An actor in a television crime show finds that her role is becoming more like a part in a dangerous reality series.
As Detective Jocelyn Girard on CUNJ: Crime Unit New Jersey, Texas-born tomboy P.L. McGinnis does many of her own stunts. But finding a body adrift in the chilly waters of Raritan Bay isn’t part of the script. The murdered man is one of the many Tonys working on a makeover of the house P.L.’s friend Sol Chastaine has inherited. Luckily, the harrowing experience does gain her a good deal of attention from three sexy men: her fellow actor Xander Casella, FBI agent Elijah Rossi and reporter Mike Chizoba Shimada. When another Tony is found electrocuted and hanging from a ceiling fan in Sol’s makeover, the plot thickens. The most sinister of the Tonys for P.L. is Toni Mainerio, the gorgeous contractor for the makeover whose ill-assorted crew seems to lack the most rudimentary skills for the job. They’re not the only ones who are unskilled, though. Toni’s insistence that P.L. reveal the whereabouts of a Catalan cuckoo clock leaves the feisty Texan baffled. With Mike’s help, she attempts to track down the elusive clock and figure out why Toni is so desperate to get it. Kidnapped, stalked and harassed by Toni and her helpers, P.L. continues to act, pack in the food and socialize with her pal Bambi and the CUNJ cast until the show and the case are a wrap.
In introducing P.L. and her pals, Fitzpatrick (Hot Stuff, 2005, etc.) gets pretty silly. A last-minute twist saves the mystery from complete inconsequence.
