Lilly Hawkins is a TV news photographer, aka shooter, in Bakersfield, California. It’s Christmas Eve and she is working the assignment desk. One of the hazards of working such a position at a TV station is that you hear the news before it has been filtered for your ears – especially if it hits too close to home.

All of a sudden she hears an urgent request for an ambulance and that gunshots had been fired. What rocks her world is when she hears her own address given – where she and her boyfriend reside.

Her boyfriend Rod has been senior producer at KJAY in Bakersfield since the previous summer and they have been living together since the previous year. When Lilly arrived at her home, she was shocked to find it was her Uncle Bud who had been shot and he was on his way to the hospital.

While at the hospital Lilly heard about an argument her uncle had the previous day with the richest man in the area and a former childhood friend of Uncle Bud. Lilly had a history with the man from the previous summer and wanted to know what the land baron might have to do with her uncle’s shooting, so she slipped away to do a little sleuthing.

What she finds out from her own investigation turns her world upside down when she realizes she didn’t really know her uncle after all. The more deeply Lilly becomes involved, the more her own life is in danger when a killer is determined to stop her from finding out the truth. Lilly’s headstrong determination to get to the guts of a story serves her well in her work, but could cost her life if she doesn’t watch out.

Going to the Bad is the third Lilly Hawkins mystery written by Nora McFarland. The series has grown in popularity due to McFarland’s taut writing and well-developed story lines. In spite of the life and death situation, much of the story is light-hearted because of Lilly’s quirky friends and co-workers.

The same basic cast is present in each book allowing the author to build continuity so that readers can become familiar with their relationships while keeping the series fresh with a few new personalities.

Going to the Bad will please readers who are looking for a light-hearted mystery, a cast of unconventional characters, and a down-right fun read.

A special thank you goes to Simon and Schuster for sending us a complimentary copy of Going to the Bad for our review. If you are interested in any of the author’s books, they are available at Amazon.com.