Luisa Rivas's Reviews > Sleepless Beauty

A truly delightful and entertaining story about a woman who just gave birth to a baby girl and is embroiled in a murder investigation, all in order to help a very dear girlfriend. She involves her actor husband and family in the investigation and we get a fun and rolicky adventure in the world of CSI, New Mexico style.

Chloe Vanderholt, married to Hollywood star Jason Vanderholt, is about to have a baby, and is called to help him at his current set where he’s filming the pilot for a television series. There’s an archeology site next to the set and they are yelling at the actors because they found a footprint in their site and they’re blaming the program cast. Since she’s unemployed at the moment due to her second-hand fame, she jumps at the chance and ignores the fact that she’s feeling twinges at her belly. She settles the dispute and makes nice with the “angry arkies”.

Just after she had the baby, she learns that there’s a dead body found at the archeological site, and that the FBI and the Tribal Police are involved investigating the murder. She also learned that the boyfriend of her friend Lizzie, who also works in the TV pilot, might be involved in the murder as a person of interest.

Being Chloe, she can’t resist getting involved in all the forensic stuff related to the murder. After all, this used to be her job and she loved doing it. Also, since Jason is filming an investigative pilot about a murder, he’s very interested in following Chloe around while she does all her CSI stuff. And on top of that, they are toting baby Bethany around as extra baggage.

The whole shenanigan involves the archeologists (since the murder occurs at their site), the Tribal Police (since the site and the set are in tribal land), the FBI, and all of the friends and family, hers and Jason’s. It’s fun and it’s convoluted and totally entertaining, as we follow all the friends that Jason and Chloe have collected during their courtship and marriage.

I loved seeing Jason so in love with his baby girl and cooing at her, lecturing his baby on doing her job and cooperate with mommy at feeding time. I also liked that this series is about Chloe, not Jason, and that Jason is shown as a man who is a star and has charisma but has his insecurities. He’s happiest when Chloe is near; now with baby Bethany, he’s even happier. He believes that her career is as important, or more important than his. Chloe’s mother, who was such an airhead in the first book, is now a responsible woman, working as Lizzie’s assistant and substitute mom, and she’s brilliant helping Chloe with the baby. I loved reading this book and visiting with all these wonderful and familiar characters.