DEATH, TAXES, AND GREEN TEA ICE CREAM – Diane Kelly
A Tara Holloway Novel
St. Martin's
ISBN: 978-1-250-02508-7
October 2013
Mystery

Dallas, Texas – Present Day

Things are not looking good for Tara Holloway…she's unemployed, nearly broke, and facing both criminal and civil charges. She loved her job as an IRS special agent and thought her actions in firing four bullets into the leg of a criminal she was apprehending was justifiable, even if he was unarmed and laying on the ground. Her friends and former fellow employees are supportive, but the prosecuting attorney is charging her with excessive force, and the lowlife criminal she shot is suing her for ten million dollars. But her friends and boyfriend, Nick Pratt, provide her with moral support while Tara deals with her legal problems and job woes. In fact, through the help of her former supervisor, Lu, Tara ends up in the IRS auditing department. Not as exciting as chasing criminals with a gun in her purse, or so Tara thinks.

One of the cases she's investigating involves a rival from Tara's college days who now helps run the family candy business. Is there more than candy being cooked? Meanwhile, Nick lets Tara come along for the ride as he investigates a cell phone selling scam. Tara has a good head on her shoulders, as well as being an even better shot with her glock, so having her ride shotgun (so to speak) is handy. As the weeks go on, the criminal trial looms, and Tara's notoriety increases with the media attention—can she avoid getting her picture plastered on the front page of the newspaper along with untruths? Will she be found innocent and have a chance at getting her old job back as special agent?

Readers who have followed Tara throughout the series know how much she loves her job, and that losing it after she didn't follow proper procedures was a blow to her. She didn't think things could get much worse, but then she's hit with the charges, lawsuit, and being (at first) unable to land a job. Tara thought auditing cases for the IRS would be boring, but that word should never be used around her, as she seems to attract trouble, all the while having a knack for nailing the crook. Tara has the ability to dig deep and spot irregularities—whether in a tax return or a situation. And being handy with a gun—Tara is dead on with targets—makes it useful when things get out of hand. She wasn't called the Annie Oakley of the IRS for nothing!

Tara's relationship with Nick heats up as spending time in bed provides some distraction from her problems, but she wonders how long their relationship can last if she continues to be envious of Nick still being a special agent—and she isn't. What if she's convicted…should she ask him to break up with her rather than wait? Can she rise above all her problems? Will she get the best of her former college rival and score a win for the IRS?

As always, reading a Tara Holloway novel will have you chuckling and figuring out the clues to the particular case she's working on, and DEATH, TAXES, AND GREEN TEA ICE CREAM is no exception. Tara is sharp, sassy, and a topnotch IRS special agent who always gets her target.  In case you're wondering, the title of this book pertains to Tara's current sushi and Green Tea Ice Cream indulgence. She figures it's something she won't get in prison (if she's convicted) so she's on an all-out tear to eat as much as she can. Reading a Tara Holloway novel is an indulgence in itself, like a decadent dessert you can't get enough of. DEATH, TAXES, AND GREEN TEA ICE CREAM does a superb job at mixing mystery, action, and romance. Give yourself a treat and pick up DEATH, TAXES, AND GREEN TEA ICE CREAM, because you won't be sorry.

Patti Fischer