"Fun at the Renaissance Fair - and death in the office"
Reviewed by Clare O'Beara
Posted September 2, 2015
Mystery | Mystery Woman Sleuth
Mia Connors manages the computer system for a gated
community called Horseshoe Falls. Suddenly there are
glitches in the e-mail system, residents are annoyed and
the small businesses on site - like a hair salon and pet
groomer - are being handed fake vouchers for services,
supposedly downloaded. Mia has to grab a double-sized
coffee and sort out the system. This is the starting point
for A GEEK GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER. Jake Archer is the new head of security, and he might not
be too impressed with some of Mia's activities. Best not to
mention the hacking - er, research. Only, Jake sees Mia's
friend Baxter off the premises and later that evening, Mia
responds to a silent alarm in her computer room to find
Baxter dead. Somebody hit the poor geek and left him in a
computer chair. Suddenly Jake is very interested in Mia and
her friends. Renaissance Fairs are one of Mia's favourite ways to relax,
but she feels awkward in social situations and hasn't been
trying to hook a boyfriend, even though she's past her
twenties. Other hobbies include online games, chats with
her computer-literate friends and her happily settled twin
sister. Mia can't find her pal Nate, who was also Baxter's
friend, and the coincidence makes her uneasy. Has anything
happened to Nate? What is going on, and when will the
police let her back in her office? I enjoy a cosy crime and this one is peppered with cyber-
footprints, online scheduling and browser caches, making it
very up to date - but also with medieval gowns and jousting
in an orchard. So there is something for every reader. I
love that three generations of Mia's family are working the
fairs. I thought the snappish dislike of Mia for Jake was
overdone, and I'm amazed that a security specialist like
her didn't even ask to see Jake's ID and credentials. His
go-to look is a glower, so I didn't have any reason to get
to like him. Julie Anne Lindsey, who lives in Ohio, writes in a few genres
and hopes to entertain her readers. She's blended Comic
Con, computers and live-action medieval role play in a fun
read, but at heart we are still investigating a crime and
looking for a killer. The clues are just in some unusual
places. Anyone looking to step further than the usual cozy
crime story will enjoy this book, and any geek girls won't
need a second invitation when they see a fun title like A
GEEK GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER.
SUMMARY
IT manager Mia Connors is up to her tortoiseshell glasses
in
technical drama when a glitch in the Horseshoe Falls
email
system disrupts security and sends errant messages to
residents of the gated community. The snafu's timing
couldn't be worse—Renaissance Faire season is in full
swing
and Mia's family's business relies on her presence. Mia doesn't have time to hunt down a computer hacker. Her
best friend has disappeared, and she finds another of her
friends murdered—in her office. When the hunky new head
of
Horseshoe Falls security identifies Mia as the prime
suspect, her anxiety level registers on the Richter
scale. Eager to clear her name, Mia moves into action to locate
her
missing buddy and find out who killed their friend. But
her
quick tongue gets her into trouble with more than the new
head of security. When Mia begins receiving threats, the
killer makes it clear that he's closer than she'd ever
imagined.
What do you think about this review?
Comments
1 comment posted.
Re: Fun at the Renaissance Fair - and death in the office
I really enjoyed Julie Anne Linsey's other series and can't
wait to try this one.
Thanks for the chance.
(Jen Frederick 11:26pm September 7, 2015)
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