Call In For Murder

Neon Desert, #1

by

Tammy Barker

Intriguing start to this Las Vegas-set cozy mystery series.

Call In For Murder is the first book in Tammy Barker’s new Neon Desert cozy mystery series featuring radio talk show host Ashley Compton, Miss LARE (love and relationship expert) to her listeners, who offers blunt, straightforward opinions on their relationship and personal communication matters. When one of her listeners is murdered soon after calling in for advice about her cheating spouse, Ashley is overcome with worry and guilt that her advice to the woman may have gotten her killed. She ignores her usually practical inclinations and decides to investigate on her own. 

Main character Ashley Compton, while a strong and opinionated voice of reason on the air, is an emotionally fragile but healing soul in real life. The advice she offers call-in listeners dealing with an unfaithful partner is informed by her own personal experience. She relocated from LA to Las Vegas to leave the source of her own betrayal behind and met her new best friend, Nathan Reader, an older gay man whose connections at the local radio station helped land her the new job and alias as Ms. LARE. Nathan is a fun sidekick but a steadfast voice of reason as he tries to be supportive and keep Ashley out of major trouble. 

The plot moves quickly, with the death occurring early in the book and Ashley’s cheating former fiancé unexpectedly tracking her down, with reconciliation in mind. The adversarial detective in charge of the murder investigation is as stubborn and relentless as she is, but hunky and perfect for a future love interest. I enjoyed the Las Vegas setting, with all of the mentions of landmarks and history. While the dialogue was predictable at times, there were some good misdirection and red herrings to keep readers guessing all the way to the final reveal, which established the foundation for a long-term conflict that can continue into future books in the series. 

I recommend CALL IN FOR MURDER to cozy mystery fans, especially those who enjoy a Las Vegas setting and engaging characters. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.