Love You to Death

By Gail Bowen

Charlie D is the host of a successful late-night radio call-in show. His listeners have a particularly intimate relationship with him and often reveal much about themselves, confident that he will honor their trust and that he can save them. In their minds, he is perfect: one of life's winners. But Charlie feels he's something of a fake. His easy confidence on-air belies the reality for a man born with a wine-colored birthmark that covers half his face.

Love You to Death covers two hours on "The World According to Charlie D" during which he must both discover the long-time listener who is killing the people who trust him and attempt to come to terms with the man behind the birthmark.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
• Release date: Apr 1, 2010
• ISBN: 9781554695010

Gail Bowen

Gail Bowen is the author of the bestselling mystery series featuring Joanne Kilbourn. Winner of both the Arthur Ellis Best Novel Award and the Derrick Murdoch Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Crime Writers of Canada, in 2008 Bowen was named “Canada’s Best Mystery Novelist” by Reader’s Digest. She was selected as one of "The 100 Most Popular Contemporary Mystery Authors" for an upcoming Library Unlimited reference book. For more information, visit www.gailbowen.com.

Book preview

LOVE YOU

TO DEATH

LOVE YOU

TO DEATH

GAIL BOWEN

Copyright © 2010 Gail Bowen

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Bowen, Gail, 1942-

Love you to death / written by Gail Bowen.

(Rapid reads)

ISBN 978-1-55469-262-0

I. Title. II. Series: Rapid reads

PS8553.o8995l69 2010 C813’.54 C2009-907244-0

First published in the United States, 2010

Library of Congress Control Number: 2009942217

Summary: Successful late-night radio call-in show host Charlie D must discover which of his longtime listeners is killing other members of his loyal audience.

Orca Book Publishers gratefully acknowledges the support for its publishing programs provided by the following agencies: the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund and the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.

Design by Teresa Bubela

Cover photography by Getty Images

ORCA BOOK PUBLISHERS

PO Box 5626, Stn. B

Victoria, BC Canada

V8R 6S4

ORCA BOOK PUBLISHERS

PO Box 468

Custer, WA USA

98240-0468

www.orcabook.com

Printed and bound in Canada.

13 12 11 10 • 4 3 2 1

To Kelley Jo Burke, who understands the

power of radio and uses it wisely.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

CHAPTER ONE

Awise man once said 90 percent of life is just showing up. An hour before midnight, five nights a week, fifty weeks a year, I show up at CVOX radio. Our studios are in a concrete-and-glass box in a strip mall. The box to the left of us sells discount wedding dresses. The box to the right of us rents XXX movies. The box where I work sells talk radio—ALL TALK/ALL THE TIME. Our call letters are on the roof. The O in CVOX is an open, red-lipped mouth with a tongue that looks like Mick Jagger’s.

After I walk under Mick Jagger’s tongue, I pass through security, make my way down the hall and slide into a darkened booth. I slip on my headphones and adjust the microphone. I spend the next two hours trying to convince callers that life is worth living. I’m good at my job— so good that sometimes I even convince myself.

My name is Charlie Dowhanuik. But on air, where we can all be who we want to be, I’m known as Charlie D. I was born with my mother’s sleepy hazel eyes and clever tongue, my father’s easy charm, and a winecolored birthmark that covers half my face. In a moment of intimacy, the only woman I’ve ever loved, now, alas, dead, touched my cheek and said, You look as if you’ve been dipped in blood.

One of the very few people who don’t flinch when they look at my face is Nova (Proud to Be Swiss) Langenegger. For nine years, Nova has been the producer of my show, The World According to Charlie D. She says that when she looks at me she doesn’t see my birthmark—all she sees is the major pain in her ass.

Tonight when I walk into the studio, she narrows her eyes at me and taps her watch. It’s a humid night and her blond hair is frizzy. She has a zit on the tip of her nose. She’s wearing a black maternity T-shirt that says Believe It or Not, I Used to Be Hot.

Don’t sell yourself short, Mama Nova, I say. You’re still hot. Those hormones that have been sluicing through your body for nine months give you a very sexy glow.

That’s not a sexy glow, she says. That’s my blood pressure spiking. We’re on the air in six minutes. I’ve been calling and texting you for two hours. Where were you?

I open my knapsack and hand her a paper bag that glistens with grease from the onion rings inside. There was a lineup at Fat Boy’s, I say.

Nova shakes her head. You always know what I want. She slips her hand into the bag, extracts an onion ring and takes a bite. Usually this first taste gives her a kid’s pleasure, but tonight she chews on it dutifully. It might as well be broccoli. Charlie, we need to talk, she says. About Ian Blaise.

He calls in all the time, I say. He’s doing fine. Seeing a shrink. Back to work part-time. Considering that it’s only been six months since his wife and daughters were killed in that car accident, his recovery is a miracle.

Nova has lovely eyes. They’re as blue as a northern sky. When she laughs, the skin around them crinkles. It isn’t crinkling now. "Ian jumped from the roof of his apartment building

Reviews for Love You to Death

[rolyat-2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

short story, quick read, but oh so good, keeps you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens. characters, charlie and nova, are very believable and so is the killer (and i won't spoil it by telling you who it is). a definite worth while read.

[lynnb_64 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This short novel takes place over a two-hour period when radio talk show host, Charlie D, works with the police to find out who's been killing his listeners. I was disappointed in this one. The plot has many cliches and is not really believable. I think fitting a believeable "who done it" into such a short format was beyond the power of this writer. This is the second "Rapid Reads" book I've read, so I can't help but compare them. The Middle Ground, by Zoe Whittall, had much more depth of character and packed a lot into the short Rapid Reads format. So, for the series so far, 50/50.

[smik_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Charlie D is the host of a successful late night radio show that offers supportive advice to troubled listeners. LOVE YOU TO DEATH takes place during one installment of "The World According to Charlie C" - two hours during which Charlie must discover who is killing some of the most vulnerable members of his audience.This novella proves that you don't really have to write 350 pages or more to tell a story that really packs a punch. Of course we all know that, but Gail Bowen demonstrates it superbly in LOVE YOU TO DEATH.In retrospect the police should have been able to work out where to look for this killer who is doing away with those monopolising Charlie D's airtime, without setting a honey trap, but hindsight is a wonderful thing.An excellent shortie from an established Canadian crime fiction writer who is new-to-me. It has whetted my appetite for more.

[scrabblenut · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Gail Bowen is one of my favourite mystery authors, with her Joanne Kilbourn series, set in Saskatchewan. Love You to Death is a departure from that series, featuring a late night radio talk-show host named Charlie D, who has a following of quirky characters who depend on him in the lonely hours of the night.The characters are fun, and the dialogue is snappy. The book only takes an hour or so to read, and is part of a new rapid reads series for adults, written by various good mystery writers. However, the shortness of the book is also its downfall, as it made for an implausible story that had to be resolved in less than 100 pages, and I guessed the ending far too quickly to make it a satisfying read. I will stick to the Joanne Kilbourn series with its well-developed and interesting characters.Still, it was an enjoyable read if you just have a short time to spend. Gail Bowen has an interesting story on her website of how she came up with the idea for the Charlie D. character.

[fmrox · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Quick novella about a radio DJ who is stuck in the radio recording studio during his show one night when an crazy listener obsessed with him goes on a killing rampage.It's a quick entertaining read. The two major characters are fairly well developed for such a short story. It reads like an hour long TV drama episode.

[chitchens_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love Gail Bowen's books and follow her Joanne Kilbourn series faithfully. I've purchased the Orca hi-lo series for kids for my own kids when they need quick and easy reads and I was pleased to see them introduce something similar for adults. Too often these books are dull and lack literary merit, focusing only on high action and low vocabulary. However, Orca's strategy of hiring established writers like Gail Bowen and Zoe Whittall to write short, accessible books for adults who don't read as often or as easily is a great one. Love You to Death is fast paced, thrilling, and a great read for anyone. I read it in one gulp and then passed it on to my teenager, who enjoyed it as much as I did. It features a character familiar to those who follow the Joanne Kilbourn mysteries, but gives him a starring role.

[jmyers24_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Love You To Death by Gail Bowen in one of four inaugural titles in the Rapid Reads series from Raven Books, an imprint of Orca Book Publishers. The concept seeks to provide short novels by established authors for those readers who find reading a full-length book does not fit their skills, interests, or schedules.For fans of the TV sitcom Frazier, the setting of Bowen's novella will have a very familiar ring: Late-night talk-show host Charlie D. tries to offer comfort and support to listeners who are lonely, depressed, alienated, or otherwise psychologically floundering. While Charlie, unlike Frazier, does not have a degree in psychology, he does provide his listeners with a caring heart and referrals to appropriate professionals. Unfortunately, one of Charlie's listeners believes Charlie is in love with her and only she can save him from his soul-sucking fans—by murdering them, one by one. After each death the murderer sends a note to Nova, the producer of Charlie's show. After the third such note, Nova finally gets it and notifies the police who ask for Charlie's help in luring the murderer to the station.I found the plot pretty far-fetched but I did like both Charlie and Nova, the two main characters, and enjoyed the familiar setting. I also learned a new word, erotomania, “the delusion that someone, usually somebody famous, is secretly in love with you and sending you signals that reveal their love.” (Charlie makes this the topic of the show designed to capture the killer.) In between calls from his listeners, Charlie throws out interesting notes on love and plays several songs that should be familiar to most readers. While I applaud Orca Books for recognizing that not everyone wants or needs a 250-page story to entertain them, Love You To Death will have limited appeal. But for adults just learning to read, this may be the perfect compromise as most offerings for this group are reworked classics like 1984. And for the vacationer or commuter, these longer short stories could be the perfect fit. I just wish the plot had been a little more believable.(Edited 06/27/2010 to fix formatting errors.)

[pmarshall_82 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

“Love You to Death” by Gail Bowen demonstrates the power of talk radio. Charlie D is the host of a late night talk show that attracts troubled people looking for help. On this particular evening he learns, before going on air, that three faithful listeners have recently been murdered. The police want him to use the show to attract the attention of the murderer, whom they believe is a listener. Charlie has his own problems and had left the show for over a year because of the emotional drain it caused him. His listeners are faithful to him and have built up an image of a strong man who ‘has it together,’ and get upset if he shows what they perceive as weakness. He is ‘the man’ who can reach out and touch them. The power of who gets on the radio and who is blocked is determined by the station managers, so people who once were heard frequently are now blocked because they don’t project the right image. The participants don’t use their real names and some have been given names by Charlie like “Marian the librarian.” This enables them to develop different persona to hide behind. The book is part of a new Rapid Read series and takes about an hour to read. The characters are quirky and the pace of the plot moves well but it is too much for Charlie’s two hour time slot. I like Gail Bowen’s writing but prefer her Joanne Kilbourn series to this.