New Chick Lit/Fiscal Thriller for Review: ‘The Bloody Mary Club’ by Debbie Dyke

Debbie Dyke is touring October 1 through November 30, 2012 with her chick lit/fiscal thriller The Bloody Mary Club!

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Stock market meltdown. United States housing bubble. Global financial crisis. Chief executives cooking the books. Who can you trust for financial advice? Gina Van Story, a savvy 40ish investment advisor to the rescue. She can spot a trend on the market and jump on it like a cat. She dreams of grabbing the bull by the horns and is on the hunt for one final big score. Gina and her three best friends form the Bloody Mary Investment Club and come face-to-face with corruption in a David and Goliath struggle when their stock portfolio turns deadly…literally.

Over made-to-order Bloody Mary cocktails at historic Gadsby’s Tavern, Gina takes her friends under her wing and teaches them the ins and outs of the stock market. Trouble begins when, following Gina’s bullish advice, they become majority owners in the local bank and then stubbornly turn down a lucrative buyout offer. Not only will money and greed challenge their friendship, they will have to get smart fast and figure out how to turn the tables on the charmingly seductive, yet evil,  banker who wants control of their stock by any means necessary – including murder!

394 pages

You can visit Debbie online at www.debbiedyke.com.

Book Excerpt:

After an awkward lapse of time, Gina clicked her fingers at Vivi. “Why is an IPO not like you?”

“IPO. APO. GPO. UFO.” Vivi counted the cigarettes in her pack. “All gobbledygook to me.”

“IPO. Stands for initial public offering. It’s the first time the stock is offered to the public. New stock…get it?” Gina zeroed in on Vivi, now engaging Sarah in a puff -off . “You know I can’t do this alone. I need input from you. From both of you.”

Vivi made an elaborate gesture of tipping the cigarette ashes onto the floor. “Well, I tried. I wanted to buy Harley Davidson stock. Then I suggested Coors beer. You knocked me down.”

Gina sat back and crossed her arms tightly. “Vivi, maybe your bra’s too tight but you can’t buy a stock just because it sounds cool. How many times do I have to tell you? You have to look at the numbers, the earnings, the future…”

“Hey sweetie, you’ve done alright by us so far. When our account reached three zeros, I stopped reading those hum­diggety monthly statements. Here’s a tip for you: save your paper.” Vivi crushed her cigarette with her bondage boot heel. “This investment gag fest bores the moles right off my back. Why don’t we skip the numbers tonight and party till we puke?” She turned toward the busy bar, clicked her fi ngers singing, “Gina. Gina. Fo-fi na, fe-fi -fo-bina.”

“If you want to party…fine…party. I’ll just, errrrr, what’s the use?”

Knock it off. We should kiss the ground that Gina walks on for starting this club. Let’s show her some respect.” Sarah tapped the back of Vivi’s chair with her lighter. “Take the wax out of your ears. Apologize to our hard-working club chairwoman or I will pour every Bloody Mary drink I order tonight over your head.”

“Sooorrrrrrryyyyyyy,” Vivi flung her mass of bleached blond hair onto her back then added, “Gina. Gina. Fo-fi na.”

“Apology accepted.” Gina folded her hands on the table. “Investing is serious business and your comfortable retirement is my utmost priority.”

“Go girl go.” Vivi danced in her seat clicking her fingers. “Give us the ‘money is king’ talk.”

“I don’t do anything just for the money.”

“Money is king for you, but Elvis is my king.”

“You’ve all grown up thinking you can’t handle this stuff and if you’re a good girl, some big strong man will come along and take care of it for you. Wake up. It’s not going to happen. Without this club, you’ll be greeters at Wal-Mart when you’re seventy.” Gina plucked off a shrimp from her drink and jiggled it at Vivi. “Your legal secretary job isn’t secure.” Vivi picked imaginary lint off her slinky top. “What happens when your one-man-shop lawyer is thrown in jail for tax evasion? You’re pushing fifty, who’s going to hire a legal secretary who types on an electric typewriter and uses shorthand?”

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If you would like to review The Bloody Mary Club, please email Tracee Gleichner at tgleichner(at)gmail.com. Please mention which date would work for you. Debbie is also available for interviews and guest posts.


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