Fair-Skinned Brunette with the Porcelain Shine

by John Bare

On a Monday night in October, Lassie James sits in Pig Farm Tavern in Chapel Hill when Dr. Holly Pike appears. She electrifies the room, but all Lassie can think about is how she ran out on him when they were going to get married. Just ghosted him all those years ago. Before Lassie can process his old feelings for her, Dr. Pike's reappearance in his life takes a surprise turn . . .

Dr. Pike explains that her billion-dollar company, Gimghoul Research Labs, has been the target of anonymous emails alleging fraud. Signs point to a disgruntled researcher. Suddenly propositioned by Dr. Pike with an inside job that Lassie can't turn down-an inside job that will pay him five million dollars to track down the source of the anonymous emails-Lassie soon uncovers a murderous web of corruption.

When an important figure at UNC turns up murdered, and Lassie unexpectedly becomes a suspect, he must quickly work to connect the dots between the inside job, the murder, and Dr. Pike's company.

297 pages, Paperback

Published January 4, 2021

About the author

John is a photographer, songwriter and former journalist who has worked for more than two decades in the nonprofit sector. His book, Fair-Skinned Brunette With the Porcelain Shine, introduced the Lassie James character and inspired an album of 12 original songs. Co-written Don Dixon, the album “Lassie James Songbook Vol. I” is available via streaming services. My Biscuit Baby is the second installment in the Lassie James mystery series set in Chapel Hill, NC. It inspired the album “Snow Camp 1982: The Lost Springfest Tapes.” John was born in Winston-Salem and attended public schools in Garner, NC, where his parents were educators. He attended UNC, where he studied film as an undergraduate, received a Ph.D. in mass communication research, and developed an appreciation for biscuits, whiskey and live music. John was married for 28 years to Elizabeth Ross of Concord, NC. Betsy passed away in September 2020 from covid. John shares his house with rescue dogs Winston and Isadora.

Reviews

[Lisa Dismore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Homage to southern biscuits, music, and UNC

I highly recommend this enjoyable and easy read. The modern twist on the noir-mystery genre was entertaining. The characters were engaging and multi-dimensional. Perfect read for a vacation/trip. Will be giving to NC friends for Christmas; I know they will enjoy reading about the actual NC locations. Looking forward to the next book in the series!

[Mark Maddrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

"It was against my religion to walk out on a set of live music, but I knew she was right." You know a book is speaking my language when the narrator thinks something like that. The novel is entertaining and has a wonderful sort of noir-ish feel, combined with a 21st century sensibility. It is set in Chapel Hill and was written by a class of 1987 graduate of UNC. I'm class of '85 so his frame of reference for how the school was lines up nicely with mine. I enjoyed meeting Lassie James and his voice was very easy to live with. There is a wonderful set of supporting characters and the setting in Chapel Hill is a character in itself, one that is used to great advantage. I do wonder what people who didn't stay in a dorm right near the Old Cemetery and Ghimgoul Road will make of some of the locales, but that was not a problem for me. The story moves along and finds a nice conclusion, it even has the chapter that I wish more books of this type had, what I will call the Hercule Poirot explains exactly what happened chapter. It also stays away from the always silly physical chase and danger scenes that mar so many of these stories. As an added bonus, there is an album of all the songs in the book performed by great artists like Don Dixon and Mitch Easter. I'm glad the Alumni magazine mentioned this book!

[Bob Keefe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Get this book! It's a fast-paced and delicious read that will leave you with a song in your head, a hunger for hot biscuits and a longing for more.

Fortunately, author John Bare has delivered just that, with his sequel "My Biscuit Baby" (my next good read!) as he continues to solidify his place among the next generation of great Southern writers.

If you're from the South or ever spent any time in Chapel Hill, "Fair-Skinned Brunette" will bring you home again. If you're not, you're in for a tasty introduction to a special place, wrapped in a scintillating and entertaining tale of love, mystery and intrigue.

[Linda Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read with all the Chapel Hill references. Got bogged down in all the explanations of the science the subject company had done and was in process. And how articles are vetted and published in professional journals. Good “who done it”.

[Jean Kristie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the conversational style of this book and the very distinctive and intriguing characters. The author kept me guessing, and I didn't want to put the book down.

[John Bare · Rating 5 out of 5]

“… intriguing characters make for a consistently absorbing story.”
Kirkus Reviews
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