Summary
Murder Off Mike introduces Shauna J. Bogart, a small and sassy radio talk show host/amateur sleuth. Shauna J. is used to dealing with the controversial, the contentious, the cranky, and the just plain crazed as the host of the afternoon gab fest on the top-rated station in California’s state capital. But nothing prepares her for the day a fellow shock jock turns up with a bullet in his head. The cops say it’s suicide, but Shauna J. isn’t buying it. She launches her own investigation, putting herself at peril. Her investigation, aided and abetted by her loyal callers, leads her to a shattering secret that could derail the campaign of the leading candidate for governor. Meanwhile, behind-the-scenes shenanigans threaten the very existence of the radio station Shauna J. calls home. The action climaxes in a down-to-the-second pursuit through the streets of historic Old Sacramento during the city’s world-famous Jazz Jubilee. Armed with only a roll of copper wire, a pirate radio transmitter, and her ingenuity, can Shauna J. get the station back on the air in time to reveal the truth to her listeners? Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.
Publishers Weekly Review
Politics, greed and murder combine with an intriguing behind-the-scenes look at contemporary talk radio in Krieg's superb debut, featuring fresh, smart and feisty sleuth Shauna J. Bogart. As the popular host of a radio talk show in Sacramento, Calif., Shauna J. deals daily with a cast of quirky characters, including Lenny from Rio and Ferretman Bob. Rudy from West Sacramento, a first-time caller with an odd accent ("Who does this guy think he is with the phony Iron Curtain accent? Boris Badenov?"), phones to report sinister goings-on in a building near the State Capitol where Shauna's mentor and co-worker Dr. Hipster lives, and Shauna has a colleague alert the cops. At the scene the police find Hipster with a bullet in his head and what appears to be a suicide note. Suspecting foul play, Shauna begins her own investigation, which will lead her into the discovery of long past events that put her, and those around her, in jeopardy. So vividly does the author describe the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee and the streets and heat of the city in May, one can hear the music, feel the crowds. Peppered with apt references to popular culture ("Either the entire cast of La Cage aux Folles had set up camp in my bedroom, or Glory Lou was preparing for my makeover for the Jazz Band Ball"), this riveting mystery will leave readers eager for the sequel. FYI: This title won the 2002 St. Martin's Press/Malice Domestic contest for Best First Traditional Mystery.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. From: Reed Elsevier Inc.
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