Library's review
She's on her way to one of the detested feature assignments (interviewing local kiddos auditioning for the musical Annie) when she stumbles on a murder scene. Don't you hate when that happens? Me, too. She calls it in to her news director, who tells her to make tracks for the theater and let the station's crime reporter handle it. The crime reporter, of course, is a male chauvinist pig who is also buddy-buddy with the local cops, so when it appears that those same cops might be involved in the murder he does everything he can to discredit Emily's leads and re-direct suspicion. (How did Emily get leads on a murder she's not supposed to be covering? Is this your first mystery featuring an amateur sleuth?)
I enjoy the inside look this series provides of how a journalist works, even if it seems a tad unrealistic, and the actual mystery plot is fine. But boy howdy is the dialogue terrible. In particular, the conversations between Emily and her lawyer husband Ben sound like they're reading off cue cards. I mentioned in my review of the first book that they had a weird habit of referring to each other as "pal," apparently unironically. There's less of that here, but Ben especially sounds like he has a thesaurus wedged up his ... frontal lobe. Here, for example, is some of their "banter":
Emily (outside a restaurant at lunchtime): Are you kidding? Look at that line. By the time we get seated, we'd be ordering dinner.
Ben: Too true, alas. Shall we amble back to our humble abode and forage once there?
Another time, after Ben turns down Emily's offer to make him a sandwich:
Ben: Well, maybe I'll just have a bite of that sandwich. Just grilled cheese, or did you enhance it?
Emily: Bacon, of course.
Ben: Of course. An additional and welcome incentive to partake.
It's a pity that the writing is so clunky, because I did enjoy the mystery and the references to 1970s pop culture and current events. The setting of Chicago also comes through nice and strong. I just wonder if that's how author Hamlin and his wife talk when no one's around to hear them ...
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¿Spies, Lies and Murder: Film at Eleven!¿Chicago journalist Emily Winter is back. It's Spring, 1977, and she's the first reporter on the scene of a gruesome murder in the Chicago offices of CARD, a successful civic organization that investigates corruption in City Hall. Although she has proven herself a skilled reporter with at least one headline making story to her credit, her new TV boss orders her to stay on a more ladylike beat¿lifestyle, entertainment and feature stories. Determined to overcome the sexism that infuses her career, Emily negotiates her way into hard news coverage, including the murder at CARD. But Emily faces major obstacles on all fronts as she pursues the killer. One of her male colleagues, threatened by her rise within the newsroom, makes every effort to prevent or impede her work. Emily persists, drawing on her journalistic instincts while relying on a large, entertaining roster of sources and allies including her eccentric husband Ben, his beloved Uncle Max and the ladies from The Rules Committee, all intimately familiar with glass ceilings. As the case twists and turns, Emily navigates the city she loves, relishing Chicago¿s architecture, neighborhood restaurants, culture and her beloved, if hapless, Cubs. Will her investigative diligence uncover the murderer and bring justice for those who entrust their stories to her? Find out in this eagerly anticipated sequel to Winter in Chicago!… (more)