Dead Copy

Cauley MacKinnon writes the obituaries for the Austin Sentinel. People know her best by the nickname The Obituary Babe. In the near future, Cauley will be a witness in the Obregon trial. Selena Obregon and her South American baddies (story in previous book, SCOOP) nearly killed Cauley more than once. Now Cauley is dealing with dead canaries and being attacked in her own home by someone who seems to be using scare tactics. If the bad guys think this will stop Cauley from testifying, then they are bonkers! Instead, Cauley is more than ready to testify and end it all. FBI agent Tom Logan returns and needs Cauley to pen a fake obituary to protect a federal witness, Wylie Ray Puckett. Wylie is the key witness/informant for the Obregon trial. While completing the fake obituary, Cauley meets Faith, Wylie's sister. Faith has the most incredible voice and everyone who hears her sing just KNOWS that Faith will make the big time. Ethan "E" Singer, Cauley's computer geek at work, falls head-over-heals for Faith upon meeting her. (Mainly because she can read the binary coded message on his tee-shirt.) Things are finally beginning to look up for everyone! When Wylie is gunned down on the steps of the court house, things really heat up (in more ways than one). Cauley cares for Faith, who witnessed her brother's death. After all, Cauley knows exactly what it feels like to see a family member gunned down. The next morning, Cauley goes to Faith's trailer only to find it in flames, with someone inside! Faith has disappeared and no one can find her. Since Faith's trailer is in Dawes County, Tom Logan and the rescue team Cauley volunteers with can do nothing but aid the search. Dawes County Sheriff Hollis is treating the whole search and rescue like it is some kind of joke. Looks like Cauley and Marlowe (her rescue dog) must investigate Faith's disappearance on their own. At the same time, Cauley is determined to get Sheriff Hollis's police dog taken away from him somehow. The poor thing is clearly being abused. Yes, it is time for Cauley to do what she does best; snoop out a scoop. ***** Another winner by author Kit Frazier. This story is even better than the first (and that is saying something since the first is wonderful). The secondary characters are just as well developed as the main. I have grown very attached to E and Marlowe. This tale will keep readers up late into the night as they read "just one more chapter". Fantastic! ***** Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Cauley is set to testify against the head of a gang that she helped bring down when the key witness is shot down at the courthouse. This seems fairly straightforward until several arson-instigated fires occur and the witness' troubled sister disappears. Throw in a downright surly if not plain worthless sheriff, the stench of abuse, and a continuation of the terrorism Cauley experienced in the first book (which she thought was over), and you've got yourself a fine mystery. As with the first Cauley MacKinnon novel, Scoop, the reader is automatically endeared to Cauley, her pets, her coworkers, and her family--not to mention her hottie FBI agent almost-boyfriend, Tom Logan. Most of the characters in this book are returning from the previous novel, with a goodly amount of building on their parts. I had to appreciate the way the previous book's events are still affecting Cauley both literally and emotionally; a lot of series mysteries pass over the past completely. Cauley grows as a character and her relationships with everyone else become more defined. The author has an excellent way of introducing a character's history into the tale without making it disruptive. Non-stop action and character interaction will keep the reader intrigued after the first chunk of the book; the one thing I did not like about this book was it's slow start. It took me about 80 pages to get into it, but after that, I could hardly put it down.. Don't set it aside--it's worth the wait.

Twentyish Cauley "The Obituary Babe" MacKinnon wants to make it as a highly respected reporter. She feels being an obit writer is stuck in the muddy ooze underneath the lowest rung of the journalistic food chain ladder. When her sometimes boyfriend FBI hunk, that is agent Tom Logan, asks her for a favor besides sharing the sheets, she agrees to help him on a witness protection case as long as he provides her with the SCOOP. He wants her to write and print a fake obituary for Wiley Ray Puckett; Tom wants to keep him safe until he testifies against the El Patron gang leader Selena Obregon. However, Wiley is murdered anyway and a dead canary left by Cauley as a warning to back off or her obit will be next. With her faithful companion at her side (that is Marlowe the dog not Tom the rat who told her to back off) Cauley, being a typical sweetened tea Texan searches for Wiley's missing sister Faith. Though the coincidence meter is way beyond the top metric of plausibility (then again this is in the Austin area), chick lit investigative readers will enjoy Cauley's latest escapades to obtain a scoop so she can escape the dead letter office hopefully without her own obit written. The zany story line is fun to read if the audience ignores the doses of luck (more than the sugar her mom puts in the tea) that leads Cauley one heel at a time on her inquiry. Tom is always there at the right moment whether that is for some kissing or for some rescuing, sub-genre fans will laugh with the antics of the heroine of this lighthearted mystery. Harriet Klausner