Book Review – Swollen Identity by Rich Leder

 

Title – Swollen Identity (McCall and Company #1)

Author – Rich Leder

Genre – Mystery, Humor

My Rating – 5/5

GOODREADS BLURB

BEAUTIFUL BILLIONAIRE SOCIALITE. COLD-BLOODED CORPORATE ASSASSIN. MCCALL & COMPANY BACK IN BUSINESS.

Way-off Broadway actress and NYC PI Kate McCall had promised the police and the Assistant DA—her son—that she was all done investigating any damn thing in New York…

Meaning beautiful billionaire socialite Brooke Barrington says someone has stolen her identity, and the corporate assassin who murdered Kate’s father has shot the eyes out of the CEO of Superior Press…

Meaning McCall & Company is back in business…

Meaning Kate enlists the help of the eccentric tenants of her brownstone—the House of Emotional Tics—and her melodramatic acting troupe, the Schmidt and Parker Players…

Meaning things spiral hilariously and dangerously out of control…

Meaning she is confronted by Brooke’s demonic identical twin, Bailey, accosted by international counterfeiters, and arrested for impersonating a hooker…

Meaning will she stop Bailey from murdering Brooke? Or will she stop Brooke from murdering Bailey? Or will she figure out how to tell one from the other in time to survive the wrath of the Bulgarian mob men hired to protect the counterfeit cash? And will she finally find her father’s killer?

She might, but it’s going to be a fast, fun, and furious ride.

MY REVIEW

OH. MY. GOD. McCall and Company is back and they have done it again.

For those of you who missed it, I posted a review of the first book in the series titled Workman’s Complication a while back, which you can check out here. Normally I avoid reading the second book in a series whose first book I loved because they’re always a let down. Let’s just say I was totally and completely wrong.

Swollen Identity is smart, sassy, ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS and a must read. I enjoy reading mystery books quite a lot but I never expected the combination of mystery and humor to pan out so well. I love every character in the book and I’m so upset that one of my OTP’s in the book didn’t end up together!

One of the major things that made me like both books in the series, and which should act as a motivation for you to read them as well is the protagonist herself i.e. Kate McCall. She stands out in so many ways. I’m so tired of female protagonists that are either looking for the perfect guy/ the damsel in distress types, and Kate is the complete opposite. It is so refreshing to read about a female character that is smart, savvy and independent. Her relations with every character in the book are interesting and meaningful. I love how despite how much she loves her son, she still stands up for what she believes in even if it means going against his wishes. She is smart and sensitive and yet just childish enough to amuse the readers – an excellent example being her use of adjectives like Antagonistic, Vile and Tedious every time she mentions her son’s girlfriend Nina (which had me cracking up through the entire book).

And then there are simply the hilarious and adorable parts. There are very few books after all that can boast a Chinese martial arts expert and ex-assassin with a penchant for Italian music and baking decorative tea cakes.

I received an eBook of Swollen Identity by Rich Leder in exchange for an honest review.

And that’s all for today! Hope you have a great day! Until next time –