Call In For Murder: A Neon Desert Novel
by Tammy Barker
About Call In For Murder
Call In For Murder: A Neon Desert Novel
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Nevada
Independently Published
Publication date : October 19, 2025
Print length : 238 pages
Paperback
ISBN-13 : 979-8999862600
Digital
ISBN-13 : 979-8999862617
ASIN : B0FVMJMQ3R
Call-in radio host Ashley Compton is Las Vegas’s best friend when it comes to giving relationship tips to strangers. But when a repeat caller is found murdered after exposing her woes on the air and accepting the challenge to put up or shut up, Ashley questions if her homespun advice was the catalyst for the murder.
Afraid of losing her job and destroying her reputation, Ashley heads to the seedy side of Las Vegas to snoop around. There she encounters shady dealings: lies, gambling, adultery, and potential criminal activities. When her two-timing and felonious suspects spout glib excuses to justify their behaviors, she digs deeper and is threatened, injured, and gets what she dishes out: advice she doesn’t always like.
Can Ashley’s sleuthing skills catch the killer, or will she end up just another crime statistic? Can she save her career, or will she be put on the Do-Not-Call list?
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Ashley Compton, aka Miss LARE (Love And Relationship Expert), hosts a call-in show on Las Vegas radio. Her relationship tips have earned her a great following while still on probation with the station. She delivers her advice in a no-holds-barred style. But could she have gone too far? One of her regular callers was murdered shortly after asking Miss LARE for more advice. Ashley is nervous; it could mean the end of her show. It weighs on her; was the woman’s death her fault?
To alleviate her feelings, Ashley decides to do a little sleuthing on her own. The Buona Fortuna Casino and Hotel, where the body was found, is not on the Strip; it’s Downtown, and it’s struggling. Ashley actually enjoys walking through the area; it is where the history of Las Vegas began. It’s where she finds her suspects. It’s where she will dig into their secrets and lies to get justice for her caller.
If trying to catch a killer isn’t enough, her ex has come to town and is determined to win her back.
Can Ashley keep Frank at bay and keep her job while she strives to put a killer behind bars? Or will the killer take her off the air, leaving her listeners with nothing but dead air?
Ms. Barker has created an interesting protagonist in Ashley Compton, confident on the air with lines like this that cracked me up
“I am trying to be your friend, Bill. See it from her side. Scratchy and up-your-butt outfits aren’t for everyone. Is she a showgirl or a stripper?”
She is fierce when dealing with her ex, Frank, who can’t take No! for an answer, but she can be her real self with her BFF Nathan. She can break down, cry, vent, and share her thoughts on the murder. He will hug her, talk her down, give her advice, and try his darndest to keep her out of trouble. She tolerates her producer, Cheryl, because she has to. She tries to impress her boss, Tom, because she likes and needs her job. I really enjoy her relationship with Nathan, the only man in her life. He has that “boy-next-door look … with an air of sophistication underneath … and looked pulled together no matter what he wore”. But, yes, the man is gay. He has a wonderful sense of humor and is the perfect best friend for Ashley.
Ashley really feels responsible for her listener’s death. She plans to do her own investigation, and not even Nathan can stop her. Her investigation takes her Downtown, the gritty part of Las Vegas, where dirty deals happen, gamblers lose their shirts, adultery, secrets, and lies are commonplace. Ashley isn’t taken seriously at first, but she perseveres in her quest to find the truth, even after being escorted out of the Buona Fortuna Casino and Hotel and attacked. The showdown was thrilling, or “foolish” according to the detective in charge of the case. I was delighted to tag along with Ashley every step of the way.
Call In For Murder, Tammy Barker’s debut into the cozy world, is a super fun and entertaining read. With a spunky protagonist and a clever whodunit laced with humor, set in the bedraggled part of Las Vegas, she has set this series off to a terrific start. I look forward to the continuation of Ashley’s life journey. Is she going to make some new friends?
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC.
Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent
About Tammy Barker
Tammy Barker is a serious, by-the-book Washington DC government accountant by day and a wildly imaginative fiction writer by night. She writes contemporary traditional amateur sleuth mystery novels and historical pulp fiction short stories. Her other loves include reading anything, restoring or refurbishing vintage items, small home repairs, cooking and baking, classical piano, and wishing she lived during the 1940s and 1950s. She is on Facebook, and her website is https://tammybarkerwriter.com.
Author Links
Webpage – Facebook – Goodreads – Instagram
Purchase Links –
Amazon Digital – Amazon Print – B&N Print
TOUR PARTICIPANTS – Please visit all the stops.
March 16 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
March 16 – Sarandipity’s – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
March 17 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
March 17 – Books1987 – SPOTLIGHT
March 18 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
March 18 – Christa Reads and Writes – SPOTLIGHT
March 19 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
March 19 – StoreyBook Reviews – AUTHOR GUEST POST
March 20 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
March 20 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
March 21 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – REVIEW
March 21 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT
March 22 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
March 22 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
March 23 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
March 24 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
March 24 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR GUEST POST
March 25 – Salty Inspirations – CHARACTER GUEST POST
Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?
Click Here to Find Details and Sign Up Today!
Want to Book a Tour?
Click Here
Discover more from Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book - Great Escapes Book Tours
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Great review, thanks!