Report for Murder (1987)

Freelance (read struggling to make ends meet) journalist, Lindsay Gordon, finds herself covering a fund-raising weekend at a girls' public school at the behest of long-time friend Patricia 'Paddy' Callaghan. Being a self-described cynical socialist lesbian feminist, it's also a chance for her to see how the silver spoon brigade are nurtured. She also desperately needed the cash that the job would bring in.

Her plans are ruined when the star turn for the concert part of the event is found murdered just moments before she's due on stage, it's time for some amateur sleuthing which turns more serios when Paddy is arrested for the crime. Teaming up with new love interest and potential suspect, author Cordelia Brown, they try and prove Paddy's innocence and track down the real killer. The police seem happy enough with their arrest and don't seem intent on doing much more about it. There's plenty of plot-twists and enough suspects to keep you guessing until the final showdown. Not a bad debut novel and I'll look forward to reading more of this series and others from the author. ( )

Unusual protagonist, Lindsay Gordon, a lesbian freelance journalist who's not afraid to act independently, speak her mind and follow her intuition. Val McDermid is very popular in my library and I had never read her so I started at the beginning. I liked it - setting, great characters none of whom were stock - certainly, a different romance twist. ( )

Lindsay Gordon is an interesting character, a freelance journalist who, in this book, takes a job covering a fundraising gala at a school because she needs the money. Of course she gets caught up in a murder and one of her friends is arrested. An enjoyable read. ( )

Abrasive Scottish socialist journalist Lindsay and posh London novelist/media person Cordelia get together to solve a murder in a girls' boarding school in Buxton. And why not?
A nice straightforward little mystery story with the requisite number of suspects, clues and plot twists. A bit first-novelish in parts, but not disagreeably so.