Farewell Performance: A Ginger Barnes Cozy Mystery

Murray’s clever sixth clever case for Ginger Barnes (after A Score To Settle) finds the Pennsylvania gumshoe digging into the murder of an old friend. Hollywood actor Jan Fairchild—one of Ginger’s high school classmates—has returned to Ludwig, Pa., to film a movie. Jan and Ginger’s mutual acquaintance, Didi, hosts a pajama party with several of their other classmates to mark the occasion. Though the evening gets off to a low-key start, a comment during a game of truth or dare freaks Jan out, leading her to rush out the door. Ginger catches up with the film star and persuades her to return to the house, but when Jan is late to awaken the next morning, Ginger finds her dead on her bedroom floor with a shattered skull. The Ludwig police question the group, taking particular interest in Ginger. She sets out to identify Jan’s killer, drawing on their shared history to crack the case. Ginger’s charming everywoman qualities make her easy to root for, and Murray has the mechanics of closed-circle whodunits down. This satisfies. (Self-published)