Preview
  • Lust, Loathing and a Little Lip Gloss

  • By: Kyra Davis
  • Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
  • Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (1,668 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Lust, Loathing and a Little Lip Gloss

By: Kyra Davis
Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $24.95

Buy for $24.95

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Editorial reviews

Mystery novelist Sophie Katz is a tart, peppery vodka gimlet of a gal, gadding about foggy San Francisco, sleuthing crimes in a chic, papery coat. Like any hard-boiled dame worth her smelling salts, however, withering Sophie guards a mushy heart. "Anatoly knew the details of me," she gushes, when her dishy Russian private eye suitor remembers her fussy coffee order to the letter. Even at 31, Sophie gets goose bumps when she's jittery and is peevish with her two-year-old nephew. She's petty and rams through small talk. She is likeably damaged.

Lust, Loathing and a Little Lip Gloss is audiobook four in the Sophie Katz mystery series, though each volume stands alone as easy, breezy escapism, so you can skip downloading sequentially. This is foremost a whodunit and author Kyra Davis plots Lip Gloss around the stagy killing of blue-blood Oscar; his creaking Victorian mansion, snapped up by Sophie; her bad egg ex-husband, and current realtor, Scott; his chilly swizzle stick girlfriend, Venus; and the quirky Specter Society, which holds séances to channel "disembodied spirits".

Gabra Zackman is the hypnotic narrator of Lip Gloss. As Sophie, she creeps a scratchy world-weariness into her inflections, hinting that the trademark Katz sass might be half-invented. Zackman instinctively connects with her characters, wiring Scott's boyish charisma to a chatty pace while attaching terse Anatoly to gnashing pauses. It's risky for an audiobook narrator to spin through nearly two dozen characters plus a plot hooked to the paranormal to claim believability. But Zackman teases out subtle voice distinctions and accents (Italian, Russian, Yiddish) until the prospect of communing with the dead seems slightly more believable than Sophie landing a fully renovated, three-bedroom house in Ashbury Heights. Prime real estate, after all, trumps ghosts. Nita Rao

Publisher's summary

Mystery writer and dabbling recreational sleuth Sophie Katz is head over heels in love - with a three-bedroom Victorian. She's just got to have it, despite a few drawbacks. Her slimy ex is the realtor. The rich, creepy seller wants her to join San Francisco's spirited Specter Society. And her first tour of the house reveals, well, a lifeless body clutching a cameo with a disturbing history of its own.

There's no way Sophie is going to give up the ghost on her dreams of stained glass and original woodwork, though--even when things become officially weird. A Society member is found with a slashed throat, and Sophie's house might as well be yelling, "GET...OUT!" She's hearing footsteps, lights are turning themselves off and her stuff keeps moving inexplicably. To top it off, boyfriend Anatoly thinks it's all in her head.

Sophie is 99 percent sure her problems are caused by someone six feet tall instead of six feet under, but the only way to be sure is to track down the killer - before he pushes her kicking and screaming to the other side.

Solve another case with Sophie.
©2009 Kyra Davis (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about Lust, Loathing and a Little Lip Gloss

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    730
  • 4 Stars
    580
  • 3 Stars
    267
  • 2 Stars
    50
  • 1 Stars
    41
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    614
  • 4 Stars
    284
  • 3 Stars
    119
  • 2 Stars
    20
  • 1 Stars
    15
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    520
  • 4 Stars
    336
  • 3 Stars
    145
  • 2 Stars
    25
  • 1 Stars
    25

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Didn't want it to end..

Lust, Loathing, and a Little Lip Gloss is another great book in the Sophie Katz series. I loved this one just as much as the others, Sophie is back..stumbling into some sort of mystery that she just must solve and I love the quick wit that makes you laugh out loud while reading. I like that her and Anatoly relationship is progessing nicley with each book. The paranormal side had me wondering how she was going to solve it without believing in ghosts, but knowing Sophie (who is to practal for that) I knew there was a way, I just couldn't see it. And that is what I love about these books..I don't have them figured out within the first few pages and it always provides a laugh. Marcus is one of my favorite characters -I laughed so hard at the restuarant scene and his shoes ;-) I have to agree with another review I read on here, after reading these books I just had to go out to starbucks and try a frappuccino! I can't say I'm a fan of them but I am a fan of Kyra Davis and Sophie Katz.
Gabra Zackman is one of the best narrators I have ever listened to. She does the voices for the characters perfectly.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

They are all nuts

Ms Davis is very good at coming up with oddball characters. A bit over the top, but I guess that's what makes them fun. The narrator is good, but there seemed to be a few times she got bored.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Lots of fun

I don't think even Kyra Davis could object to me pointing out that this is not the sort of great literature that will change your life, your mind or your day. But it's not supposed to be. It's literary cake. Pure sugary fun. A bit of love, a bit of romance and a lot of action.

For a good time call Sophie!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A little jaded with a side of lip gloss

Overall an enjoyable excursion on the West Coast. Sophie's somewhat clueless and definitely lacking in relationship savvy but nevertheless an interesting character.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good book but I was annoyed.

Sophie really aggravated me in this book. All in all, I liked the book, mostly for the other characters, I could have enjoyed this book without Sophie this time.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Passion, Loving and a Lot of Fun

This was the best Sophie Katz yet. I didn't think they could get any better but they did. My friends and I are into supernatural and paranormal so I could relate to this one the most.

Now that I have finished all of the Sophie Katz novels that Krya has written so far, I just hope she keeps writing these for many years to come.

She really makes my long commute to work just fly by.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Another great book set in San Francisco!

What did you love best about Lust, Loathing and a Little Lip Gloss?

Fun, engaging and light.

What other book might you compare Lust, Loathing and a Little Lip Gloss to and why?

Other books by Sophia Kissel

What does Gabra Zackman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She made the characters more alive.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me laugh and smile. Characters are great.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Another good one

If you could sum up Lust, Loathing and a Little Lip Gloss in three words, what would they be?

I have enjoyed all the Kyra Davis series. A little humor, a little love, and some mystery. All ways a good listening pleasure.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I love this series!

This series is amazing. I love mystery books, and this series just takes that love so much further.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Not all that interesting

This is my first and will be my last of this series. I just couldn't warm to the main character and found little charm in the story (which seemed forced) but I did laugh occasionally.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful