True Life Adventure by Julie Smith

I picked this book up at a used book sale because I had read other works by Julie Smith and enjoyed them. TLA took a while to get through and it's not a particularly long book. Paul McDonald is a former ace newspaper reporter who is currently writing reports for an unscrupulous PI, who drops dead while drinking coffee at Paul's house. Paul wonders if the case the PI had been working on is related to his death. He decides to delve into the case, trying to find the whereabouts of a wealthy scientist's beautiful ex-wife and his young daughter. Soon bodies are dropping like flies and Paul's own life is in danger. On the positive side, while investigating, he comes across a plucky female friend of the ex-wife's named Sardis and they start up a romantic relationship. Sardis is actually the most likeable and believable character in the book. Truthfully, I had a hard time accepting Paul as a man. He comes across more as a woman's version of what a man would say and do than a living, breathing man.

As a mystery, TLA wasn't a bad story, but I didn't love the book. I have read other books by Julie Smith that I liked better.