Review
A remarkable first novel. ...a journey down the mean streets of New York City with some unusual literary touches. -- Valerie Wolzien, Author of DEATH IN DUPLICATE, 10/31/05

Ask the Dead is a masterful debut and a must for fans of Sue Grafton and the Big Apple. -- Anne Romeo, MurderInk.com, March 30, 2005

Ask the Dead is a masterful debut and a must for fans of Sue Grafton and the Big Apple. --Anne Romero, MurderInk.com, March 30, 2005

…complex plots, pithy writing, and a feisty female protagonist who cannot utter the word "quit." A fun read. -- Peter Coyote, actor/author (Sleeping Where I Fall)

Product Description
Jo Epstein can’t run from her mistakes. Then again, who can? Certainly not the Harlem photographer accused of manslaughter, the social worker with the heart of gold, or Jo’s ex-friend, the anarchist. But that doesn’t stop her from trying to cut all ties to the detective business that almost made her an accessory to murder in L.A. Unfortunately, she’s good at what she does, and they always find her—the folks with loved ones who are most certainly guilty, but in need of one last chance. Starting life over in New York City is pricey, though, and a desperate mother’s plea is too difficult to resist, especially with the money she offers. Suddenly, Jo is drowning in a tangle of money-laundering, kidnapping and murder, haunted by shadows from the past and guilt over debts unpaid. And then there’s Ellie, the girl who died in Jo’s bathtub As Jo wades through a sea of red herrings, she learns that to save herself, she must do what no one else can...ask the dead.

Seattle Magazine
Like eating cookie dough with your fingers, Chasing Tales is a guilty pleasure. Seattle writer Lanae Rivers-Woods’ debut novel follows a sextet of soul-searching 20-somethings through months of chaotic encounters in Italy, London and an unnamed American city, deftly hooking readers with breezily written character sketches that make the book hard to put down. The story, a gratifying ensemble piece about the true meaning of friendship, toes the line between fluff and higher-minded fiction. Catherine—the Pied Piper of this menagerie of loosely knit friends—is an enigma except to her closest mate, Mikal, a kind yet distant rogue who finds peace only on a reconnaissance mission to Israel. On American soil Jaimen and Aimee strike up a quirky, unlikely affair, while Leanne casts off her essential clumsiness when she evades a marriage proposal and joins her twin brother, Theo—a tour guide in Italy—to start a new life abroad. The six main characters have existential baggage, but what makes this book so delightful is its exploration of the group’s esprit de corps. Thanks to Rivers-Woods’ skillful dialogue, the characters evolve in front of one’s eyes, like photographs developing in a darkroom. Chasing Tales, the first in a planned trilogy about this convivial crew, has the ease of a toes-in-the-sand novel, but offers many astute moments (e.g., Leanne’s climactic emotional separation from her father) that will shake your heart. Grade: A–