Sunday, June 20, 2010

Bad Day's Work-Nora McFarland

Bad Day's Work
Nora McFarland
Touchstone, Aug 10 2010, $14.99
ISBN: 9781439155486

Lilly Hawkins is a shooter at KJAY TV in Bakersfield, California. At one she was the elite, but over the last six months her luck has been so bad the Blue Notes must have sang about her as she makes Murphy look fortunate. She is on call at night when all reporters sleep in theirbeds so they can look refreshed on camera. One evening she is called to investigate the corpse of Val Boyle found in the field of Valley Farms.

Her boss asks if she can handle the assignment; if not her rival for the head shooter position will take it. If she cedes the mission, her competitor will be her boss; as it is his go get them personality may win the day anyway. She arrives at the police cordoned scene where the body was found. Lilly sneaks passed the barrier and takes video shots. Back at the office she is stunned when there are no pictures as she failed to check her equipment. The police arrive at her home demanding she hand over the video, but she flees into the night. The East Side Crew led by a dangerous person goes after her too. With her career in the tank and two groups on opposite sides of the law in pursuit, Lilly is in trouble; everyone seems to be converging on her as she wonders how this became A Bad Day At Work and home.

One thing leads to another as Lilly Hawkins tries to avoid jail, death, and unemployment as she lands in once situation after another. Fans of Nancy Martin and Janet Evanovich will enjoy the beleaguered heroine trying to pull out a plum. Feeling like Spade in Dashiell Hammett’s Maltese Falcon, Lilly finds seemingly everyone in Bakersfield wants a piece of her. Humorous yet taut, readers will enjoy Lilly’s escapades as she has less time than Jack Bauer has.


Harriet Klausner

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