Five belles too many

An Alabama reality show turns deadly. Sarah Blair is pleased that Southwind, the restaurant she co-owns with twin sister Emily, will be prominently featured in the Southern Belle Perfect Wedding Competition that's being filmed in their hometown of Wheaton. Rival restaurateur Jane Clark is not so pleased, because every meal the production company holds at Southwind is one less meal for Jane's Place, her own eatery. But Jane's temper tantrum at hearing that she won't be hosting the show's nightly dinners is just one of the juicy moments that director Alan Perrault and his assistant, Sam Tolliver, cook up to delight viewers, moments that persuade Sarah that what's being filmed is anything but reality. Still, much as the crew tries to cover up the little glitches that would reveal just how much the showrunners are manipulating the narrative--like the fact that the filming schedule requires them to know in advance the order in which couples with be voted off the show days later, allegedly determined by a real-time audience vote--they can't hide murder. The death of Perrault in the kitchen of Jane's Place leads to major rewrites. And one thing that gets rewritten big time is Jane and Sarah's history. Although still smarting that Jane broke up her marriage, Sarah can't bear to see someone so obviously innocent turn into the police chief's main suspect. Not only does Sarah persuade attorney Harlan Endicott to represent Jane, but she puts herself in the path of danger while trying to unmask the real killer. The clash between real life and reality TV strains the reader's credulity. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.