"A winner! Clever, contemporary, and oh-so-savvy—Emily Locke is genuinely charming! Her brains, her humor and her heart make DEAD LIFT another fast-paced page-turner"—HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN, Agatha Winning author of Prime Time

Single mom Emily Locke is building a new life with her daughter. Relocated to Houston she put her career on hold to work part-time for her private investigator friend, Richard Cole. It's a nice balance between work and family until Emily finds out she's been working for the attorney who defended her husband's killer.

The discovery nearly destroys her friendship with Richard, but Emily resists abandoning socialite client Claire Gaston, who awaits trial for the murder of a local plastic surgeon.

Claire has been leading a wildly unconventional life and passing around access to her home and assets like popcorn. Should she be condemned for bad choices? Emily, haunted by her own, doesn't think so.

Meanwhile, Emily's wild-child friend Jeannie, in town for a visit, sees a chance for Emily to loosen up when a mysterious note leads her into a daring undercover ruse at a high-brow ladies' health club. Emily fakes conformity with Houston's elite debutantes and trophy wives in a surreal fitness subculture where things, and people, are seldom what they seem. At this gym, "killer workout" takes on a whole new meaning.