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The Good Bylineby Jill Orr Kindle Edition, 280 pg. Read: August 24, 2021 |
What’s The Good Byline About?
I’m running late, and don’t have the time to come up with my own synopsis, so I’m just going to borrow this from :
Meet Riley Ellison, a smart, quirky young heroine with Southern charm to boot. Riley feels adrift in her small hometown of Tuttle Corner, Virginia, newly single and bemoaning the decline of print journalism, which has dashed her long-held dream of succeeding her grandfather as an obituary writer at the local newspaper. When her childhood best friend commits suicide with no warning, the grieving family asks Riley to write her obituary. As she investigates why such an ambitious young woman might want to end her life, Riley begins to consider that her friend Jordan may have actually been murdered. In the meantime, her love life becomes complicated when her ex Ryan returns to town just as things are heating up with a hot newcomer—who may have had something to do with Jordan’s death.
A Couple of Things I Just Don’t Get
I don’t get how big Tuttle Corner is—there’s a lot about it being a small town, but when it comes to crime, the influence of the paper Jordan worked for, and just how “famous” an obituary writer from a small-town newspaper can be. But, you know what? I just didn’t care—the story and characters are engaging and charming enough that it falls into the range of the old MST3K theme song line, “Just repeat to yourself, it’s just a [book], I should really just relax”
Now, there are several chapter epigraphs about the art of obituary writing, I’ve never really given it much thought (although there’s something in the back of my mind saying I’ve read/heard/seen something about it years ago). It’s really an interesting concept–I’m a little curious about the idea now.
So, what did I think about The Good Byline?
Back in 2019, I took part in a thing called the Indie Crime Crawl—a celebration of Independently Published Crime Fiction. Someone (I can’t remember who, but I wish I could) talked about this book and series during it. I bought it as a result, and then just didn’t find the time to read it until now. Shame on me.
This reminds me of Karen E. Olson’s Annie Seymore mysteries from about ten years ago and made me think about tracking down those books as soon as I finish this series.
This was a fun story, just complex and tense enough to satisfy the Crime Fiction reader. The style and characters are light and breezy. The rom-com part of this works well. The charm of this book is all about Riley–and she’s got more than enough to win over any reader and keep them coming back for more.
I will be.
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