Love is Murder

Linda Palmer's debut mystery is fast paced and filled with quirky characters, including a long list of suspects with viable motives. Celeste Lawson slips easily into the character of Morgan Tyler, head writer for "Love of My Life." Lawson makes the repartee between the characters snap and crackle. Even when Morgan's life begins to resemble the outlandish soap opera scripts she writes, Lawson maintains control of the story. Together Palmer and Lawson bring the world of daytime drama to life. K.A.T. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine

October 4, 2004
Combining romance, humor and suspense, this offbeat debut mystery from Palmer, a screenwriting teacher and former wildlife photographer, offers a behind-the-scenes look at the soap opera industry. Narrator Lawson slips easily into the character of vulnerable Morgan Tyler, a beautiful young widow and Emmy Award-winning soap opera writer. Morgan's life begins to resemble the outlandish scripts she writes when the head of her network's daytime programming is murdered and she, as his unwitting beneficiary, becomes the prime suspect. Fortunately for Morgan, Detective Matt Phoenix seems to be interested in more than just her alibi. The characters' exchanges are fast-paced and often tinged with sarcasm, but Lawson shines in this arena, switching seamlessly among various intonations and accents, even such disparate ones as English and Southern. With its smart dialogue and quirky characters—including Morgan's "50-ish and desperate" competitor Helen and Matt's sweet-as-pie but delusional Aunt Penny—this tale is perfect for audio adaptation, and Lawson does a fine job of bringing it to life. Based on the Berkley paperback.