Princess Izzy and the E Street shuffle

“Princess Izzy and the E Street Shuffle” is one of those random books that find its way into my hands at the bookstore, and I immediately know I must have it... even if I've never heard of it before. [return][return]Isabella Cordage is the daughter of a small-titled family in a small country called Bisbania, and therefore one of the few suitable playmate for Raphael, Prince of Gallager and heir to the throne. Over the years, they became close friends.[return][return]Since Raphael isn't likely able to marry for love, he married for companionship. Isabelle fit the bill. Much like one real life princess, she became instant tabloid fodder, overshadowing her husband.[return][return]Everything she wore fell under scrutiny (and occasionally became the latest fashion). Everything she did, no matter how little, was big news. A spill down the stairs earned her the nickname Dizzy Izzy.[return][return]Before her marriage into the royal family, Isabella attended Yale and picked up an amount of Americanism. She also picked up a crush on her car mechanic Geoffrey, a huge fan of Bruce Springsteen.[return][return]Geoffrey dispenses advice through Springsteen lyrics, which Isabella always manages to intreprete as an answer to her fashion woes. Shortly after marrying Raphael, Isabella engages Geoffrey into her service and brings him and his wife Mae to Bisbania.[return][return]Five years after marrying, a small plane carrying Geoffrey and Raphael crashes into the sea. Only one body was found. The story creeps along from a light-hearted royal chick lit into something vaguely sinister but nonetheless compelling.[return][return]Narrated from a the POV of a know-it-all observer, this novel reveals enough cliffhanger chapter endings to keep the pages turning. Was the plane crash really an accident or was it murder? Who is this observer and how does she know so much?[return][return]Beverley Bartlett keeps you on the edge of your seat until the last page of her debut. As for me, this impulsive buy is a keeper.[return]return