FAIR-SKINNED BRUNETTE WITH THE PORCELAIN SHINE

A former journalist’s investigation into fraud becomes a murder case in this debut novel.

At his favorite North Carolina tavern, Lassie James spots his old flame for the first time in 30 years—in the flesh, that is. The ex-reporter has seen plenty of Dr. Holly “Fats” Pike in the media. She’s a successful scientist best known for developing a cure for baldness. Now, she needs Lassie’s help; anonymous emails claim a researcher at her company is fraudulently tweaking its findings. Lassie, now a freelance writer/lyricist, can’t say no to Fats, especially since the gig pays $5 million. He uses his investigative journalist skills to peruse the company’s employee records. Before he makes much progress, one of Lassie’s old friends from the University of North Carolina winds up a murder victim. Though it seems unrelated to the fraud investigation, it turns out his friend may have had information on the anonymous emailer. Two more deaths ensue, which authorities suggest link to the first homicide. Lassie, meanwhile, looks for connections between a researcher cooking numbers and someone committing murder, which may point him directly to a killer. In Bare’s tale, the protagonist’s laid-back, first-person narration creates a measured pace. For example, his investigation primarily consists of whittling 100,000-plus employees down to a single fraudster, a methodology he unnecessarily explains three times. Nevertheless, Lassie regularly offers tidbits of insight; marrying someone, he concludes, isn’t about just finding the right person, but the ideal time as well. In addition, intriguing characters make for a consistently absorbing story. Most notable is Lassie’s tavern-owner friend, who finds an ingenious way to sell the worthless land he’s inherited. By the final act, Lassie unravels the mystery, leading to the amateur sleuth’s gratifying elucidation that checks off all the questions. His expressive song lyrics (some inspired by Fats) open each chapter in snippets and appear in full at the book’s end.

Stellar characters enhance this leisurely but engrossing mystery.