Signs Dead Man’s Switch (Poisoned Pen $25; trade paper $14.95), a First Mystery Club Pick set in the competitive world of racing with a sleuth who could stand in for Danica Patrick.

“Pedal to the metal from start to finish, Tammy Kaehler’s sensational debut is a high-octane whodunit so real you can smell burnt rubber and racing fuel. Displaying a veteran’s writing skills, Kaehler’s Kate Reilly series is off to a jackrabbit start!”
—Julia Spencer-Fleming

Aspiring race car driver Kate Reilly goes looking for a full-time ride in the American Le Mans Series—and stumbles over a dead driver. When she takes that driver’s job just hours later, she also takes pole position on the list of suspects in his murder. Suddenly she’s in the hot seat with little time to clear her name and get ready to race a Corvette at Lime Rock Park.

Amidst suspicion, Kate buckles down, quickly getting to know the race car and team, bumping into plenty of suspects who might have committed murder. Clues fly at her as fast as the turns on the track, including a cryptic list of blackmail victims, unexplainable car performance at racing speed, a jealous husband with an adulterous wife, and drivers and crew who are openly happy her predecessor is dead. Kate finds exhilaration and hazards exist on- and off-track as she throttles up both the Corvette’s V8 and a murder investigation.

Before trying her hand at fiction, Tammy Kaehler(http://www.tammykaehler.com) established a career writing marketing materials, feature articles, executive speeches, and technical documentation. A fateful stint in corporate hospitality introduced her to the racing world, which inspired the first Kate Reilly racing mystery. Tammy works as a technical writer in the Los Angeles area, where she lives with her husband and many cars.