a 25-year-old retired undercover cop with a talent for disguises. Investigating philanderers seems like safe work after living undercover with drug dealers, until one cheating husband ends up dead in an upscale bar.
Unfortunately, Stone is the most likely suspect, but former police academy partner turned detective Ellis Dekker would rather work with her than arrest her. After her apartment and her office are broken into and vandalized, she is asked to unofficially join the investigation.
There is some chemistry between Stone and Dekker, as well as between Stone and her former undercover lover. Her closest friends, a drag queen and a gifted wig maker, help with her disguises and add some humor to the mayhem.
Stone is an interesting, engaging character with a disturbing background that adds another layer to this debut novel. Wright is a little darker and not quite as over the top as Janet Evanovich, but aficionados of humorous mysteries like the Stephanie Plum series or the Lucky O’Toole series by Deborah Coonts will want to add this to their reading list.
Copyright ©2014 Booklist, a division of the American Library Association.
6/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
THE RED CHAMELEON by Erica Wright. Pegasus (June 15, 2014). ISBN 978-1605985688. 320p.




