Review by Cynthia Chow
Since the main KRL website is down we are gradually posting all of this week's issue over here. This week we have a review of the debut mystery by Tammy Barker, along with an interesting interview with Tammy. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book along with some other goodies, and a link to purchase it.
Call In for Murder: A Neon Desert Mystery By Tammy Barker
Review by Cynthia Chow
She may have blown up her own personal life, but 20-something Ashley Compton has unexpectedly found success providing life advice over the airways as Las Vegas’s Miss Lare. The Love And Relationship Expert (L.A.R.E.) dishes out her candid opinion on those seeking help regarding romance, cheating partners, and an assortment of other family issues, but it’s a repeat customer who unexpectedly has Ashley distraught and needing advice herself. After frequent caller Heather once again calls in and complains about her cheating husband, Ashley orders the woman to confront her spouse and deliver an ultimatum. That may have been a bit too literal of an ultimate ultimatum though, as on the radio station’s doorstep is Detective Gellner with the news that Heather has been found murdered, shot to death in a casino hotel room.
Devastated and with a history that has her distrustful of the police, Ashley immediately begins her own investigation to discover the truth behind Heather’s death. Not only does she want to know if her advice unintentionally led to Heather’s death, Ashley needs to rebuild her own confidence and belief in herself. The arrival of her own cheating ex, Frank Zimmer, who in a rather stalkery manner announces that they are getting back together no matter what, does nothing to stabilize the rocky Ashley, whose lack of focus on the job has her giving sketchy advice that could result in her getting fired or sued.
This is a fast-moving mystery that makes the most of its Las Vegas setting and the casinos that entertain and exploit equally. Her handsome best friend Nathan provides the emotional support she needs when dealing with Frank, whom Ashley seems unable to resist despite the advice she gives out to others concerning toxic exes. It’s as much of a surprise to herself as to others that Ashley has found herself in the position of unlicensed therapist to radio callers, but her blunt approach appeals to her followers who need a best friend to deliver the truth. The novel includes Miss L.A.R.E. advice at the end, which provides more sound counsel than the more frenetic one the stressed out Ashley gives throughout her investigation. This is fun start to a new series that delivers lots of action and promises more romance and Las Vegas shenanigans in the future.
Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).
Interview with Tammy Barker:
KRL: How long have you been writing?
Tammy: I started writing as a hobby back in about 2005, after going to my first Malice Domestic Convention. I thought to myself “I wonder if I could write a mystery?” Not to sell, mind you, but just to see if I could do it. I started writing in earnest back in 2019, when I realized I would be retiring in less than a decade, and wanted to have something to do when I stopped working.
KRL: When did your first novel come out, what was it called, and would you tell us a little about it?
Tammy: My first novel, Call in for Murder, was self-published on October 23, 2025. I picked that date because it was my wedding anniversary, and a surprise for my husband, who had been released the day before from a 6-month off-and-on stay in the hospital.
The story is about a radio advice personality named Ashley Compton, who gives blunt advice that sometimes gets her in trouble. In this story she gives advice to a caller about dealing with a cheating husband, basically tells the woman to give him an ultimatum.
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| Tammy Barker |
Less than 12 hours later, the caller is murdered. Ashley investigates the seedy part of Las Vegas. We all know there is that, right? She gets into trouble with both suspects and the police, to find the killer and prove the advice she gave wasn’t what caused the murder. At least that’s what she hopes to accomplish.
KRL: Have you always written mysteries/suspense and if not, what else have you written?
Tammy: I’ve always written mysteries. I read many genres, but discovered very early on that mysteries is my forte. In a draft of a different novel, I realized there is no way I could ever write romance, because I couldn’t figure out how to write a simple kiss in the manuscript. If I ever have a romantic scene in a story, someone else will have ghostwritten it for me.
KRL: What brought you to choose the setting and characters in your latest book/series?
Tammy: I chose to write about Las Vegas because I have this fascination with the town. As far as the characters go, I am not sure why I created most of them. Ashley is a totally made up character, and no, it’s not me, except for the fact that we both love Starbucks Frappuccinos, Elvis, and reading murder mysteries!. A couple of characters I took inspiration from actors. The only character I have that is even loosely based on a real person is the producer Cheryl, kind of a cross between a friend and a television character with a similar attitude.
KRL: Do you write to entertain or is there something more you want the readers to experience from your work?
Tammy: There is so much more to Vegas than gambling and shows, and a lot of people don’t realize it. I want people to get to know the “real” Las Vegas. There is also a lot of “theme work” in Las Vegas, and I’m hoping to focus on one theme in each of the books.
KRL: Do you have a schedule for your writing or just work whenever you can?
Tammy: Right now I write when I can. My goal is to retire by the end of 2026, and then I will be doing it as a full time job. I have a lot of stories I want on paper, and I just need the time to do it.
KRL: What is your ideal time to write?Tammy: It depends on what you mean by ideal time. If you mean the ideal opportunity, there is none, I write when I can. If you mean when I am the most prolific, it’s usually between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. That seems to be when I am most productive at work.
KRL: Do you outline? If not, do you have some other interesting way that you keep track of what’s going on, or what needs to happen in your book when you are writing it?Tammy: I do outline, but not the way most people think of outlining. I have a bit of an odd process.
#1 Figuring out what kill is going to happen.
#2 A full dossier, including picture, of all the main characters and where they live/work.
#3 Determine the suspects and the motive, means and opportunity.
#4 I create the settings, again with all kinds of inspirational pictures.
#5 I create a one sentence describing each of the scenes I know are needed in that particular story.
This amounts to most of the scenes, but I do allow wiggle room if a scene needs to be moved or I realize I’m missing one. And all of this is done by hand. I don’t touch the computer until I am ready to start writing.
KRL: Did you find it difficult to get published in the beginning?
Tammy: As a matter of fact, yes I did. I got a few rejections from agents, and then Dawn Dowdle picked me up. Sadly, she passed when we were getting ready to submit to publishing houses. The agent community rallied around her clients, and I was picked up by another agent. However, listening to the presenter read our first two pages. They were supposed to raise their hand when they “lost interest” or “when they would stop reading a query” so to speak.
When it was my turn, all four hands were raised by the 2nd sentence. The reason was that “people don’t like a story that starts with dialogue”. I was crushed, because my character is a radio persona, so of course it made sense for the story to start with her on the air, showing the normal day. I know there are “rules”, but these “rules” are meant to be broken, as long as they are broken smartly. I decided I'm an author, I can do what I want. Right?
KRL: Most interesting book signing story-in a bookstore or other venue?
Tammy: I haven’t had any book signings yet, but I have one story of a signing I attended. I was at a writing convention where Lee Child was a guest speaker. I’d never heard of his Jack Reacher series, though he’d been writing them for about a decade at that time. I asked him about the books, and he started asking me what I like to read and write. We had a very interesting conversation. He said I probably wouldn’t like his books because they were pretty graphic. I bought one anyway. Once I read it, I loved it and had no problems with the descriptions. I thought to myself, “if this is what he considers graphic, what does he think rated G is?"
KRL: What are your future writing goals?
Tammy: I am retiring the end of this year, right after I hit 62, and turning my writing into a full-time job. I will have a pension that covers my bills, so it’s okay. I will keep self-publishing the Neon Desert Mysteries, but I am working on a couple of stories that I want to query with agents either early fall or the beginning of next year. One is about a museum docent by day and cat burglar for hire by night, while the other flips the golden age of detective stories on its head by having the butler not be the first one accused, but he’s the sleuth.
KRL: Who are your writing heroes?
Tammy: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is my #1 hero, because of the things he makes Sherlock notice. I would have to say #2 is Ellen Byron, because the stories she writes resonate with me, and she’s very versatile in her writing. And #3 would be Gigi Pandian, because she writes locked room mysteries, which are a real challenge for me and awe inspiring to read.
KRL: What kind of research do you do?
Tammy: I’ve gone to Las Vegas and Atlantic City several times observing the atmosphere, the people, and asking people what it was like to live and work there. I even tried to interview the mayor once, but he refused to return my calls. I do a lot of research on the internet, looking at several sources to try and get the most accurate answers. I have a cop in my back pocket, but haven’t used him much. I am in a writers and cops FB group where I do ask the occasional question. And of course, talking to people I know who have the jobs or lived where I want to write about, especially other authors.
KRL: What do you like to read?
Tammy: Of course, my go to is cozy mystery, but any kind of mystery, suspense, or thriller is the top of the list. I read rom-coms, but don’t really like the “bedroom scenes”. I read history if it’s a topic I’m interested in, but don’t read that on a regular basis. I don’t like horror. I’ve only read two Stephen King novels and they both gave me nightmares, and I really don’t understand sci-fi.
KRL: What are your favorite TV shows or movies?
Tammy: We need to take a trip to the past for this question. I am a big fan of the 1980s television and movies. Moonlighting, Starsky and Hutch, The Untouchables movie, Designing Women, When Harry Met Sally, Murder She Wrote, Die Hard - yes, it is a Christmas movie, Golden Girls, Beverly Hills Cop, Hart to Hart, Lethal Weapon, Night Court. Man, do I see a trend here?
KRL: Have you any advice for aspiring or beginning writers?
Tammy: I have two pieces of advice. #1 Don’t listen to anyone telling you that you have to do an outline, or at the opposite end of the spectrum, telling you that you have to pants your story. It’s all about what resonates with you. Experiment with a short story the different versions of planning and see what you feel most comfortable with.
The best advice I ever got was to think about how you plan for a vacation, and that’s the kind of organized writer you probably are. If you make an itinerary for every moment of the trip, you are a planner. If you say, “Pack a bag and let’s go to Philly for the weekend," with no idea of what you want to do, then you are probably a pantser.
#2 Honestly, don’t worry about fixing the story as you write the first draft. It’s okay for it to be messy. You will go back and revise and fix things in the next couple of rounds. It’s much easier than trying to fix everything as you go.
KRL: What is something people would be surprised to know about you?
Tammy: Wow. Most people who know me would not believe what I am about to say. I was afraid of my own shadow until I got involved in writing. Yes ma’am! I had a Marine father, a drill sergeant after high school, a creative writing professor in college who made fun of my interpretation of a story, and two ex-husbands who kept me in a corner. So yes, I didn’t come out of my shell until I hit 40.
KRL: Is there anything you would like to add?
Tammy: For readers? Reviews of books help other people who are looking for a new author to read. Be a little specific on what you liked or didn't like about the book. Giving a 4 star review, but just quoting the back cover copy as the review doesn’t help anyone make up their mind if they might be interested in a book. For future authors? Finish the book! For published authors? Thank you for sharing your stories with us.
KRL: Where can our readers find you online?
Tammy: I am on Facebook and Instagram under tammybarkerwriter. My website is tammybarkerwriter.com where I spout advice from Miss LARE every other Saturday, and you can sign up for my newsletter I send out the last day of the month.
You can click here to purchase this book.
To enter to win a copy of Call In for Murder, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "call in,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen February 21, 2026. US residents only and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. If entering via comment please include your email address so we can contact you. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.
Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.
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