Maggie’s producer sees her “in” with the movie people as a possible way to boost ratings.  Maggie agrees; soon after she sets foot on the set she lands a forensic consulting job, her specialty from her life in Manhattan. Maggie realizes she has her work cut out for her when she reads the script. 

Not expecting to use her expertise in real life, Maggie is watching a scene being shot when the lead female, Adriana St. James, is really shot using a prop gun that has been tampered with.  Hot detective Rafe Martino warns Maggie off the case, but she thinks every good case can use some forensic psychological work and begins asking questions of the cast and crew. 

Maggie finds that almost everyone had a reason to hate Adriana and when a Klieg light falls on the chair where Maggie was just sitting, she realizes she may have struck a nerve with someone.  Now if she could just figure out which someone before she or her mother gets killed and before she annoys Rafe enough to ruin whatever is building between them.   

Reel Murder is a breezy, quick read, with oddball characters and a warm, tropical setting.  Maggie has a down to earth roommate that both watches out for Maggie (and her mother) and centers Maggie. Vera Mae, Maggie’s production assistant at the radio station, does the same for her at work. At 32 and a trained psychologist, it seems Maggie should be more together than she sometimes is. The characters on the movie set are entertaining, in a cartoon-ish sort of way; they seem to be acting all the time, even when they are not on a sound stage. 

The murderer is easy to pick out and maybe Rafe is right, sometimes good detective work is all you need, since Maggie spends so much of her time analyzing what is said to her to see what is right in front of her. There is a growing relationship between Maggie and Rafe and it is hard to pinpoint which one of the two is holding back more, or if they both are, and what those reasons might be for each. Not too taxing, with a gossipy style, Reel Murder is perfect for a quick, summer read.                                                    

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry