Life Without Parole: A Kate Conway Mystery

Two reality shows preoccupy Kate Conway in O’Donohue’s outstanding second mystery featuring the freelance Chicago TV producer (after 2011’s Missing Persons). When Kate signs on to Opening Night, a show about a new restaurant, she discovers that Vera Bingham, her late husband’s mistress, has brought her on board the show. Kate, despite her resentment and generally crusty nature, takes a liking to the charmingly friendly Vera. For a second show, Life Without Parole, a documentary about convicts who will die in prison, Kate interviews two very different men: Brick Tyler, an unapologetically tough murderer; and Tim Campbell, who seems sweet—maybe too sweet. Kate’s crew, cameraman Andres Pena and sound man Victor Pilot, work with Kate on both shows and provide a somewhat dysfunctional family dynamic. When one of the investors in the restaurant is murdered, suspicion falls at first on Vera. The convicted murderers supply Kate with some surprising clues. Agent: Sharon Bowers, the Miller Agency. (May)