On the Avenue

April 30, 2007
This fun kick-off to Pagliarulo's (A Different Kind of Heat) Celebutantes series successfully mixes humor and suspense. Triplet New York City heiresses-Madison, Park and Lexington Hamilton-are at a gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art when they stumble upon the murdered body of controversial magazine editor, Zahara Bell. The sisters find themselves suspects, along with two of their beaus (one of whom is an actor with a dark secret, the other, the son of their family's rival). To clear their names, the Hamilton sisters must balance serious detective work with some clever PR maneuvering. Additionally, they must escape the killer, who is sending them threatening messages, and recover a diamond, stolen from Bell's neck. Proving that "together, they were a force not even a killer could stop," the triplets break into the editor's house, steal a taxi and, after discovering that Bell was about to publish a scandalous article about their family, deflect attention by launching Lex's fashion line. But they never lose their sense of style along the way (when the killer text messages the girls: "Go to the police and you die in fleece," designer Lex shrieks "This killer is a sick puppy!") The mystery takes a little while to unravel and it does so in familiar fashion, but there are enough twists and clever touches to keep readers engaged. Ages 14-up.

June 1, 2007
Gr 7 Up-The wealthy and beautiful 15-year-old Hamilton tripletsimpetuous Lexington, pragmatic Park, and mini-mogul Madisonhave it all and Manhattan is their playground. At a fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the sisters have a troublesome encounter with a zealous paparazzo that leads them to discover the dead body of a famous fashion magazine editor. When Lexington is implicated in the murder, the teens set out to solve the case themselves. Full of snobbery, cattiness, sexual encounters, and underage drinking, this book tries very hard to be like Cecily von Ziegesar's "Gossip Girl" series (Little, Brown) and Bennett Madison's "Lulu Dark" mysteries (Sleuth/Razorbill), but it has none of the wit and knowing sarcasm that make those books so entertaining. The mystery starts off well for these wannabe Nancy Drews but it is so drawn out that, by the end, readers will lose interest in whodunit and why. Because the story is written in alternating chapters about different characters, readers don't get to know the stereotypical sisters, their boyfriends, and their employees, but since they are all so unlikable and smug, no one is likely to care."Anne Rouyer, New York Public Library"

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 18, 2007
This fun kick-off to Pagliarulo's (A Different Kind of Heat) Celebutantes series successfully mixes humor and suspense. Triplet New York City heiresses-Madison, Park and Lexington Hamilton-are at a gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art when they stumble upon the murdered body of controversial magazine editor, Zahara Bell. The sisters find themselves suspects, along with two of their beaus (one of whom is an actor with a dark secret, the other, the son of their family's rival). To clear their names, the Hamilton sisters must balance serious detective work with some clever PR maneuvering. Additionally, they must escape the killer, who is sending them threatening messages, and recover a diamond, stolen from Bell's neck. Proving that "together, they were a force not even a killer could stop," the triplets break into the editor's house, steal a taxi and, after discovering that Bell was about to publish a scandalous article about their family, deflect attention by launching Lex's fashion line. But they never lose their sense of style along the way (when the killer text messages the girls: "Go to the police and you die in fleece," designer Lex shrieks "This killer is a sick puppy!") The mystery takes a little while to unravel and it does so in familiar fashion, but there are enough twists and clever touches to keep readers engaged. Ages 14-up.

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.