WATERMELON TATTOO

In this novel, an aspiring singer’s life is all over the charts after she is compelled to leave her hometown following an unfortunate accident.

Jaqui Benderman was “a wild rose,” a “gangly, smart-assed” girl who grew up to be a high school honor student and “drop-dead gorgeous,” with a “pure and strong” singing voice. But her best laid plans to win the local festival’s Watermelon Queen contest and earn a college scholarship go horribly awry when she runs afoul of Lilah Snipes, the mayor’s daughter and homecoming queen, whose ex-boyfriend is showing too keen an interest in Jaqui. When he dies in a tragic accident and Lilah sabotages her festival performance, Jaqui skips town (“Dad, I’m done,” she writes in a farewell note). She distinguishes herself at an open mic, where she impresses a former 1980s “big hair” heartthrob who has rebooted his career as an R&B singer. She also meets Katrine Boneta, a singer who takes the newcomer under her wing and invites her to move in. Things take an unsettling turn when it becomes apparent that someone is stalking Jaqui and racking up a body count of people in her orbit. Meanwhile, a subplot follows Langley, Jaqui’s platonic friend from back home, who is bewitched by college classmate Sara (and for good reason, it turns out). In Jaqui, Burnett has created an unconventional and magnetic character who makes a memorable first impression, demanding that an unlicensed artist cover her posterior with the tattoo of a watermelon. But the author violates the dramatic principle of Chekhov’s gun that states if a character gets a tattoo that covers her rear, it should be deployed in the last act. Burnett also tends to describe conversations instead of crafting memorable dialogue (“They had been cutting up, talking about bands and movies they liked, pretty people in the news and how to get famous”). In addition, some ham-handed misdirection can’t disguise an obvious villain.

Strong characterizations will keep readers engaged in what happens next in this murder tale.