Following Polly
Karen Bergreen

St. Martin’s Giffin
August 2011 / ISBN 978-0312573584
Mystery
Amazon

Reviewed by Linda Morelli


After Alice Teakle loses her job working at a casting agency, she’s unsure what to do with her life – until she spots Polly Linley Dawson, a classmate from Harvard who is now a socialite married to a movie director. Having no immediate need to find another job, Alice fills her days following Polly around town, watching her meet with several men, until that fateful day when she follows Polly into an empty clothing emporium and finds the socialite covered in blood. Alice soon realizes she isn't the only one following Polly – and realizes that she’s being set up for the murder.

Alice escapes from the police station and avoids capture until she can find Charlie, the nickname she gave to a Harvard Law School student with whom she was once obsessed. Charlie’s real name is Walter Redwin, and he’s now an attorney who barely remembers Alice. When she explains her predicament, he agrees to help Alice. There’s one catch: Alice must assist him in clearing his father, who is being framed with a sex scandal. Together they try to discover who killed Polly and find proof of his father’s innocence. Then Alice’s ex-boss is killed … and Alice may be next.

Following Polly is a charming, funny romp that starts off slow, but the pace quickly picks up due to the unusual and often comic situations in which Alice finds herself. From the onset, I loved Alice, who has a way of managing to survive no matter what the circumstances. Being a romantic, I thoroughly enjoyed this comedic mystery, and loved that Alice and Charlie found some interesting discoveries of their own during their search for the truth. Both are loners who find love. But is Charlie the man for Alice? A funny, must read book!

Reviewed 2011