Diva Las Vegas

Table of Contents

 

 

“A fast-paced, fun-reading novel. Soap opera fans will take pleasure in the behind-the-scenes look from the perspective of someone deeply embedded in the industry; those who don’t follow the daytime shows will still enjoy the entertaining characters and the delightful, if undemanding, murder-mystery plot. The engaging interplay between Alexis and Jakes is an added bonus. This is a winning series that makes for a perfect companion to the beach this summer.”

—Mysterious Reviews

“Talk about art imitating life. . . . [Davidson] brings her soap experiences into this chilling whodunit. Soap fans will know the author uses anecdotes from each show she performed on . . . an entertaining tale.”

—Genre Go Round Reviews

“An enjoyable, lighthearted murder mystery with a solid story and very likable characters. Go pick up your copy today and read, read, read!”

—The Long and the Short of It

“An enjoyable mystery with plenty of insider info that fans of daytime dramas will eat up.”

—The Mystery Reader

“[Davidson’s] experiences in the field have helped color her books and make them fun and realistic . . . [a] fun read from page one.”

—Armchair Interviews

“Eileen Davidson’s behind-the-scenes peeks into the world of daytime television are great fun, and
Dial Emmy for Murder
’s crimes, car chases, and mystery adventures are exciting without being gruesome. Even the romance is fun but safe for sensitive readers, which is just the way I like it.”

—Blue Ribbon Reviews

 

“A fun read. Eileen’s many years as a daytime television star add verisimilitude to her novel’s soap opera backdrop, as her heroine struggles to clear her name while finding romance in this fast-paced whodunit. A little guilty pleasure for soap opera fans and nonfans alike.”

—Kay Alden, former head writer of
The Young and the Restless
and associate head writer of
The Bold and the Beautiful

“Through the character of Alexis, we get a real inside perspective on the life of a soap opera veteran—not a clichéd diva, but a warm, complex, and thoughtful single mother with a great sense of humor about herself and the ‘glamorous’ world she works in. . . . Readers will be thrilled with the unexpected twists and turns of the plot. I know I was.”

—Peter Bergman (Jack Abbott on
The Young and the Restless
)

“Eileen Davidson’s debut mystery has star quality with an appealing protagonist and fascinating lore about the making of TV soaps.”

—
New York Times
bestselling author Carolyn Hart

“[A] funny and entertaining read that had me laughing out loud. Ms. Davidson draws on a world she knows very well and gives you a host of ‘who did it’ characters that keeps you guessing to the very end. I highly recommend this book and can see it as a movie.”

—Ronn Moss (Ridge Forrester on
The Bold and the Beautiful
)

“The author clearly knows her milieu and brings her characters and setting to life. There are a lot of natural suspects together with a good amount of misdirection, the result being a credible whodunit.”

—Mysterious Reviews

“Readers get treated to the inside scoop of what happens at a popular soap opera offscreen as Eileen Davidson uses her experience on
The Young and the Restless
and
The Bold and the Beautiful
to create the background to this exciting, heady, and enthralling mystery. . . . With great characters, a fun look at soaping, and an engaging whodunit, fans beyond the soaps will enjoy this fine amateur sleuth tale.”

—Genre Go Round Reviews

“Ms. Davidson is an actress, and clearly knows the inner workings of daytime dramas. She’s great at giving the reader an inside look at the real-life soap behind the soap. . . . You’ll find this to be a fast, frothy read. The author’s breezy writing style really makes the whole caper fun, without going over the top.”

—CA Reviews

“In this fast-paced and entertaining mystery that takes place on the set of a soap opera,
The Young and the Restless
star Davidson’s heroine has an engaging voice laced with humor and irony. . . . This glimpse into the daytime television world is interesting and informative, and one need not be a soap fan to enjoy the well-plotted, suspenseful story.”

—
Romantic Times

Also by Eileen Davidson

 

OBSIDIAN
Published by New American Library, a division of
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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

 

First published by Obsidian, an imprint of New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

 

First Printing, July 2010

Copyright © Eileen Davidson and Robert J. Randisi, 2010

All rights reserved

 

OBSIDIAN and logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

 

 

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

 

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

 

 

The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

eISBN : 978-1-101-18842-2

Thanks to Marthayn Pelegrimas for her invaluable work on this manuscript.

“Honey, that girl is butt naked!”

“No, she’s not.”

“Alex! She’s naked and so is the girl next to her. Look right there.” He pointed to an area below her waist.

I took a step closer, looking in the general direction his finger was pointing, and tried to be as discreet as possible.

“Ew!” I said, turning away. “You’re right! She is naked.” I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, so I looked again, just to make sure. At first glance, the girl appeared to be wearing a tuxedo, complete with black tie and tails. The girl next to her looked like a mermaid. Sparkles and scales everywhere. And I do mean everywhere. But it was paint. Meticulously applied and not a detail missed on either of them.

As I took another peek, I winced.

“How did they get the paint right there? Awkward.”

Talk about an assault to the senses. We had just stepped out of the limo and into the most flamboyant, intense party in the world—we were at the infamous Playboy Mansion. I hadn’t been there since I was in my early twenties.

The main house was a “traditional” Tudor-style mansion. But that night was the Annual Halloween Bash. Tombstones lay scattered across the sprawling lawn, and bodies squirmed to free themselves from their graves. There were cobwebs hanging from windows and doors. Giant ghouls and ghosts (people on stilts) walked the grounds, chasing half-naked women into the darkness. The party had started at eight p.m. It was ten thirty now, and it looked to be in full swing.

In front of the mansion, by the driveway, was a large haunted house Hugh Hefner set up every year. A line of about forty people waited to get in, and from what I had heard, it was well worth the wait. It had taken a week to put together, and everyone I had talked to said it was the most frightening haunted house they’d ever experienced. I was trying to take it all in when I heard my name.

“Hey, Alex! Nice outfit!” she said sarcastically.

“Hi, Shana. I know, I know. I ordered it online. Not exactly like the picture.”