The Darkness Knows

This debut novel by Cheryl Honigford received good reviews as a cozy type mystery. It's set in 1938 Chicago, a time when still too many people suffer the after effects of the Depression and everyone is worrying about events in Europe that threaten war. Protagonist Vivian Witchell was in the right place at the right time to pick up a good role in a popular detective series, "The Darkness Knows,"  that airs on radio station WCHI, where she had previously worked as secretary to the somewhat lecherous station manager, Mr. Hart. She is still in awe of her handsome co-star, Graham Yarborough, and in a battle with another woman actress who would do anything to get Viv's part in the broadcasts. When Viv stumbles over the dead body of another radio star in the staff lounge late one night, it turns her world upside down, not only because of the horrifying discovery, but also because there's a letter with the body suggesting that Viv's radio character might be the next victim. Is some crazed fan killing off the make-believe characters in WCHI's radio shows, or is one of the station's staff using this as a clever diversion? Station manager Mr. Hart is taking no chances and assigns the special consultant to "The Darkness Knows," P.I. Charlie Haverman, to keep Viv safe. It's a harder job than it sounds, for when Viv receives her own threatening letter, she determines to find out who the killer is before she becomes the next victim, and she refuses to stay safely tucked away at home. Sparks begin to fly between Viv and Charlie on several levels, predictably. We get some tantalizing glimpses of Chicago in the post-Depression years, and insights into the golden age of radio. This is the first of the "Viv and Charlie Mystery Series" and I may check out the next installment, Homicide for the Holidays.
Short reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly, with a lengthier one with lots of info on plot and characters from The New York Journal of Books.