cover image Going to the Bad: 
A Lilly Hawkins Mystery

Going to the Bad: A Lilly Hawkins Mystery

Nora McFarland. S&S/Touchstone, $15 trade paper (304p) ISBN 978-1-4391-5557-8

McFarland’s twisty third Lilly Hawkins mystery (after 2011’s Hot, Shot, and Bothered) finds the Bakersfield, Calif., TV news photographer caught off guard by an attack on her beloved black sheep uncle, Allan “Bud” Hawkins. Lilly’s old adversary, ruthless billionaire Leland Warner; his embittered sister, Erabelle; and his even more treacherous son, Leland Jr., are determined to keep Lilly from the truth. But antique medals allegedly stolen from Erabelle years earlier might be the key to understanding why Bud was shot. As Lilly moves perilously close to the truth, she’s troubled to hear of her late father’s difficult childhood, and clues that Bud might have been more sinister than lovable scoundrel. Lilly recklessly barging into trailer parks and Leland Sr.’s luxurious estate alike provides some comic relief from the emotional weight of these revelations. Lilly’s instincts may occasionally lead her astray, but readers will enjoy stumbling alongside her. Agent: Molly Friedrich, the Friedrich Agency. (Aug.)