Everything is resolved before Guru Gingii arrives for his interview. Maggie is instantly repulsed by the man who is more smarmy than mystical. However, his fans love him, including Maggie’s young roommate Lark, who is thrilled to learn the Guru is staying at the hotel next to their apartment building and dashes off to get some autographs after Maggie arrives home one evening. 

The next morning, Gingii is found dead and Lark is the number one suspect of hunky detective Rafe Martino. Maggie knows that Lark wouldn’t hurt a fly and begins to use her journalistic instinct and therapeutic skills to look into Gingii’s death trying to find other suspects and clear Lark’s name.

With her past record for assault, and admitting that she did see Gingii the night he died and that she did wallop him after he began pawing her and trying to force himself on her, Lark is a very popular suspect. But as Maggie begins asking questions, she learns Lark isn’t the only one who wanted to clobber Gingii recently, but who hated him enough to want him dead?   

Dead Air is fun, fast-paced mystery set in steamy Florida with a bright, engaging heroine. Fans of pop psychology will find much to enjoy and a bit of fun is poked at the mysticism of Sanjay Gingii and those like him who sometimes take themselves a bit too seriously. The plot is well laid out and Lark makes a very viable suspect. The more Maggie looks into Gingii’s life, though, the more people she finds disliked him enough to want him dead. Vera Mae is a fun pal for Maggie and receptionist Irina adds to the colorful cast. 

There is plenty of romantic tension between Maggie and Rafe, even though her next door neighbor, manager of the hotel Ted Rollins pines for her. Maggie is a welcome addition to the ranks of amateur detectives and will have broad appeal to a large audience.                                      

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry