The Big Lead: A Stella Reynolds Mystery

Novice reporter Stella Reynolds, the endearingly human heroine of Kirsch’s fiction debut, finds her first job in the TV industry with the Fox affiliate in sleepy Bozeman, Mont. Stella’s appreciative of the opportunity, but she can’t help having second thoughts when she learns how small the staff and resources of her station are. Stella’s first achievement of significance is interviewing river guide Bill James following his arrest for burglarizing a house and trying on the owner’s underwear. After learning that James has an alibi, Stella manages to get the sheriff to agree to dismiss the charges, but that proves to be just a temporary victory when James becomes the prime suspect in the stabbing murders of the burglary victim and her mother. The truth, Stella suspects, is much more complex, and she holds nothing back in pursuing it. The author does a good job of eliciting sympathy for Stella by depicting her embarrassing stumbles on her first days. [em](BookLife) [/em]