Fool Me Once - ISBNLookup.com

Publishers Weekly

Dog antics and a dead mother's strange legacy drive Michaels's latest (Hey, Good Looking), a repetitive story peopled with caricatures. Thirty-four-year-old Olivia Lowell was reared by her father, Dennis, who told her that her mother, Allison, died in childbirth. Content with her job as a dog photographer and a ho-hum relationship with an accountant, Olivia nearly comes unhinged when she learns that her mother recently passed away-and willed her a mail-order empire as well. But a letter from Allison, written 10 months before her death, reveals that she started her successful business with money stolen from a bank. Allison requests that Olivia return her share of the money, then find her partners-in-crime and make them do the same. With the help of the romantic interest, Jeff Bannerman, a lawyer who's handler to a pesky Yorkshire terrier named Cecil, Olivia sets about resentfully fulfilling her mom's last wishes. The book's final third deals largely with the threat of having Cecil taken away, a plot twist that feels like an afterthought, as does the truth that's revealed about the robbery and its aftermath. This novel may provide escapism for dog lovers, but pat lessons and slipshod plotting will disappoint others. (Aug. 29) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

In Fool Me Once, 34-year-old pet photographer Olivia Lowell is shattered when a lawyer appears on her doorstep, announcing the death of her mother, whom she thought had died in childbirth. Further adding to Olivia's confusion and shock is the news that her mother left her a multimillion-dollar mail-order business, a confession, and a request that she anonymously return money stolen more than 30 years earlier to its rightful owner. The listener shares Olivia's frustration as she struggles to comply with her mother's wishes and come to terms with her life being based on a lie. At some point, almost everyone dreams of seeking revenge, and in Sweet Revenge, architect Isabelle Flanders is no different. Several years earlier, a colleague and employee stole Isabelle's fianco and architecture firm, then framed Isabelle for a drunk-driving accident in which three people were killed. Isabelle has finally regained her architect's license and is rebuilding her life as a single professional, but she has not forgotten what Rosemary did to her. With the help of her friends and their informal club, The Sisterhood, Isabelle arranges to have Rosemary's life come apart at the seams. Both programs, read by Laural Merlington, are professionally produced, with consistent volume levels, accent-free speech, and no background noise or tape hiss. Merlington, an experienced actor, presents a well-timed delivery with a wide range of voices that work well with both audiobooks. Of most interest to public libraries and Michaels fans; purchase where needed.-Laurie Selwyn, formerly with Grayson Cty. Law Lib., Sherman, TX Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.