Reporter Bertie Mallowan has drifted away from hard news stories and into the shallows of "fluff" features, the kind you find buried in the back of the newspaper. But when she gets the chance to interview greedy, nasty Robert Bellingham, the king of must-have luxury items for the rich of Southern California, she thinks her career is back on track. Bellingham, she learns, has not only made a lot of money, but he’s got a lot of enemies, too. Two days after Bertie's interview, Bellingham's body is found on the floor of the foyer in the family mansion; someone has aerated his skull with the stereotypical blunt object. Thanks to her interview, Bertie has inside information about the life and times of a rich and powerful murder victim and is thrust into a big story again.

PRAISE FOR “TRASHY CHIC” and Cathy Lubenski "What do a certain Mennonite innkeeper, and a reporter named Bertie Mallowan, have in common? Could it be that they are both highly intelligent women with a wry take on life, or could it possibly be that both possess tongues capable of slicing Swiss cheese? This is a surefire recipe for a winner in my book! Trashy Chic is pure gold." -- Tamar Myers, author of the Pennsylvania Dutch Mysteries and The Headhunter’s Daughter “Don’t miss this utterly delightful mystery. Cathy Lubenski has a light but sharp touch, a wonderful eye for human types and human foibles, and she’s a natural entertainer. “Trashy Chic” has a perfect humor-to-heart ratio. Bravo!”--T. Jefferson Parker, New York Times bestselling author of The Jaguar and The Border Lords “Trashy Chic is fast and funny. Enjoy!” -- Parnell Hall, author of Caper