Lights Out Tonight by Mary Jane Clark

Mary Jane Clark is a new author to me. I've seen her books on the shelves before but have never gotten around to reading her books. So this year's challenge gave me a push to doing so. What I did know of her is that apparently she is related to Mary Higgins Clark, who I do read. Mary Jane Clark is her daughter in law. Interesting. 3 authors in the family.

Lights Out Tonight was an okay book. I didn't quite feel that the characters were developed enough. I felt as if there was a book prior to this book that better explained the characters' relationships and I should have read it first. I kept thinking I was missing something.

There's the main character, Caroline. There is a lot going on with her. She is a film and theater critic who is a newbie in the television world. She is having problems there. Her boss seems not to like her or think her edgy enough. The female anchor seems to be chilly towards her. But you never really know why. Caroline is also a newlywed. And surprise, surprise, her new college aged stepdaughter, Meg, does not like her and does not want to accept her. And the story starts off where Caroline discovers pot in Meg's closet - not from snooping but when she was getting sandals that Meg has asked for. To tie this altogether, Caroline is sent up to the Warrenstown theater festival on assignment where Meg happens to be apprenticing at.

Meanwhile up in Warrenstown a killer is on the loose, that people are not aware of. Two of Meg's apprentice friends are killed, thought to be an accident, after being run off the road. The killer unfortunately thinks that one of victims had taken a picture of the car and sent it to a friend through their cellphone. So the hunt is on for the killer to find the sendee. Meg is the one who received the pictures but the picture of the car is not clear or recognizable.

Then there is famous Academy and Tony winning actress, Belinda, who is the lead in the new play at the festival. She is refusing to star in the movie version of the play. The director is working hard on convincing her b/c the backers will only invest if she is in the movie. She has an artist friend, who is in love with her, seemingly obsessed with her. He paints portraits of her in each of her stage roles. That he refuses to sell. She has a caretaker for her property but he is up to no good. Her understudy is hungry for her chance to shine. Caroline's new husband acts weird around the actress. Like I said before, so much going on.

A librarian is also murdered after she witnesses the killer take pages about Belinda from a magazine.

Then the actress disappears. The whole town searches for her on her vast property. Who could have taken Belinda? In the meanwhile, the killer is still hunting for Meg.

There were so many components to this book. So many ideas. That go nowhere. Which was why I always thought I was missing something.

I would read her books again. This falls under my "fluff" books, books I don't have to do much thinking. To read just for the sake of reading.