Alex Vlodnachek was a reporter who recently went into P.R. because the CEO offered her a salary she couldn't refuse. What she could refuse, however, is his offer to sleep with a client. After a very vocal argument at a local restaurant where she told him no, she discovers that he's been murdered that same weekend. Now she's not only on the hot seat, she's been fired from her job and the new CEO has threatened her with being sued and ruined her chances of ever getting another job. If Alex is to save her own career -- and life -- she needs to find out who killed the man and why...

This is the beginning of a new series and a hefty book for a cozy running at 428 pages. Which isn't to say that I didn't want to read it, because I did. But I also felt that a lot of it could have been trimmed down a tad since a lot of it wasn't needed to add to the story.

This book also had a lot of situations that were there to provide 'comic relief,' but just seemed off in the story, and because of that I had a hard time getting through this book. Turning off her electricity, a new sister-in-law who's a thief, a grandmother who cooks inedible, grey food -- most of it just wasn't needed to get to the meat of the story, of which there was very little.

Alex's life was being sabotaged at every turn by employees of the P.R. firm, including an ex-boyfriend who made up lies to get his fifteen minutes of fame -- and she didn't even confront him about it. However, there was a very funny scene at the unemployment office which I thought should have set the tone for the rest of the book, it didn't.

Actually, the character I liked best was the British neighbor, Ian Sterling, but we will have to wait and see if he is in any of the other books. I will say that while I wasn't enthralled with this first one, I will read the second -- but only if it isn't the heft of this one, since we don't need the extraneous information to carry a mystery.

In the end, I had already known the murderer, because it wasn't difficult to figure out who was setting up Alex to take a fall, although it just wasn't all that intriguing, to be honest. The way the murderer was captured also wasn't all that intriguing, and there wasn't really a decent climax, but again, I'll probably pick up the next to find out in which direction the series is going to go. ( )

Alex Vlodnachek’s Monday morning could not get any worse. She calls in sick from her job in a P.R. Firm, Coleman & Walters, after a disastrous Friday business dinner where her boss, Everett Coleman, offers her up as desert to sweeten a deal with a new client. After a heated public argument at the dinner, taking off Monday is a relief. That relief is short lived though when police officers show up knocking on her door giving her the news that Everett Coleman has been killed and she is wanted for questioning into the murder. The police, co-workers, and her neighbors thinks she did it. So, the best way of getting out of a murder investigation is finding the murderer yourself. With twelve years as a reporter under her belt prior to taking on the job with Coleman & Walters, she sets out to clear her name and get her life back. But, with so many suspects in question, finding the real killer is starting to look daunting. Will Alex manage to stay out of jail long enough to find the real person responsible?

Confessions of a Red Herring by Dana Dratch is the first book in the Red Herring Mystery series and it does not disappoint. The story start off strong and keeps on running. Alex is such a great character given her circumstances. She does not take the cloud of suspicion surrounding her laying down. Instead, she becomes proactive as her life is spiraling down the toilet. With help from a colorful cast of characters, better known as her friends and family, they set out to clear her good name. With a lot of laughs and some sleuthing, the team get themselves in situations that have you flipping the pages wondering how they never get caught. The problem they are finding though is that there are a lot of suspects in the pool to choose from and most of them are happy enough to pin the blame on Alex with their fabricated lies.

I love a plot that takes off right from the first page and Confessions of a Red Herring never faltered from its strong beginning. I found myself invested in Alex and really liking her spunkiness and stubbornness. She is a great heroine that will do anything it takes from disguising herself as the cleaning crew to gain entrance into the Coleman and Walter’s building to working the funeral dinner of her murdered boss in order to gather information. Each scene felt like a slow build up which kept me glued to the pages trying to find out the mystery behind the murder.

Confessions of a Red Herring is a five star read full of humor, characters you wish were part of your own family, and a heroine you are rooting to win right from the start. I really can’t wait to see where this series takes us. I, for one, will certainly be following up with Alex in the next installment to the series.
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Confessions of a Red Herring by Dana Dratch is the first book in A Red Herring Mystery series. Alex Vlodnachek is a former reporter now working at the D.C. public relations firm of Coleman and Walters. After an incident with managing partner, Everett P. Coleman on Friday, Alex decided to call in sick on Monday. She is surprised when two detectives come knocking on her door to question her about Everett’s murder and Alex is their prime suspect in his death. When Alex goes into work, she is promptly fired. As if her week could not get worse, her younger brother, Nick shows up looking for a place to stay with Gabrielle, his new lady friend from Vegas, as well as a puppy named Lucy. Then Baba, her Russian grandmother, arrives which means inedible cooking (they will have to sneak in snacks). To escape the chaos in her tiny home and clear her name, Alex puts her investigative reporting talents to work. Coleman and Walters is working overtime to throw Alex under the bus in the court of public opinion. Who inside the agency wanted Everett dead? The wife, the business partner, and the mistress are all viable suspects. Someone, though, is attempting to thwart Alex with unscrupulous tactics (stealing her mail, turning off her electricity). Can Alex expose the killer before her death is the next media sensation?

Confessions of a Red Herring is full of off-beat characters. Alex is spunky go-getter. She is not going to let the PR firm set her up for murder. Nick, the younger brother, goes from one job to another. He does not know what he wishes to do with his life. His last venture (an emu farm) was sabotaged by his pot smoking partner. Gabriele is Vegas waitress that Nick picked up on his way to Alex’s house. She is a pickpocket with a questionable online business. We have Lucy the puppy who is destructive with Alex’s belongings. Baba, the Russian grandmother, who cooks grey, slimy food (the descriptions will put you off your next meal). I wish the author had taken the time to establish her main character and provide a thorough backstory. The book consisted of one madcap incident after another. The murder occurred in the first chapter and solving it was a snap. There was a great deal of speculation and repetition of details (not needed). My favorite scene in the book was the showdown at the unemployment office. I found it entertaining. The description of a banks fee system was spot on. My rating for Confessions of a Red Herring 3 out of 5 stars. I do want to mention that there is foul language in the book along with the mention of intimate scenes, drugs and copious amounts of alcohol. Those readers who prefer their cozy mysteries to be light and humorous, then Confessions of a Red Herring is for you. ( )