Stay Tuned for Murder – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

‘I ran down the list of suspects, feeling more frustrated by the moment. Chantel Carrington was the first name that leap into my mind. Why did I think of her as a suspect? I wrote down everything I knew about her. She was here in town under an alias, her background was murky, and somehow she’d made a name for herself in the motivational field. Could Mildred or Althea have suspected who she really was, or maybe they uncovered some dark secret from her past? Did they threaten to reveal it? I thought of Althea and Mildred. I couldn’t picture either one of them as a blackmailer. Irina said that Vera Mae told her Chantel reminded her of someone. Did she mean a celebrity? Or someone close to home? Could Chantel have relatives living in the area? Maybe there was a family resemblance that Vera Mae picked up on? Why had Chantel come to Cypress Grove? Yes, I knew the standard answer, but I didn’t buy it. My gut instinct told me she would never choose Cypress Grove as a place to kick back and pound out her memoirs. She’d lived all over the country, and I found it very hard to believe that she’d chosen our little town as a retreat. I put a star and a question mark next to her name. Chantel was still in the running, even though I was drawing a blank as to her motive.’

Maggie Walsh, talk show psychologist for radio station WYME is pondering the murder of two longtime Cypress Grove residences, Althea Somerset from the Cypress Grove Historical Society and Mildred Smoot the town’s librarian. Both have were murdered but for no apparent reason. Nothing was stolen and there was no abuse. Other than them being friends, the only thing Maggie can find in common between the two women was their excitement about the upcoming opening of the time capsule and their attendance of a séance given by Chantel Carrington. But, as Maggie questions others in town, her list of suspects starts to grow.

Trevor McNamara is on her list due to her feeling that his story about scouting out vacation properties in Cypress Grove is bogus. Mark Sanderson wants to build a towering condo project on the grounds where the court house stands. Why? Candace Somerset is the sister of Althea and she stands to inherit her sisters estate, which Maggie learns is quite substantial. Bob and Shalimar Hennessey are on her list but only because of their suspicious actions after inviting Maggie and a reporter friend Nick to dinner. But what motive would they have? And then there’s Chris Hendricks who Althea talked with about reframing a painting that she had found in the basement of the Society building. When Maggie interviewed him, she was disturbed by his high level of nervousness. She feels he has something to do with the murders but can’t seem to find his motive either.

I’ve had the pleasure and enjoyment of reading Mary Kennedy’s books Dead Air, Reel Murder and now Stay Tuned for Murder which is the 3rd in the Maggie Walsh series. After reading Reel Murder, I thought I had the Author’s style figured out and would be able to come up with the killer early on in Stay Tuned for Murder. Wrong! There are so many possible suspects with just as many reasons, that she kept me guessing until the very end. This was really a book I hated to not only put down but also to end.

Talk Radio Mysteries
305 pages
2011
Obsidian Mystery
ISBN# 978-0-451-23235-9

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