My mother probably came up with the idea "if the shoe fits, wear it." In 1959, she purchased a beautiful pair of gray high heels. Only one other person could wear those high heels, and I was not the one. That year came quietly, but then the others came. A mother and six children. How could sixteen people live in a house with three bedrooms and one bath? Who were they? Why were they here? How long would they stay? We had no idea that each of us would be forever changed in 1959, the year known historically as the year of change. Most of us would find ourselves viewing a picture of those high heels long after we saw them in the back of our Ford station wagon as our father backed out of the driveway that fateful day. But those high heels held secrets to a horrible but brave story that now must be told. My father was a man of his word and a man of words. He taught the importance of knowing what to say and meaning what we said. Would words bring us together? Would their leaving destroy any chance of our becoming family?

Featuring a vivid selection of contemporary fashion photography, this volume is a visual odyssey through ideas of beauty, danger and seduction. Its exploration of the confluence of art, fashion and fetish in the cult of high heels swooping down fashion show runways and city streets everywhere is an enticing mixture whimsy, allure and luxury. It will appeal to anyone with an interest in fashion or contemporary photography.

Set in the 1950's in Westchester County, New York, High Heels begins as sixth-grader Dolores Morgan escapes from her tormented childhood at home by visiting the town library. Almost every afternoon, behind the stacks and all the way into the dimly backroom, she is not alone. It is in books that she finds friends from all over the world - David Copperfield, The Pathfinder, The Great Gatsby, The Count of Monte Cristo, and her little friend, Huw, as he works in the coal mines with his dad in How Green Was My Valley. She goes with Master David when he receives his beatings and he comes with her when she receives hers, and together, they learn endurance. From The Count of Monte Cristo, she learns the power that comes with being on time, and, from each of her fictional friends she takes solace, feels less alone and less afraid. Are fictional mentors and glorious daydreams enough to nurture her spirit through a family life filled with trauma? They have to be. She must prevail.

New York Times, and USA Today Bestselling series! "Gemma Halliday's Maddie Springer is like the west coast version of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum - only more stylish!" - LG Book Club Baguettes, bodies, and haute couture galore! Shoe designer turned amateur sleuth, Maddie Springer, is at it again, this time in fabulously fashionable Paris. When Europe's designer de jour, Jean Luc LeCroix, invites Maddie to show her creations at Paris Fashion Week, Maddie's sure she's died and gone to heaven. That is until Jean Luc's top model is found dead on the runway, stabbed with a familiar stiletto heel. Sure someone is trying to frame her, Maddie enlists the help of her friends, including the sexy Detective Jack Ramirez, to uncover a daring jewel heist, a devious blackmailer, and even a few skeletons lurking in the closets of those closest to her. But as the evidence mounts, Maddie becomes the prime suspect and Ramirez is stuck between a badge and a cute blonde with a tendency for trouble. Will he stand by her as she attempts to track down an international killer, or will this be the case that finally comes between them? One thing's for sure, if Maddie doesn't uncover the real killer soon, she may be saying her final adieu. Other Books in the High Heels Series: #1 Spying in High Heels #2 Killer in High Heels #3 Undercover in High Heels #3.5 Christmas in High Heels (short story) #4 Alibi in High Heels #5 Mayhem in High Heels #5.5 Honeymoon in High Heels (short story) #5.75 Sweetheart in High Heels (novella) #6 Fearless in High Heels #7 Danger in High Heels #8 Homicide in High Heels #9 Deadly in High Heels What critics are saying about Alibi in High Heels: "ALIBI IN HIGH HEELS is a clever and stylish addition to Gemma Halliday's laughter-infused Maddie Springer series." - Chicago Tribune "Halliday is on top of her game, and readers will love Maddie's new adventure." - Booklist "If you're in the mood for a fun, fast, easy read cozy, you can’t go wrong with ALIBI IN HIGH HEELS! I wasn’t just a reader, I was truly along for the ride. Gemma Halliday has created a delightful reluctant sleuth!" - Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine "I started ALIBI IN HIGH HEELS around 2 pm and read non stop until 11 pm when I finished it. The writing was so engaging and so fun that I did not want to put this book down. This is a 5 star book that I HIGHLY recommend to Janet Evanovich fans who are looking for a new author to try that they will LOVE!!! ALIBI IN HIGH HEELS is the best book that I have read in a while, and I can't wait to read more books by Gemma Halliday." - Fresh Fiction "Maddie Springer is like a cross between Paris Hilton and Stephanie Plum, only better. The dialogue is snappy and the suspense beautifully interwoven with Ms. Halliday’s unique humor. This is one HIGH HEEL you’ll want to try on again and again " - Romance Junkies

Best Fifteen Books of March 2019, Refinery29 Best Nonfiction Books of 2019, Paste Magazine Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. Fetishized, demonized, celebrated, and outlawed, the high heel is central to the iconography of modern womanhood. But are high heels good? Are they feminist? What does it mean for a woman (or, for that matter, a man) to choose to wear them? Meditating on the labyrinthine nature of sexual identity and the performance of gender, High Heel moves from film to fairytale, from foot binding to feminism, and from the golden ratio to glam rock. Summer Brennan considers this most provocative of fashion accessories as a nexus of desire and struggle, sex and society, violence and self expression, setting out to understand what it means to be a woman by walking a few hundred years in her shoes. Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling series! When fashion designer Maddie Springer is invited to help style contestants in the Hawaiian Paradise Beauty Pageant, she jumps at the chance! The fantastic publicity coupled with a weeklong vacation with her best friends Marco and Dana, is a win-win. But trouble follows her to paradise when one of the beauty queens winds up dead. Is it a case of a personal grudge, a jealous contestant...or a jealous lover? Between a pageant director on his way out, a soap star dazzling his way in, a violent anti-fashion protester, and a whole pageant full of competitive beauty queens, Maddie has her hands full sorting through suspects! Luckily for Maddie—or unluckily?—her wacky cast of friends and family, including LAPD Detective Jack Ramirez, are there to help her wade through motives more plentiful than pineapples at a luau. With the televised crowning approaching, the danger escalating, and a killer on the loose, this is one beauty pageant that's about to turn ugly. Other Books in the High Heels Series: #1 Spying in High Heels #2 Killer in High Heels #3 Undercover in High Heels #3.5 Christmas in High Heels (short story) #4 Alibi in High Heels #5 Mayhem in High Heels #5.5 Honeymoon in High Heels (novella) #5.75 Sweetheart in High Heels (short story) #6 Fearless in High Heels #7 Danger in High Heels #8 Homicide in High Heels #9 Deadly in High Heels What critics are saying about The High Heels Mysteries: "A saucy combination of romance and suspense that is simply irresistible." - Chicago Tribune "Stylish... nonstop action...guaranteed to keep chick lit and mystery fans happy!" - Publishers’ Weekly, *starred review* “Smart, funny and snappy…the perfect beach read!” - Fresh Fiction "A roller coaster ride full of fun and excitement!" - Romance Reviews Today "Gemma Halliday writes like a seasoned author leaving the reader hanging on to every word, every clue, every delicious scene of the book. It’s a fun and intriguing mystery full of laughs and suspense." - Once Upon A Romance

L.A. shoe designer, Maddie Springer, lives her life by three rules: Fashion. Fashion. Fashion. But when she stumbles upon the work of a brutal killer, her life takes an unexpected turn from Manolos to murder. And things only get worse when her boyfriend disappears - along with $20 million in embezzled funds - and her every move is suddenly under scrutiny by the LAPD's sexiest cop. With the help of her post-menopausal bridezilla of a mother, a 300 pound psychic and one seriously oversexed best friend, Maddie finds herself stepping out of her stilettos and onto the trail of a murderer. But can she catch a killer before the killer catches up to her.