In the radio business, numbers is the name of the game, and
if talk show psychologist Maggie Walsh wants to stay one
step ahead of The Swine Report, she would have to stoop
to drastic measures -- even if that meant having a psychic
on her show. And when Madame Chantel Carrington's
appearances light up the switchboard, Maggie is fairly sure
she'll have the last laugh over the ratings after all.
But when Madame Chantel predicts the demise of two of
Cypress Grove's citizens at a séance, Maggie begins to
wonder if there is some substance to this psychic stuff
after all. And when it's discovered the two victims had
attended the recent opening of the city's time capsule,
well, the clues from beyond begin to add up, and it's up to
Maggie to make her own predictions as to who the killer is.
Fans of cozy mysteries will be glad they dialed in to catch
STAY TUNED FOR MURDER, the latest book in Mary
Kennedy's Talk Show Radio Mystery series. Kennedy's main
character, Maggie Walsh, is smart and sensible with the
right touch of bemused skepticism necessary to be a good
amateur sleuth. And you can't beat Maggie's momma, Lola,
for quirky and sassy!
Add in a great mystery and a sizzling touch of romance with
Maggie's hunky boyfriend, Detective Rafe, and I predict
that you are going to love this lively and fun-filled tale.
Maggie Walsh, Florida’s newest radio talk show psychologist,
thinks that being tucked away in her studio will keepher
safe from all the crazies. But when she hits the airwaves,
there’s no telling whom she’s reaching–and who wants to
reach back.
Maggie is a natural on the radio, but she’s still learning
how to play the ratings game. Her big guest star is
self-proclaimed oracle Madame Chantel, whose on-air “chats”
with the dead are the talk of Cypress Grove–until Chantel
makes some grim predictions at a seance and one of the
town’s most beloved citizens is found murdered.
Meanwhile WYME is busy promoting the opening of a fifty-year
old time capsule. But the more Maggie learns about what
might be unearthed, the more she suspects that the timing of
the murder was no coincidence. The appearance of another
body has Maggie rushing to find the killer–and wondering if
there might be something to Chantel’s ghost stories.
Excerpt
You would assume that people who talk to the dead would
be pale as vampires, their luminous eyes filled with
unspoken secrets and timeless wisdom. You would expect them
to speak in hushed tones, their voices floating like
whispers on a tropical breeze as they invoke spirits from
the beyond. You'd probably picture them as quiet and
introspective, pondering the mysteries of life and what lies
beyond the grave.
You would be wrong. Dead wrong.
Chantel Carrington, the new “psychic sensation” in
Cypress Grove, is none of the above. Everything about
Chantel is larger than life, strictly va-va-voom.. Think of
one of those giant Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons
bobbing over Fifth Avenue.
Big. Brash. Garish. Inescapable.
Oh yes. And full of hot air.
From her booming “Hello dahlings!” as she rolls down the
WYME corridors to her eye-popping Hawaiian muumuus, Chantel
steals the spotlight every time.
Today she was the featured guest on my afternoon radio
talk show, On the Couch with Maggie Walsh. She's been on
the show four times in the past two weeks and I hate to
admit it, but each time the ratings have skyrocketed.
It seems that my entire listening audience is jonesing to
communicate with the dearly departed, and Chantel does her
best to accommodate them. Cyrus, the station manager, is so
thrilled with her other-worldly chats that I'm sure he
salivates, just thinking about all that extra advertising
revenue pouring into WYME.
Vera Mae, my producer, and I are less happy with the
arrangement.
When I first arrived in Cypress Grove a few months ago to
host my own radio show, I'd been pretty naive about the
topics I'd be covering. A former clinical psychologist with
a cushy Manhattan practice, I'd gained quite a following for
my work in what the shrinks call “behavioral medicine.”
Behavioral medicine is based on the idea that if you
change your thinking, you can change your behavior, leading
to a more positive mental outlook. No Freudian claptrap, no
endless discussions of your dreams or Jungian archetypes.
But after a few brutal winters in the Big Apple I'd
become sick of the city, frustrated by the skyrocketing real
estate prices and worst of all, I discovered I was tired of
listening to people's problems all day long. Yes, tired of
listening to people's problems.
Some days I felt like I was trapped in a Jerry Springer
marathon.
A shocking revelation, right? Practically career suicide
to say it publicly, but there you have it. I was whipped,
emotionally drained, with nothing left to give.
I had total burn-out.
So what did I do? I diagnosed the problem and wrote my
own prescription. I made an executive decision as The
Donald would say. I knew I needed a complete change of pace,
and I made it happen. I closed up shop, transferred my
patients to a trusted colleague, sold my IKEA furniture and
moved to a sleepy Florida town.
Sharon, I'm so glad you liked STAY TUNED for MURDER. Just got from a two week research trip to Ft. Lauderdale. Love the sunshine state! And for some reason Florida seems the perfect place for a mystery. (Mary Kennedy 9:50am March 6, 2011)
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