To Catch a Bad Guy by Marie Astor Book Review

What would you do if you were "downsized" from your last position while your boss who happens to be your ex-boyfriend will obviously not give you a reference?  You might get a little desperate and accept an offer for a job from your friend without knowing too much about the company.  That's the situation Janet Maple finds herself in in To Catch a Bad Buy by Marie Astor.

Janet quickly realizes that things may not be as they seem at Bostoff Securities, but her friend and boss doesn't seem to think anything of it.  As Janet starts snooping around in her new capacity as assistant general counsel for Bostoff she finds out her initial suspicions are correct.  Not knowing who to turn to, she confides in Dean, the geeky IT Specialist, who she has an attraction to.  Dean is not who he says he is though.  He's an undercover agent trying to get enough information on Bostoff Securities to take down a marketing manipulation scheme.  But his time is running short and he needs Janet to assist.  Dean and Janet must work together to get enough evidence to put away the bad guys, but can Janet trust Dean?  Or will time run out?


To Catch a Bad Guy is the first book I've read by Marie Astor and I will definitely be picking up more books from her, especially the sequel to this book.  I have to admit, the first half I felt got bogged down with some of the character histories, but overall they helped with understanding motivations.  The second half of the book went by quick and I found myself not wanting to put it down! 

The story line was something I hadn't read before which is always refreshing.  Sometimes I was annoyed by Janet being a size six and feeling the need to diet, but further on in the book I got that it was an insecurity issue brought on by other people.  That's completely understandable to me. The supporting characters were interesting and had their own quirks which Ms. Astor did a good job portraying.  I give this book 4 out of 5 stars simply because of the first half.  Stick with the book though, it's a fun, light read that really makes you feel for all of the characters and their plights.