Title: Cover Story
Author: Rachel Bailey
Published: 23 October 2014
Publisher: Momentum
Twitter: @RachelBaileyAus
Blog/website: http://www.rachelbailey.com/
Synopsis
Tobi Fletcher’s career is going places. Just ask her. Any day now, she’s going to write the story for her Sante Fe newspaper that will Make A Difference. Of course, Pulitzer prizes and the like will soon follow.
Unfortunately, her editor doesn’t have the same vision. His vision has her investigating a series of gnomicides. Yes, gnomicides—the wanton murder of garden gnomes.
It’s a nightmare for Tobi. She’s spent her life working towards a career she can be proud of—and proving she’s nothing like her mother. She’s intelligent, independent and so uptight she can’t even let go to sneeze properly—and, unlike her colleagues, she certainly can’t appreciate the funny side of the situation. She wants to work on the big story—a cover-up in a senator’s office.
Reluctantly, she interviews Simon, the man who reported the ‘incident’ to the newspaper—clearly a lunatic—his four-year old daughter, and the other residents of the street. Each has their own theory about the murderer, ranging from the slightly possible to the ludicrous and Tobi, unfortunately affected by her pollen allergy and having to repress sneezes regularly, writes the story.
Her editor loves it and demands more; interstate papers pick it up and reader feedback is overwhelming. Apparently, she’s not going anywhere just yet—and, dammit, that means facing her pesky attraction to Simon. Along the way, Tobi discovers there are many truths and secrets to be uncovered—other people’s as well as her own. The question is, will the truth really set her free?
Review
Thanks to Momentum Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of Cover Story in return for an honest review.
Cover Story is an entertaining and quirky romance/mystery story.
It follows Tobi Fletcher who works as a reporter for a local newspaper. She is uptight and career orientated, with little time for fun. In the middle of working on a potentially huge story, she is furious to be reassigned to cover a local story about the anonymous smashing of communal garden gnomes. During her time in Los Alamos Court investigating the ‘gnomicides’, Tobi meets a street of tea-obsessed eccentric residents including the attractive and widowed, Simon, and his young daughter Anna.
As the story progresses, Tobi is shocked at the wide-reach of the story both in the local community and nationally, causing her to spend further time on the street, learning the various secrets held by those residents. Tobi unwittingly starts to become part of this odd little community and ultimately has to decide whether to finally put her own personal happiness above her career plans.
The characters are fantastic in their slightly crazy quirkiness whilst, at the same time, remaining quite believable. I particularly like the menacing cat and the burgeoning relationship between Tobi and little Anna.
The story contains a number of twists and turns, keeping the reader guessing as to the perpetrator of the gnome-related crimes until the end of the book. A lot seems to happen in this book, given that it’s a relatively quick read.
The story is light hearted and fun, packed full of romance, humour and laughs, a real feel-good story that you don’t want to come to an end.
This was my first Rachel Bailey book and I will definitely be trying another!
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
The book is released in electronic format and is currently priced at £4.27 on Amazon UK.
About the Author
Rachel Bailey developed a serious book addiction at a young age (via Peter Rabbit and Jemima Puddle-Duck) and has never recovered. Just how she likes it. She went on to gain degrees in psychology and social work but is now living her dream writing romance for a living. Her books have hit the USA Today bestseller list, are published in over twenty-six countries and have been translated into sixteen languages. She lives on a piece of paradise on Australia’s east coast with her hero and their dog pack, and loves to hear from readers. She can be contacted via http://www.rachelbailey.com.
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