Riding Gain: A Talk Radio Mystery [Hardcover]

Joyce Krieg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 13, 2005

When Shauna J. Bogart's former intern is shot to death in the city park, the grandmother of the suspect, another young man, asks Shauna J. for help. The young man tried to run from the murder scene and was shot and seriously wounded by the police. The youth's grandmother is certain he is innocent and Shauna agrees to look into it. A murder-mystery might be just the thing to distract her from her own problems, which are currently numerous.
Shauna J.'s boss has added a weekly spot for a self-styled psychic into her program, without even telling her. She's been getting puzzling call-ins from someone who claims to be her high school friend. And she's learned that a network station with an almost-promised job for her thinks her image is "too old." Another offer is in the wind, but does she want it enough to move from her beloved Sacramento to Los Angeles? More important, would Pete Kovacs, her significant other, be willing to make the move?
Taking up the case, Shauna J. enlists her willing assistant, Josh, and the pair hunts down every puzzling clue. What they turn up is an evil scheme that touches more and more of the people they encounter and threatens Shauna J., as well as those around her, with sudden death.
In her prize-winning first novel, Murder Off Mike, Joyce Krieg proved that going behind the scenes of talk radio can be fun, fascinating, and sometimes downright scary. She continues to prove it delightfully in this, Shauna J. Bogart's third escapade.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the charming third mystery by Agatha-nominee Krieg starring Shauna J. Bogart (after 2004's Slip Cue), the gutsy Sacramento, Calif., radio personality finds herself up to her eyeballs in personal problems. Shauna's boss insists that she feature a local psychic on her show ("riding gain" refers to the mixing Shauna has to do to maintain audio levels when the psychic goes all high and breathy into the mike). The handwriting is on the wall. Ramping up her job search, Shauna's soon offered a post at a station in L.A. She doesn't fancy moving, but the salary is unbeatable. Shauna's love life is heating up, too—beau Pete Kovacs indicates he might be willing to accompany her to the City of the Stars. If that's not enough, Shauna's former intern is found gunned down in a public park. The cops conclude he got mixed up in a drug deal gone wrong, but both Shauna and the victim's mother think otherwise. So off Shauna goes to investigate the killing. The plot's turns and twists make this the best yet in the series.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Krieg's latest entry in the Talk Radio Mystery series finds protagonist Shauna J. Bogart at a crossroads. Although she takes pride in her show on Sacramento's independent talk-radio station, Shauna is disturbed by recent trends. First, she's passed over for a promising San Francisco morning show because she's older than the other candidate. Then her station's owner, T. R. O'Brien, insists that Shauna give part of her show to a psychic. Maybe, Shauna thinks, it's time to sell out to the radio conglomerate that's been courting her; but before she has a chance to act on that idea, a former intern of hers, Travis, is murdered, and the accused killer's family swears he's innocent. Helping Shauna solve the mystery is her current intern, Josh. Krieg gives readers an interesting look into the world of talk radio, and Shauna's tough-but-lovable personality makes her great company. Jenny McLarin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1st edition (October 13, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312327382
• ISBN-13: 978-0312327385
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,903,416 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Talk Radio Continues to Kill, November 19, 2005

By 

Mark Baker (Santa Clarita, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Riding Gain: A Talk Radio Mystery (Hardcover)

Shauna J. Bogart is running just a little late for her afternoon talk show that day. She was stuck in traffic returning late from a semi-business lunch. Fortunately, her intern/producer Josh was able to stall the first caller so no one knows.

That first caller is a bit of a mystery. Refusing to give his real name, he makes comments about Shauna's past that only one other person knows. The trouble is, that one person is in jail.

The big news of the day comes in the final hour of Shauna's show, however. That's when the radio station's news reporter, Glory Lou, announces there's been a murder. The victim is Travis Ikeda-Nyland. Not only is he the son of one of the station's biggest sponsors, he was also Shauna's intern a year and a half ago. The police do have a suspect in the case, the young man who jumped off the American River Bridge after tying up traffic and is now in a coma.

The suspect's grandma can't believe her grandson did it, and comes to Shauna for help. Ironically enough, Travis' mom isn't buying it either, and promises the station there will be no loss of revenue if Shauna continues to investigate.

The trail soon leads to Travis' efforts to recover from alcohol. He's been through treatment twice. The police are convinced that the murder was a drug deal gone bad, but everyone who knows Travis says he was clean. Had he fallen off the wagon?

Meanwhile, Shauna is facing a career crisis as well. She's been offered a job as a DJ for an oldies network. The pay would be wonderful and boyfriend Pete doesn't seem to mind the move. Plus station owner T.R. O'Brien has sold the last half hour of Shauna's show three days a week to a psychic, frustrating Shauna and making the offer even more tempting. So why can't she tell her boss she's leaving?

Joyce Krieg continues to entertain in the third talk radio mystery. Her plots are always top notch, and this one is no exception. It twists several different directions before reaching the logical conclusion. Plus the clues usually don't make sense initially.

The secondary series characters take a bit of a back seat this go around and we really don't get to know them better although they are still quite likable and very well developed. Even if their appearances were smaller then I would have liked, they are still destinct people. Shauna herself has taken up flying this go around, a hobby I hope continues through to the next book.

The beginning seemed a bit rough with several short scenes and abrupt scene changes. Once the story gets going, the scenes become longer and the plot and sub-plots begin to weave together better.

This series has served up three entertaining mysteries in a row Here's hoping the ratings match the strong plots for a long series.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Latest Talk Radio Mystery a Top 40 Hit!, October 25, 2005

By 

Ross A. Hugovidal (Portland, ME USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Riding Gain: A Talk Radio Mystery (Hardcover)

Crazed callers and wacky co-workers can make Talk Radio murder on a normal day! This time, talk show host Shauna J. Bogart launches her own unique investigation into a homicide, and is drawn into a disturbing new world of electronic surveillance and so-called security.

Julia Spencer-Fleming, one of my very favorite mystery authors, says Krieg's amped up plot and crystal-clear prose merit national syndication. I could not agree more. Do pick up a copy!

Joyce Krieg's Murder Off Mike won the Malice Domestic Contest for best first traditional mystery, and was nominated for an Agatha Award. And the series just keeps getting better!