Customer Reviews

A Bad Day's Work: A Novel (A Lilly Hawkins Mystery)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This was a fun read. Since it was touted as similar to Janet Evanovich, I was expecting a quirky heroine and some humor and I was not disappointed at all. In fact, I like Lilly Hawkins better. And her Uncle Bud deserves a book of his own. He's fantastically funny. This book's pleasant surprise (except that it kept me up too late reading) was that it is a page-turner. Lilly gets herself into and out of some very sticky jams and it was hard to put it down till she finally solved the mystery. McFarland has created a series with twists, turns, action, suspense, humor and a flawed but endearing heroine that you can't help but cheer for. I will definately be reading the second Lilly Hawkins mystery.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! Very entertaining with great bits of humor. It's always neat to learn something new and the detailed exposure to life in a newsroom of smaller city like Bakersfield was great. The jacket says the author also worked at CNN so I imagine it includes some experience from working with CNN's staff as well. All I can say is I got sucked into the story and stayed up late to finish "just one more chapter". I'm very much looking forward to reading the next book in the series!

This was such a fun read and a real page-turner. I am impressed that this is the author's first novel. I loved all the characters from Lilly to her Uncle Bud. There is suspense and humor that keeps you intrigued. I hope this is the beginning of a long series of Lilly Hawkins books.

Sharlene Moore

Review: A Bad Day's Work by Nora McFarland

Nora McFarland's first Lilly Hawkins mystery, A Bad Day's Work, is an entertaining mystery. In addition, the character development, setting, and almost classical time frame ratchet McFarland's first novel a level above many of the more popular chick lit mysteries. Once the protagonist Lilly realizes that she has unwittingly pushed her way into a physically dangerous situation, neither she nor the reader is allowed a break in the action. Lilly roars onward to save her life and her career. Readers get to ride along in the news van and Uncle Bud's land yacht, all over Bakersfield, finding clues to who committed murder, who is covering up what, and who is a trustworthy ally.
The subplot of career sabotage complicates Lilly's detective work and forces some painful self-reflection that results in personal insight and change. Lilly is as brave and honest about her own weaknesses as she is in the face of physical threats.
In fact, Lilly is as brave as Sue Ann Grafton's Kinsey Millhone, but funnier, and more likeable. She is described by one of the characters as a pit bull, and it is possibly this tenacity born of stubbornness that saves her life.
McFarland's use of setting is masterful. The reader is immediately caught up in the world of a television photographer ("a shooter") and must master the jargon and technology of the newsroom by immersion. Not since Lauren Weisberger's The Devil Wears Prada has a protagonist so honestly revealed such an insular, competitive, world.
The first person point of view is perfect for a mystery, since the protagonist and the reader get the clues at the same time. Traditionally, this provides the reader the leisure to put the pieces together while the heroine stays pretty busy protecting herself from pain and possible death. Lilly's visual nature and her propensity to label people with nicknames according to their appearance and personality aid the reader in this character-filled novel. Despite the fact that the actions of Skinny, Belly, Handsome, Teddy, and Freddy are essential to the plot line, they are stock characters. This allowable stereotyping frees the reader to concentrate on figuring out the nuances and motivations of the more important characters.
It is difficult to negotiate a genre with definite reader expectations and create a plot that does not descend into predictability, especially when human motivations within the genre are so predictable. However McFarland manages to keep us guessing and worrying over the bones she throws us until the very end. She has created a multi-dimensioned character with whom I would enjoy further acquaintance. Did her father commit suicide? What is going on with the mother? How will Rod Strong develop?
I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

not your everyday murder mystery. It feel like areal slice of life. I'm looking for the next book in the series

Lilly Hawkins, the only female shooter for a TV station in Bakersfield, is having a string of bad luck. So when video of a murder scene she snuck behind police lines to film turns out to be blank, she just chalks it up to that. The string is getting so bad that her job is on the line, so Lilly is concerned, but she vows to be more careful next time.

Then she is visited by two men demanding the tape and saying they are willing to pay for it. Those men turn out to be crooked cops. Soon, she also has a local gang after her, too. Can Lilly figure out a way to stay one step ahead of everyone chasing her long enough to figure out what the heck is going on?

The book started out well with plenty of action, but as it progressed, I was amazed at the character development. The characters started out simple, but their layers were slowly peeled away as things progressed.

The plot is strong as well. The mystery was a tad on the simple side, but there was more than enough action to keep me turning pages. The climax was logical and very satisfying.

My only real complaint was that the character arcs seemed to end abruptly. I liked how the book left things, but it felt like something that we should have seen after two or three books and not at the end of the first one.

Really, that a minor complaint. I loved every page of this book and can't wait to read about Lilly's further adventures.

Lilly Hawkins has been having her problems lately, gaining a reputation for screwing up [or, as she prefers to call it, having a run of bad luck]. But of course, perception is everything, as she knows. Lilly is a news photographer at KJAY covering the Bakersfield, CA area, "the only woman in town who did this for a living," and when she gets called out in the middle of the night to get photos at the scene of a murder, she jumps at the chance to get back in the good graces of the powers that be at the station.

Lilly manages to get some exclusive video at the scene of what was apparently a hijacking gone wrong, the video constituting both a huge scoop for Lilly and the station, as well an ever bigger danger to her and those around her.

The author, a former CNN staffer, certainly knows whereof she speaks, but I found it surprising that a "shooter" takes on tasks I normally associate with reporters, if not investigative reporters, e.g., pushing and prodding her way onto crime scenes and interviewing family members of the deceased, among others [including suspects]. Lilly manages to put herself in jeopardy with some degree of regularity. The author creates what to me were some completely improbable scenarios wherein, e.g., details of crimes committed by the bad guys are spelled out by the latter in public for all to hear, near where Lilly is hiding and able to hear every word; a healthy suspension of disbelief was required.

That said, the novel is a lively look at a world known to few outsiders, and "A Bad Day's Work" was a fun and fast read.

Lilly Hawkins is a shooter--a videographer for a Bakersfield TV station--who has apparently committed a rash of unfortunate errors recently. Her latest is the worst. Her boss threatens to fire her if she can't get some footage from a murder scene, and she jeopardizes the integrity of the crime scene in order to get the shots. The precious tape, however, turns out to be blank. Certainly, her rival, David, could have it in for her and is sabotaging her work somehow. Or perhaps Rod, the smooth anchorman is duplicitous. When a couple of corrupt cops rough her up in order to get her to give them the tape, which she doesn't believe exists, she doesn't know whom to trust and turns to Uncle Bud. He's a kick--resourceful and definitely in Lilly's corner but not exactly reliable. All in all, Lilly is as transparent as glass, but she's surrounded by people who aren't always what they seem. Well, OK, gang members are usually not a good thing. The author is a friend of a friend's daughter, and my expectations were low. However, I found this book to be funny and suspenseful, with a protagonist worth rooting for. Beach season may be over for this year, but there's no reason not to enjoy this one, wrapped in a blanket in front of a fireplace.

How would you like a day where nothing goes right - you are having your worst day ever, and then, it gets even worse! That's the kind of day that Lilly Hawkins is having as she tries to get a scoop in the middle of the night. Lilly is a television news photographer, the only female shooter around. Unfortunately, her hard-nosed personality and a few recent on-the-job slip-ups have placed her career on the line.

When her pager goes off in the middle of the night her news director makes it very clear that if she doesn't come back with an amazing story she will be looking for another job. She manages to get an exclusive video of the murder scene scooping every other news station around. The next day she is horrified to find out that her tape is blank!

Placed on indefinite leave by her boss, Lilly finds herself on the wrong side of more than one shady cop and threatened by a vicious gang leader. After all, they believe she has the real tape and that she can identify the killer.

Hooking up with her Uncle Bud after she finds out even her close friends have sold her out, she not only goes after the story and the killer, but now has two men pursuing her for a very different reason.

A Bad Day's Work is the debut effort of Nora McFarland. McFarland lived in Bakersfield, California and started as the only female shooter in that city. Using what she learned from her experience, the author has created a protagonist that is as inept as she is lovable. I'm sure we will see more of Lilly!

A Bad Day's Work: A Novel (Lilly Hawkins)

McFarland's first book breaks into the Lutz and Evanovich domain with a quirky heroine, distinctive secondary characters, and a neatly wrapped mystery. While I'd prefer more intensity and complexity, A Bad Day's work is a quick, fun diversion that bares promise for a stronger second book in 2011.