A BAD DAY'S WORK

A run of bad luck for a “shooter” at a California TV station is about to get much worse.

Lilly Hawkins is one of the few women who shoot video for television. So many things have gone wrong for her lately that when she’s called out to cover a murder, she’s determined to get the best shots she can. The police have the site locked down, but Lilly sneaks into the area of an orchard where a body has been found. When her video is found to be blank, everyone thinks it’s only one more of her screw-ups. But when two cops looking for the tape accuse her of trying to blackmail the wealthy man who owns the orchard and physically attack her, Lilly vows to find the truth and the original tape. Although she has not seen her shady Uncle Bud in a while, she’s convinced that he’s the man who can help her. Sure enough, he quickly comes up with some ideas. It’s a lot harder for her to decide whom she can trust. Rod Strong is still asking for her to shoot for his news segments, but once she’s betrayed by several of her colleagues at KJAY, she wonders if Rod may be plotting to sell her out.

McFarland’s debut, the first in a planned series, is often both amusing and touching as Lilly discovers both the truth about the murder and enough about herself to change her life.