Charlie Plato fans will be delighted with this fifth book in the series. New fans of Ms. Chittenden will read "Dying To See You" and rush to buy the previous four Charlie Plato books.

Before I review this book, some disclosures are in order. I've met Margaret Chittenden ("Meg" to her many friends) at many mystery conferences and I consider her a good friend. In fact, I'm able to write this review because Meg was kind enough to send me an advanced copy of "Dying to See You." Having said that, I should also say that I've been a fan of the Charlie Plato series since the first book, and I enjoyed this latest book in the series immensely.

I enjoy this series on two levels. As a fan, I like the gang at Chaps, the country-western tavern located in an upscale community near San Francisco where the mysteries are set. They're a good lot, with problems, a past and individual personalities that make them come alive with a vibrancy that makes them seem like old friends. The narrator of the series, orange-haired Charlie Plato, is a woman with an attitude. You have to admire her spunky nature, although I'm frankly puzzled why she continues to resist heart-throb Zack Hunter (former TV star and, in this book, erstwhile male model). As Charlie admits, her "hormones" run riot when she's around Zack.

As a fellow writer, I also admire this series because it's so well put together. Meg has written over 34 books (some selling as many as 780,000 copies!), and she knows how to write. She's extremely skillful at handling a large cast of characters, making each character distinctive without resorting to outlandish quirks. Meg teaches writing and her abilities show through in this series.

In this particular book, the action starts with Charlie making a frantic call to Zack because of something going on at Chaps. Zack rushes down to the tavern, but his reaction to what's happening is unexpected (or, if you're familiar with Zack's character, maybe it's totally expected).

Because of this opening incident, Charlie is reluctant to rent Chaps out to private parties, but the partners of Chaps are convinced to let a High School reunion occur at the tavern. Big mistake. Charlie's penchant for finding bodies and getting into trouble are once again exhibited, and a corpse is found in an unusual -- and unusually embarrassing -- location (I predict this will become known as the "body in the potty" book). Events of the past cause a death in the present, and Charlie and Zack are left to unravel both the who and the why of this crime.

If you enjoy mysteries with a light touch and a deft hand, you'll enjoy this book and the rest of Charlie Plato series.

Savanna persuades her former high school classmates to hold their reunion at Chaps. On the night of the party, Charlie and cohorts meet revered teacher Reina Diaz, who many students feel saved their lives. During a break, Charlie goes to the ladies room where she finds a dead Reina, whose neck has been broken. Charlie begins to investigate the murder. Her actions place the four partners and their establishment at risk from a killer who prefers to remain anonymous.

The Charlie Plato mysteries are progressing at a nice rate, especially the growing attraction between Charlie and a celibate Zack. DYING TO SEE YOU is a great mystery as well as an insightful relationship drama that will widen marvelous Margaret Chittenden,s fan base to the latter sub-genre. The who-done-it is cleverly constructed and difficult to solve because the villain acts like one of the heroes. Readers will die from impatience waiting for the next tale of featuring this fearsome foursome.

Harriet Klausner

Desperate, Thane hires Charlie Plato, co-owner of CHAPS, to investigate who murdered his abusive wife. Zach Hunter, a former TV star, returns from Hollywood after a four month absence. He joins Charlie on her inquiries.

The amateur sleuths soon learn that Estrella, a Filipino, had been seen in town with her former boyfriend, but no one can identify him, except that he wears dark baggy pants and aviator glasses, has dark hair, and is called the "Empty Man". Charlie continues to investigate the case even after her client is murdered. She is unaware that as she gets closer to identifying the Empty Man, she places her own life in danger from a murderer who plans to remain hidden.

DEAD BEAT AND DEADLY, the latest installment in the highly popular Plato series by popular romance writer Margaret Chittendon is all any connoseur of fine work can ask for. An ingenuous and crypytic mystery, witty dialog and the explosive potential for a romance between the two leading protagonists explains why this is one of the most sensual and exciting mystery series on the market today. The hero is reminiscent of Pierce Bronson when he played Remington Steele and Charlie is his conscience and though he doesn't know it yet, his heart. DEAD BEAT AND DEADLY has cross genre appeal fans of both the mystery and romance genres. This is another winner by one of the genre's most talentedwriters.

Harriet Klausner

Still, overall, I liked it. I doubt I'll put this series very high on my list of reading priorities, though.

Charlie Plato owns a sixth share of Chaps, a country and western bar that specializes in in-line dancing. Former TV superstar Zach Hunter owns most of the remainder of shares of the establishment. Burned by a nasty divorce, Charlie works extra hard to check her raging hormones, which erupt whenever she comes in close proximity to Zach. The duo spends an inordinate amount of time together whenever they become involved in a homicide investigation.

Their latest case involves another co-owner, Angel Cervantes, who asks for their help. The corpse of Angel's father was recently found in a storage locker. The victim killed Angel's mother before deserting his family. Angel and his brother had tracked their father to San Francisco, planning to bring him to justice. Now they fear they are the prime suspects and want their names cleared. Charlie and Zach begin making inquiries.

DON'T FORGET TO DIE is Meg Chittendon at her very best as she adds a whole lot of extra sexual tension between the two lead protagonists that the audience can really feel. As usual, the mystery is well executed and the audience will be fascinated by the personal life of one of the most enigmatic secondary characters to grace fiction. Upon reading this novel, impatience for the next installment is the order of the day.

Harriet Klausner