Slow Squeeze (Iris Thorne Mysteries Book 2)

“A superior piece of storytelling…” –Charles Champlin, Los Angeles Times Book Review

Slow Squeeze is the second in the critically acclaimed Iris Thorne mystery series by Los Angeles Times bestseller Dianne Emley, now available for the first time as an e-book. Includes bonus material: Chapter One of Fast Friends, the third Iris Thorne Mystery.

Iris Thorne survived the purge following McKinney Alitzer’s chain of scandals. The murders, money-laundering, and million-dollar embezzlement were front-page dirt—and rumor has it that Iris knows where the bucks are buried. Now she’s the firm’s highest-paid and most senior investment counselor. But happiness is a rare commodity in Iris’s private life—she and her LAPD lover are approaching a dead end.

Enter, on purple three-inch heels, the hottest prospect in town. Barbie Stringfellow’s a ripe, buxom, and very rich Atlanta widow ready to invest. She’s brash, tacky, and smart; like Iris, she’s a self-made woman. Despite the alarm bells ringing in her head, Iris heads for Sunset Boulevard and margaritas with Barbie and sexy office colleague Art Silva. As the evening heats up with tequila-fueled flirtations, the squeeze is on—but it’s anybody’s guess who’s zooming whom. Then Barbie’s found dead in bed, with evidence that implicates Iris. But there are things the cops don’t need to know, so Iris is taking this case solo. In a city that thrives on scandal, a murdered client takes its toll on even the most ironclad reputation…

“Iris Thorne is back again in Slow Squeeze, confronting a hyper-zaftig and florid Southern lady with oodles of money to invest. [Emley] has a raucous sense of humor, a satiric eye, and an assured way with construction.” –Charles Champlin, Los Angeles Times Book Review

“(Four stars) [Emley’s] approach to her material is strikingly unusual. The characters, including Iris Thorne herself, have a lifelike complexity, and the portrait of Los Angeles… is masterfully drawn… Slow Squeeze is a distinguished crime novel.” – Jon L. Breen, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine

“Brightly written and fleetly paced… Great fun.” –Kirkus Reviews

“[Emley] serves up an exhilarating cocktail of high finance and mayhem and in Iris Thorne has produced a character who can hold her own with Gekko and yet still retain her femininity.” –Northern Echo (Great Britain)

“Clever and sexy thriller.” –Manchester Evening News

“Gritty… Those who come to Slow Squeeze… are in for a surprise… [Emley] has captured the essence of modern-day business, and … the Los Angeles ambience as well.” –Deadly Pleasures

“First-rate prose and characterizations.” –Publishers Weekly

“Nimble plotting, right-on character development, and a surprise ending make this a great read.” –Dallas Morning News

“Iris [Thorne] is here to stay.” –Observer [London]

“As in her previous work, the author gives subplot space to sexual harassment, racism, and failed relationships. A… straightforward plot, told with verve.” –Library Journal

The Iris Thorne Mysteries
Cold Call
Slow Squeeze
Fast Friends
Foolproof
Pushover **

** Will be out as e-books and trade paperback editions in 2012

The Detective Nan Vining Thrillers
The First Cut
Cut to the Quick
The Deepest Cut
Love Kills