BAD MONDAY by ANNETTE ROOME (1997)
ISBN: 0006510280 / 9780006510284 (UK PB)
Publisher: HarperCollins (Mar 1999 – pages 224)

From Fantastic Fiction;Chris Martin's personal life may be looking up now her two-timing husband has moved out and her lover in, but her working life as a reporter on the local rag is in a rut, condemning her to covering village fetes and lost cats. Her newest assignment - interviewing local boy and legendary rock star Rick Monday - at least has an aura of glamour surrounding it. Though the interview itself turns out to be a major disappointment, the follow-up is dynamite: Monday is found with an ornamental dagger in his chest and Chris was one of the last people to see him alive. Determined not to let the biggest story of her career get away, Chris defies her editor and the police by conducting her own investigation. Undeterred by close encounters with a violent songwriter and a deranged groupie, she pursues the trail through the often seedy world of rock music and into a web of family secrets. But the price of this big story could be Chris's life.

Blistering fun with a cracking heroine, though metaphorically I kept throwing my hands in the air and screaming stop that mouth running away with its self you bright, bold and quick-thinking woman. Listen to yourself, the hole you are carving out for yourself could get big enough to swallow you! Bad Monday proved, as the book cover burble suggested it would be, to be a dynamic suspense fronted by a determined though over-eager reporter hungry for both a ‘big’ story and the truth of the matter. It certainly threatened to keep me up all night and I cannot do better than quote the words of praise on the books cover;

‘Zestful mix of criminous and domestic comedy’ Guardian
‘Self-depreciating, put-upon, wryly comic Chris comes through likeable and credible, a rare combination’ Independent

Rare combination yes though Chris Martin forcibly puts me in mind of Robin Hudson, Sparkle Hayter’s protagonist in a five book series featuring a feisty female detective, then even more so of, Sam Jones, an artist-turned accidental investigator, the heroine of Lauren Henderson’s, seven strong book series. OK all these books are fairly firmly set in the 80/90s and may have a bit of a dated feel only in that they don’t include huge hinges round the use of today's technology but they happily have modern kick-ass heroines and are also utterly engaging, well written and thoroughly entertaining.
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I’m definitely looking out for the rest of the Christine Martin series: 1. Real Shot in the Arm (1989), 2. A Second Shot in the Dark (1990), [3. Bad Monday (1997)]
4. Deceptive Relations (1999).

My plan is to release this at the Edinburgh BookCrossers Meeting at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, today Sunday 24th August. If no no-one picks it up I’ll be blooming surprised as I will be offering it to BookCrossers and potential BookCrossers alike! Even then I have a back-up plan to do some ‘wild releasing’ in and around Fringe and Festival venues! Now some welcoming BC burble…
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Hello book finder, if you aren't familiar with BookCrossing – WELCOME! I hope you will enjoy this book and make a little journal entry! You can leave notes anonymously. When you are done with it, perhaps you will send it on its way. Check out BookCrossing - it's a fun community of readers! HAPPY READING

PS And if you find yourself liking BookCrossing, EDINBURGH has an active group of BookCrossers who meet [at least] twice monthly: every first Thursday of the month at 7.30 pm and also every third Sunday of the month at, 2pm. Venue: Hemma, a Swedish bar near the Scottish Parliament in central Edinburgh on 75 Holyrood Road, EH8 8AE Come join us! For more information, see our Meet-Up Group http://www.meetup.com/bookswapedinburgh
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UPDATE: not picked up during at the EdinBook Festival and I’m sending this out instead to BookCrosser Tanamo. - NB: Goodness me, I thought I had posted this and so was wondering why I had not garnered a ‘caught’ journal entry yet… Then a couple of days ago tracking back over my movements recently I recalled an abortive visit to my local post office just as they closed. Ah… but that memory had become sunk as I had then gone onto another event. Posted Friday 12 September, Cheers Tanamo.

Arrived in Leicestershire on a good Monday so hope its not all downhill from now on ....

I didn't really take to this book. I liked the premis but felt it lacked pace and it didn't really draw me in. I did persevere though and finished it.

Left on a bench

If you've found this book and you're new to this, welcome to bookcrossing! I hope you enjoy looking around the bookcrossing site. If you decide to join bookcrossing (it's free, so no reason not to if you're interested!) please feel free to list me (Tanamo) as the member who referred you. Even if you don't join I'd appreciate it if you'd leave a quick journal note so I can see where the book ended up - you can do it anonymously if you wish.