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The Hidden Assassinsby: Robert Wilson |
Murder Off Mikeby Joyce KriegShauna J. Bogart is the professional name of the heroine in Murder Off Mike. Shauna is a talk-show hostess personality at the Sacramento radio station, and the only permanent female employee. She normally introduces a topic and lets the public respond over the phone – with the usual number of regular and one-time callers. Some of those callers are a bit on the flaky side. Then Shauna gets a call from 'Rudy of West Sacramento' telling, with a definite accent, of a 'most peculiar happening' in an apartment where another radio personality resides. Evidently two men in brown uniforms, looking like police officers, went into a man's apartment – and when they left, the man was on the floor, bleeding from the head and not moving. Rudy hangs up before Shauna can get any other details, but since the building described is the same one where Dr. Hipster lives, Shauna tells her producer, young Josh Friedman, to inform the police and send out a news van – which he's already done. 'The Hipster' is a radio personality on Shauna's own station. When the police arrive, they find Dr. Hipster murdered from a shot in the head. The Hipster and Shauna shared a code warning of possible danger. It was the statement 'Don't touch that dial' and Shauna thought she'd heard it on the promo tape for his nightly show. But when she goes to get the tape, she finds it's already been erased. Then she goes to the logger tape – a tape reel which carries every second of air time – only to discover that her entire show, including The Hipster's promo, has been spliced out. Now Shauna needs to uncover why Dr. Hipster was murdered and incidentally, who Rudy from West Sacramento is. Shauna engages in an off mike investigation, which leads her directly to the political controversy between contestants for the governorship of California – then to the differences between T.R. O'Brien, the father who owns the radio station, and his son Terrence. Terrence pines for a place as a talk-show host on his father's station, but doesn't quite have the know-how or pizzazz Shauna is known for. He's also a hunk who manages a date with Shauna, but another man also comes on the scene, one Pete Kovacs, who plays jazz piano and is the owner of Retro Alley, a store touting memorabilia from the 50's, 60's and 70's. Glory Lou, a station news reporter and Shauna's friend, has her money on Pete. Clues abound, but when the station is cut off the air, Shauna, with the able assistance of Josh, obtains a copy of the original contract signed by her boss to own the station, and with it an understanding of who murdered Dr. Hipster and why. Shauna gets the station back on the air just in time with a crude potpourri of components – only to find herself confronted by the murderer. She's rescued, of course, and everything is finally cleared up, including why money from the station's Gold Rush Giveaway was going to certain students instead of pre-selected older listeners. Mystery readers will find Murder Off Mike a good read and a good beginning to what looks like a very entertaining possible series – or if not a series, perhaps Joyce Krieg will give us at least two more murder mysteries which are just as entertaining. Murder Off Mike was the winner of St. Martin's 'Best First Traditional Mystery' contest. Previously a journalist, researcher, gift-wrapper, copywriter, and ticket-taker – in addition to her work on Sacramento's KFBK radio station, Ms. Krieg was able at last to fulfill her life-long ambition to write full time. We trust we'll be reading more of this promising writer's efforts. Alan Paul Curtis |
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