Mia Connors manages the computer system for a gated community called Horseshoe Falls. Suddenly there are glitches in the e-mail system, residents are annoyed and the small businesses on site - like a hair salon and pet groomer - are being handed fake vouchers for services, supposedly downloaded. Mia has to grab a double-sized coffee and sort out the system. This is the starting point for A GEEK GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER.

Jake Archer is the new head of security, and he might not be too impressed with some of Mia's activities. Best not to mention the hacking - er, research. Only, Jake sees Mia's friend Baxter off the premises and later that evening, Mia responds to a silent alarm in her computer room to find Baxter dead. Somebody hit the poor geek and left him in a computer chair. Suddenly Jake is very interested in Mia and her friends.

Renaissance Fairs are one of Mia's favourite ways to relax, but she feels awkward in social situations and hasn't been trying to hook a boyfriend, even though she's past her twenties. Other hobbies include online games, chats with her computer-literate friends and her happily settled twin sister. Mia can't find her pal Nate, who was also Baxter's friend, and the coincidence makes her uneasy. Has anything happened to Nate? What is going on, and when will the police let her back in her office?

I enjoy a cosy crime and this one is peppered with cyber- footprints, online scheduling and browser caches, making it very up to date - but also with medieval gowns and jousting in an orchard. So there is something for every reader. I love that three generations of Mia's family are working the fairs. I thought the snappish dislike of Mia for Jake was overdone, and I'm amazed that a security specialist like her didn't even ask to see Jake's ID and credentials. His go-to look is a glower, so I didn't have any reason to get to like him.

Julie Anne Lindsey, who lives in Ohio, writes in a few genres and hopes to entertain her readers. She's blended Comic Con, computers and live-action medieval role play in a fun read, but at heart we are still investigating a crime and looking for a killer. The clues are just in some unusual places. Anyone looking to step further than the usual cozy crime story will enjoy this book, and any geek girls won't need a second invitation when they see a fun title like A GEEK GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER.

Book Summary

IT manager Mia Connors is up to her tortoiseshell glasses in technical drama when a glitch in the Horseshoe Falls email system disrupts security and sends errant messages to residents of the gated community. The snafu's timing couldn't be worse—Renaissance Faire season is in full swing and Mia's family's business relies on her presence.

Mia doesn't have time to hunt down a computer hacker. Her best friend has disappeared, and she finds another of her friends murdered—in her office. When the hunky new head of Horseshoe Falls security identifies Mia as the prime suspect, her anxiety level registers on the Richter scale.

Eager to clear her name, Mia moves into action to locate her missing buddy and find out who killed their friend. But her quick tongue gets her into trouble with more than the new head of security. When Mia begins receiving threats, the killer makes it clear that he's closer than she'd ever imagined.