This is the 5th book in the Kate Rielly series staring racing driver and amateur sleauth Kate Rielly. This time she competes at the Indy 500 and tries to solve the 30 year old murder of another female driver. This book can be read independently.

The author has obviously thourily researched the topic and the descriptions of driving are thrilling. There is a little bit of repetativeness, but I enjoyed the story. The story also brings up issues that women face in the automotive industry, Dare to be are a charity that combat these issues and encourage girls to get involved in racing and STEM jobs (https://www.daretobedifferent.org).

Heh. The Acknowledgements were cool. And for the most part so was the rest of the novel as well.

Kate is racing at the Indy 500 again. Of course, it's not as easy peasy as that, or it would be a boring book.

What happens is that Kate is the fastest car in the very first practice for Indy that year and suddenly she's being compared to another woman, PJ, who did that feat as well, but then ten days later PJ killed herself.

Except, PJ's family doesn't believe that PJ committed suicide. Instead, they think it was murder. And of course they've heard about what Kate has done at other races, solving crimes, and so they want her to investigate too.

As the readers, we get three things. We get a story at the Indy 500 in 1989 with PJ in it, and we also get the present day story with Kate preparing for her Indy 500. And of course, the third part of the story is Kate trying in her own way to investigate whether PJ dying was a suicide or murder.

The racing stuff (both in the present and the past) was awesome as usual, and I even liked the tiny bit of romantic subplot that was in the book too.

It was a very 'settled' book. For once the mystery didn't directly involve Kate and the drama with her family wasn't at the center of everything for this book either which was very nice. (From stuff in this book I have no doubt that they'll be back in the next book). But, for this book, it was a nice, regular sort of mystery. Awesome!

I got this ARC through Netgalley on behalf of Poisoned Pen Press.

Before I start, I didn't realize Kiss the Bricks was part of a series. That said, I enjoyed it as a standalone novel. It taught me something about the racing industry and the ups, downs, and overall concerns a professional car racer experiences, especially as a woman. Kate's detective work, with assistance from Holly, Gramps, and Ryan didn't feel forced or off-base at any point. Hearing how she processed the evidence and the testimonies she gathered reminded me of how I act when I watch crime dramas! Trying to determine the killer(s) identities kept me glued to the page. My only complaint about Kiss the Bricks was that they had too many similar suspects; I mixed them up quite frequently and wanted to make sure I didn't miss anything along the way. When I got to the ending, I wanted to feel like I got the whole picture regarding what the killer had said and how he/she acted without having to go back and hunt for those details. For readers looking for more of these females solving workplace mysteries, check out Meg Cabot's Size 12 is not Fat and the books that follow. Instead of the protagonist being a race car driver, Cabot's crime-solving lady is an ex-pop star now Resident Director at a college in New York City.

Perfect read for the month of May. As a fan of the Indy 500, the book has maximum appeal. It brought back many memories of my days at the track. It was well researched. I felt as if I were back in Indianapolis or Speedway and at the track. It was a delight to read from the driver's perspective of the race. The mystery was intriguing and kept me guessing. The publisher provided a copy via NetGalley for my voluntary review. How could I resist a story about the Indianapolis 500.

Kiss the Bricks: A Kate Reilly Mystery
By Tammy Kaehler
Poisoned Pen Press
May 2017

Review by Cynthia Chow

In just one amazing year, professional race car driver Kate Reilly has gone from placing last on the Indianapolis 500 trial run charts to finishing first. Only one other female racer has ever achieved the fastest speed during a practice race, and her fate seemed to prove that women couldn’t take the pressure of competition. Just ten days after ranking number one on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway charts, PJ Rodriguez fell off the roof of her downtown hotel. Now, reporters and the social media immediately link Kate to PJ, and their shared record of a stellar first run followed by weak follow-ups result in the internet being flooded with hashtags calling Kate the Next Doomed Girl Driver PJ.

Kate discovers that when you are virtually the only top female racing driver, you represent all female drivers. It’s not a role Kate ever wanted, and she further loses her identity by becoming linked with PJ, a woman the driving community believes committed suicide. Spurred on by pleas from PJ’s family who never believed that she killed herself, Kate decides that by proving PJ was murdered Kate can clear both their reputations, restore their dignity, and show that women can make it professional drivers. Special Team Kate, her own Scooby Gang consisting of her Gramps, her FBI agent boyfriend Ryan Johnston, and her PR best friend Holly Wilson, discovers that everyone involved in PJ’s first Indianapolis completion profited by her death. PJ’s team resented working for a woman, reporters made careers out of mocking the girl driver, and sympathetic publicity profited all. Threatening notes to Kate further indicate that she is on the right track, which becomes made certain by a shocking present-day murder.

Chapters depicting PJ’s struggles in May 1987 against blatant and near-violent misogyny should make readers shiver, a testament to the author’s talent at deftly conveying the sexist attitude in the male-dominated sport. It’s an attitude that seems so outdated, and yet still persists today. Even more ironic is that one of Kate’s greatest foes is another female competitor, one who would rather push other women down instead of pulling them up. The latter half of the novel following Special Team Kate’s exploits is far more enjoyable, as are the details behind the Indy 500 spectacles of parades, press-conferences, sponsor showcases, media blitzes, and fan meet-and-greets. Readers will be on the edge of their seats during the final race, with nuanced details made comprehensible and every turn a moment of success or at the precipice of disaster. The mystery behind the estrangement of Kate’s father from her family leads into the next installment of this outstanding and original series, leaving readers anxiously waiting for Kate’s next turn on the racetrack.

The first book I read in this series was Red Flags, and despite it being the fourth it was a perfect introduction, so much so I went back and read the others. I write this in order to differentiate it from this new book: do not start the series here.
This entry takes place at the most famous speedway in the world, where Kate has just set top speed in the first practice session. It turns out that a few decades before there was another female driver who’d done the same thing, and from there most of the book becomes dual, with chapters alternating between the past and the present. Because of this the action is slow to start, and if you aren’t into racing and know the good stuff is coming, it might be a bit boring. There are also some parts that are rather mean-spirited; I get that the misogyny is part of the story, but too much is depressing.
As for the mystery, I guessed the bad guy pretty early, as well as who was leaving the notes. Much more of a guess, I nailed her qualifying position. (Yes, I celebrate every accomplishment, no matter how small.) And there’s a great moment in the middle of the race that, while nowhere near as good as winning the Indy 500, would be a sweet consolation for any driver, especially if you’ve followed Kate through her previous adventures. And there’s a subplot that sets up nicely for the next book, making me anxious to read that one too.
I want to stress that I still ended up enjoying it, just not as much as the previous one. At least it picked up as it went along. It’s in no way bad, but I think it’s a step back in a series that had before this improved with each outing.
3.5 pushed up to 4/5