Hot Blooded by Lisa Jackson

So Hot Blooded was my first book read for the Lisa Jackson read-a-fest. I had high hopes for this book, but for some reason it almost felt like a chore to read. It did redeem itself towards the end, so I will give it a B.

Back cover:
A prostitute lies strangled in a seedy French Quarter hotel room. Miles away, in a rambling plantation house on the sultry shores of Lake Ponchartrain, popular late-night radio host Dr. Samantha Leeds receives a threatening crank call. All in a day's work for a celebrity. Who would link the two?
A second hooker's corpse turns up. Samantha's ominous caller persists, along with a mysterious female claiming to be a woman from her past- a woman who's been dead for years. With Detective Rick Bentz convinced that the serial killer prowling the shadowy streets of New Orleans is somebody close to Samantha, she doesn't dare trust anyone. Especially not Ty Wheeler, her seductive new neighbor who seems to know more about her than a stranger should.
Somebody has discovered Samantha's darkest secret. Somebody is convinced that lives must be sacrificed to pay for her sins. So far, the vitcims have been strangers. But as a cunning, cold-blooded killer grows bolder, Samantha wonders in dread if she will be the next to die...

I want to start off by saying that I think part of the reason this book took me awhile to read was because of me... I just wasn't in the mood for romance. Maybe it is because it always seems to have the same setup... man meets woman, one keeps something from the other, and then there is a big misunderstanding. Sometimes it just feels like I have been there and done that so many times that it grates on my nerves. With that being said, I have to admit that the mystery redeemed itself and there were several good suspects that could have been the bad guy, so that is always a plus. I love when the author can throw me some hoops. I also think another thing that bothered me was Samantha wasn't a very sympathetic main character. She seemed very whiny, and to tell you the truth, I don't think she treated the people around her very nicely. I am not sure I would want to call her up for advice.

Hot Blooded leaves off with a good hook for where Cold Blooded should pick up. I do have Cold Blooded on my shelves, but I think I am going to hang on to it for a bit. I went to the library yesterday and picked up quite a few books and also have another Lisa Jackson book I got from the library to read as well, though that one may go back unread. I want to jump in to something that will grab me right away, especially since I had such a good run in March with reading and Spring Break is coming up next week. I did get two Joy Fielding books and I always seem to have good luck with her, so maybe I will pick up one of hers, though I am not sure. Happy Reading everyone!