Live, Local, And Dead
In a fit of anger, radio DJ Jaye Jordan blows a snowman’s head off with a Revolutionary War-style musket. But the corpse that tumbles out is all too human. Jaye thought life would be quieter when she left New York City and bought a tiny Vermont radio station. But now, Edwin Anger, the ranting and raving radio talk show host Jaye recently fired, lies dead in the snow. And the Edwin Anger fans who protested his dismissal are sure she killed him.
To clear her name, Jaye must find the real killer, as if she doesn’t have her hands full running the radio station, DJing her all-request love song show, and shuttling tween daughter Ryan to and from school. It doesn’t make matters easier that the governor, Jaye’s old crush, arrived on the scene before the musket smoke cleared. Fortunately, Jaye has allies, if you count the flatulent moose that lives in the transmitter shack, and Neptune, the giant gray cat that lives at the station.
If Jaye can turn the tables on the devious killer, she and the governor may get to make some sweet, sweet music together. But if she can’t, she’ll be off the air, permanently.
The Details
Series: A Vermont Radio Mystery – Book #1
Author: Nikki Knight
Genre/Category: Cozy – Amateur Sleuth/ Entertainment
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
ISBN: 1643859455
Page Count: 304
Rating: 
The Review
To be clear, my rating is not due to a dislike of this book. Live, Local, And Dead is entertaining, action-filled, and fun to read. This is a new series, “A Vermont Radio Mystery,” from author Kathleen Marple Kalb (Nikki Knight), and it is not your run-of-the-mill cozy. DJ and radio station owner Jaye is putting her life back together after a devastating divorce and the end of her big-time career. Starting fresh back in the town she grew up in, taking care of her daughter, and rebuilding a radio station isn’t easy, but she has the help of a loving family, namely her ex’s family and her friends. The townspeople love her and what she is doing; maybe she can make a go of it on her own and have a happy life. All is going well until she loses her temper one morning, and a body shows up later.
Blowing the head off a snowman outside the radio station, which is also her home, seemed harmless enough, and it got her point across to some loud protesters. When the body of a radio talk show host, Edwin Anger, ends up inside the snowman, Jaye wonders if losing her temper was a smart move. The controversial radio hosts fans start accusing Jaye of killing the man, so she takes steps to prove to them and everyone else that she is a mother first, a DJ, and a business owner, not a killer. It doesn’t take long to find suspects, the man upset a lot of people, and the evidence shows that all of the suspects had an excellent reason to kill Edwin, some more than others. For Jaye, she has no doubt about who the killer is, but proving it puts her and her daughter in peril. Things go from bad to worse as the investigation progresses, but in the end, Jaye helps capture the killer and puts her radio station on the map.
The characters in Live, Local, And Dead are energetic, compassionate, amusing, and filled with purpose. They are passionate about their state, maybe a little too much, but it’s refreshing to watch as they come together to protect and take care of one of their own. I adore the Moose; he is magnificent. And Jaye’s daughter is a real treat. However, I was not a big fan of Jaye; she needs a spine and less dependent on a man for her happiness. But more than anything, she needs to speak like a real person and not a DJ all the time. I love the radio station and that it is also her home. The romance with the governor I found a bit unbelievable. She is still upset about her divorce, and suddenly she is having a physical relationship with a man she barely knows? The killer was instantly recognizable; I did not feel there was any real mystery to uncover.
All of this said, I was entertained by the story. The radio station, Jaye as a single mother and a DJ, was fun and original; I love her music selections. I know there will be growth as the series progresses, and I hope we get a better understanding of who the recurring characters are and what Jaye’s plans are for the radio station’s future, her relationship with her ex, his family, and the governor. A few tweaks, and this will be a wonderful series for readers to curl up with.
The Author
Nikki Knight is the pen name of an award-winning longtime New York radio news anchor. She grew up in Western Pennsylvania and started her radio career as a teenage DJ. After college, she worked at a small radio station in Vermont and loved the town and the people but not the snow. Her career led to a more prominent and prestigious newsroom. She still hasn’t managed to escape from the snow. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and son in a house owned by their cat.
Readers may enjoy more books like Getaway With Murder from Diane Kelly’s “The Mountain Lodge Mysteries” series or Cheryl Hollon’s Draw and Order from the “A Paint ‘n’ Shine Mystery” series.
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