I enjoyed this book as I got into it. I had to understand the social inner workings of the DC socialites. After reading a few chapters, I began to love the story. I kept guessing at who was killing these girls and was sure I had figured it out several times. But I was wrong every time. Reven was a great character. I loved the way she trusted every one as I often do. She was wrong too. A great mystery that keeps you guessing until the very end. ( )

Interesting mystery, set in Washington, D.C. Lots of power and betrayal and money, observed by an insider who still has to work for a living. It took me a few days to get into it, but then I couldn't put it down. Recommended. ( )

I thought this book was a total waste of time. So the first question of course, is why did I react that way? And next: why did I read it? A summary of the plot should provide you with an answer to the first question.

The protagonist is a 43-year-old divorced owner of an antiques shop who is named “Reven” or “never” spelled backwards (her parents "never" thought they would have her). She’s incredibly self-absorbed (although not as much as the other characters!) and not given to humility. This is how she describes herself in prep school:

"I was seductive, no question. But I was also very nice to everyone, which is why people like me. And to be honest, I was gorgeous – a Valkyrie among trolls.”

And her opinion of herself hasn’t diminished much over the years.

The book is set in Washington, D.C. and involves the glitterati of the city: the very rich and powerful, who, it seems, are also very shallow, superficial, obsessed with protocol and popularity. (Now there's a surprising plot twist!) In fact, there are only two appealing characters in the book, but both of these are “outsiders.”

As the story begins, Reven’s best friend Violet is thrilled to find that her obsession with serial killers is paying off by virtue of a new outbreak of murders in area parks. (Apparently it takes something out of the ordinary to interest the glitterati.) We learn about this fixation as we follow Reven and Violet around to concerts, dinners, parties, fashion fittings for the same, and other similar quotidian activities of movers and shakers (or at least their dates). Attempts to sidetrack the reader from identifying the real killer are clumsy and obvious, and the killer’s confession speech is laughable. The dialogue in general lacks sophistication for all the would-be high achievements of the characters.

In sum, the characters aren’t likeable; the plot is inconsequential; the dialogue is trite, and the mystery is no mystery at all.

So why did I read it?

I enjoy mysteries set in cities I love; I like recognizing the streets and restaurants and haunts and traffic patterns. I was born in the D.C. area and love that city. My family is still there, and I have many good memories there. You never know when a scene in a book set in D.C. will resonate with your own experience.

Compare any book by George Pelecanos, who stories also take place in D.C. He can be harsh and coarse, but his characters are realistic and his plots are complex. And best of all, in one of his books, a police car was staked out in the very shopping center where I buried my parakeet Tweety and my goldfish Goldy! (Okay, so I wasn’t very original when it came to names.) (And as you can well imagine, I was freaking out: ARE THEY PARKING ON TWEETY AND GOLDY?!!!!) Those moments of serendipity can make a book worth reading. But in this case, there were few redeeming qualities.

Evaluation: If you’re looking for an intelligent mystery in which people are not who they seem to be, skip this one and try No One You Know, by Michelle Richmond (see my review below). ( )

Jane Stanton Hitchcock's newest novel Mortal Friends is a seductive mystery set in Georgetown, where the real Washington DC power lies.

When the Beltway Basher's latest victim is found in a nearby park, best friends society matron Violet and antique shop owner Reven get involved in the crime. Violet is obsessed with true life crime stories, and Reven becomes entangled when a police detective asks her for help in solving the case.

Hitchcock expertly draws the reader into this story and the world of political high society in Washington DC. She gives enough clues for readers to think themselves very clever when they figure out a few of mysteries, then throws in some twists that will send the reader reeling with surprise.

Her descriptions of characters place them firmly in the mind of the reader. "Grant was Mr. Straight Arrow. No, actually he was more like a totem pole: tall, wooden, and joyless." You get Grant right away from that. She describes an obscenely wealthy woman as wearing jewelry "clearly designed to illuminate her bank account as much as her face".

Grant's statement about his overbearing mother, "Mother can't admit she's wrong, therefore she never is", explains a lot about Grant's relationship with her. But my favorite line is Reven's about her boarding school reunion: "Nobody looks great after forty. We just look better or worse than other people our age". That gives one pause to think.

The story moves along at a brisk pace, and Hitchcock spikes her novel with references to real events, like the Chandra Levy murder and the Washington DC sniper attacks, that add to its authenticity. Hitchcock clearly knows Washington DC society, and gives the reader the inside scoop on the intrigue of it.

Those who like mysteries that challenge the reader to pay close attention in an attempt to figure it out will appreciate this clever, seductive society story. ( )