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Hot, Shot, And Bothered (2011)

by Nora McFarland(Favorite Author)

3.51 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

1439155569 (ISBN13: 9781439155561)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Touchstone

series

Lilly Hawkins

review 1: 3.5 stars. So this was #2 in the series and I went into it without first reading #1. Not a huge mistake, but I wish I knew the story of Lilly & Rod and whatever trouble Lilly got herself into in the first book. It took me a while to get through this book because....well, I'm not sure. Lilly wasn't my favorite heroine ever...I didn't need all of the "shooter" details...it was obnoxious that she was so focused on the case despite the HUGE, IMMEDIATE DANGER of the wildfire. I mean, I see the issue of the murder....but I didn't need to hear "I owe her for a favor she did me thirteen years ago" story on every other page. Oh well. In spite of this, the story did keep me turning pages, especially once Rod came and the intensity picked up. I think I'll go ahead and pick up the fir... morest book and see how that is.
review 2: HOT, SHOT, AND BOTHERED by Nora McFarlandTouchstone (08/11)Review by Linda S. Brown(6/30/11)McFarland’s debut novel, A BAD DAY’S WORK (Touchstone, 2010), introduced an intriguing rookie character to the soft-boiled mystery world: a news videographer named Lilly Hawkins, based out of the small town of Bakersfield in California’s agricultural Central Valley. Lilly is smart and smart-mouthed, a talented and ambitious newshound in a small, compact body – but sporting size 10 work boots. As one of the few women camera operators, Lilly has a bit of a chip on her shoulder; and it just may be that a few misspent moments in her youth contribute to that attitude. The first novel was an enjoyable and respectable debut. The new book in the series, HOT, SHOT, AND BOTHERED, shows McFarland’s growth as a writer who has added depth to Lilly’s character, and who demonstrates tighter writing and more complex plotting.In HOT, SHOT, AND BOTHERED, Lilly gets caught up in a firestorm in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Instead of rushing to evacuate the little resort/farming community of Lake Elizabeth, Lilly drives headlong into the path of the news story – and the fire. As in any small community, there are secrets that lie hidden, some beneath the surface of the lake, some in the city politics. Lilly believes the fire may have been started as a distraction to cover up a local scandal involving a young woman Lilly knew years before. But can she prove the cover-up before getting trapped by the raging wildfire?Back at the newsroom, McFarland has created a rich environment with politics fuelled by diverse characters such as the acerbic assignment manager, a couple of sidekick crew members that are slightly off-kilter (or maybe slightly high, but always amusing and oddly efficient), an on-again-off-again romance between Lilly and Rod (a local newscaster with Hollywood looks and Los Angeles sophistication), and an aging hippie/redeemed black sheep uncle who has recently reentered Lilly’s life. All of these characters are devoted, in their own unique ways, to protecting the prickly Lilly – from herself as well as outside dangers.This is a fun series, with a sharply drawn and evolving cast of characters in the fast-moving world of television news. In HOT, SHOT, AND BOTHERED, McFarland has demonstrated her chops as a researcher as well as a writer: the firefighters and emergency workers, the scenes and equipment, and the dirt and exhaustion and adrenaline -- all rings true. Lilly Hawkins has her work cut out for her, and Nora McFarland makes sure she’s up to the task. less

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