“Naughtier than Nice” by Eric Jerome Dickey
c.2015, Dutton $25.95 / $33.95 Canada 357 pages
by Terri Schlichenmeyer, OW contributor
You have to tell somebody.
There’s a secret inside you, one you’ve been keeping far too long and you’re about to
burst. You need to talk about it. You need some advice, some perspective. As in the new
novel “Naughtier than Nice” by Eric Jerome Dickey, if you don’t talk about this issue
soon, it could be the death of you.
Last Christmas Eve had been a memorable one for Frankie McBroom, for the wrong
reasons: that was the day she spent thinking about how to cancel her wedding to Franklin
Carruthers. He’d been her soul mate, her one-and-only… until she discovered that he was
a married man.
As the eldest McBroom sister, Frankie felt as though she needed to set an example and
she fought hard to forget Franklin. She wished her relationship with him had been like
what youngest sister Tommie had with her Blue. Or like what middle sister Livvy had
with Tony. But no, Frankie had something else altogether.
Tommie McBroom felt bad that she was cheating on her fiancé.
Down deep, she loved Blue but he’d betrayed her: he knew how much she wanted a
family and yet he’d had surgery to prevent it, which proved that he didn’t care about her.
Beale Streets, on the other hand, listened to her. Yes, Beale was a few years younger than
Tommie, but that didn’t matter when they were making love.
The delicate chain surrounding Livvy McBroom-Barrera’s ankle spoke to Livvy of
different times, of days when she and Tony were estranged and she first slept with a
woman. The charm on the chain reminded her of things she learned, and lovers who
disappeared from her life so suddenly. She thought of them often – especially when she
and Tony brought another woman to their bed.
It was hard to believe that a year had gone by since Frankie caught Franklin in a lie. So
much had happened since last Christmas, so much that wasn’t discussed. Tommie’s life
was taking a turn. Livvy’s life seemed to be going backwards.
And Frankie? She was dealing with a blown-up phone, an acid-ruined car, bricks through
her windows, belongings rearranged in her home.
Frankie was dealing with a stalker…
So you like a little spice with your Christmas nog? Or maybe some extra pepper in your
peppermints? Then “Naughtier than Nice” will make you very jolly.
In this somewhat-sequel, author Eric Jerome Dickey made a list of everything you want
in a holiday drama – cheating, scandalous pasts, sex, murder, and light humor – and it’s
obviously checked twice to add even more of the above. Although this book can be read
as a standalone, readers then get to revisit some of Dickey’s best characters from other
novels. His usual themes are mashed-up, and there’s a very nice gotcha or three scattered
throughout this book.
That, and the fast-moving action, made me ho-ho-ho for this not-so-holiday holiday book
and Dickey fans old and new will love it. Just beware: start “Naughtier than Nice” and
you’ll just have to tell somebody.
