Was it suicide or murder? It looks like it could be either one. Wolf Savage, one of New York's best known clothing designers, is the dead man. He is in the morgue awaiting an autopsy, and the medical examiner has not made public the cause of death.

In the meantime, Alex Cooper is back in the city self-medicating her PTSD with alcohol. She developed the syndrome from being kidnapped and held captive. Mike Chapman, Mercer Williams and the district attorneys with whom she works try to help her give up the alcohol. Alex and Mike have become lovers after years of working together.

"KILLER LOOK is a terrific whodunit and a perfect summer read. The writing style is breezy and accessible, full of clues and deeply buried red herrings."

Out of the blue, Alex gets a telephone call from Lily Savitsky, one of her former best friends. The two meet, and Lily tells Alex that Wolf is her father and she is sure he was murdered. A world-class mogul in the garment business, he was found with a plastic bag over his head with a tank of gas attached to it. The clothing business is cutthroat, and Alex quickly inserts herself into the investigation, of which Mike and Mercer are in charge. This infuriates Mike, who makes no secret of his feelings about Alex sticking her nose into the case, especially since the medical examiner is not yet finished with the body. When he died, Wolf was in the process of producing "his day in the sun, with both the Costume Institute exhibition and the Metropolitan [Museum of Art] fashion show." This was expected to be one of his crowning events.

Another body has appeared in the river. It is Wolf's daughter, Tanya Root, a daughter he never knew he had. As a serial sex addict, Wolf probably has many illegitimate children he knew nothing about. The corpse was identified with the serial number printed on the breast-enhancing inserts she had put into her body. Lily knows nothing about her half-sister, although she is not surprised to find out that Wolf fathered this woman and others. She feels secure about her inheritance since Wolf told her he has her in his will. "Alex is not anyone's first choice for help. But she is determined to uncover the grime --- and the possible homicide --- beneath the glitz."

While all of this is going on behind the scenes, Wolf's brother and son are trying to keep the shows on schedule and keeping an eye on each other so that one doesn't rob the other of what they believe they should inherit. But when the team tries to corner them for an interview, they are either not around or not willing to take the time to talk to the detectives.

On her way toan appointment, Alex detours to Harlem and a small hotel covered with crime scene tape. A reporter on the scene tells her "that thousands of dollars in flowers --- flown from Holland overnight --- are being delivered for display. Ironically, the fashion extravaganza...is now a tribute" to the designer. She learns that Tanya’s "home," a small hotel, is being searched by the police, and TV news is already on the story. Alex tries to get Mike on his cell phone, but he’s not taking her calls.

KILLER LOOK is a terrific whodunit and a perfect summer read. The writing style is breezy and accessible, full of clues and deeply buried red herrings. The fabric of the plot is knitted together seamlessly, making for more enjoyable reading.