NO NEWS IS BAD NEWS

By Maureen Milliken

Whoever coined the slogan, “Maine: The Way Life Should Be,” was certainly not referring to the fictional town of Redimere, the setting for Maureen Milliken’s second Bernie O’Day Mystery. That is, unless that person liked to hunt in Maine’s dark woods for more than just deer. The book begins with a grisly discovery in the woods. And I’m not kidding about the “grisly” part. The discovery is traumatic enough to resurrect town police chief Pete Novotny’s nightmares about an unsolved case of a missing boy. The case has affected his professional judgment to such an extent that at times he is barely able to function.

As Pete struggles, local newspaper editor Bernie O’Day is also thrown off-balance by the surprise appearance of her younger brother, Sal, a non-tenured college professor who announces he’s quit his job and needs a place to stay. Turns out Sal is hiding secrets of his own, including the fact that he didn’t voluntarily leave his position. He was fired several months ago for plagiarizing. The lies continue when Bernie finds out that Sal has been hiding out for months at a farm owned by his former girlfriend, who is now missing. As is Sal’s car.

Bernie has demons of her own, including an ADHD diagnosis, and she turns for help to a local doctor, whom she nicknames Dr. Chomp because of his annoying habit of snapping gum. Dr. Chomp—real name, Chapman—has a pill to solve all her problems, and doesn’t hesitate to prescribe strong doses of antidepressants to Bernie so she can get through each day. But she finds it hard to sleep and she’s prone to taking long walks after midnight. Bad idea, especially when she witnesses a domestic violence incident involving the manager of the town transfer station and his wife.

The violence continues as Bernie’s and Pete’s nightmares collide in a terrifying climactic scene. Millikin takes readers on an ever-escalating ride that left me breathless.