This is the second book by Mr. Haywood that I've read, both Joe and Dottie Loudermilk mysteries, and I've enjoyed both of them. Both this one and "Going Nowhere Fast" involve the Loudermilk children and the troubles several of them get into and how their mom and dad find ways to extricate them. The couple and their Airstream are on a never-ending road trip that takes them to Washington, D.C., in this book (the Grand Canyon in the other book). The mysteries are well constructed, and the reader also gets some glimpses at the places they're visiting. Jeez Louweez! Joe and Dottie Loudermilk are in trouble again; this time in Bad News Travels Fast a trip in old Lucille (the Loudermilk's Airstream trailer) to Washington, DC goes bad, really bad. It seems one of their sons (known by the senior Loudermilks as "pains in the ass") is arrested for a murder he claims not to have committed, leaving Joe and Dottie to limit their sightseeing to the insides of area police departments trying to prove his innocence. Various encounters with area lowlifes in parts of DC not advertised in the tourism catalogs land the Loudermilks in trouble with the law themselves, so much to the point that they too are threatened with murder charges. Only through persistent sleuthing (heightened by Dottie's light-hearted narration) can the truth be uncovered, along with a few dirty government secrets.If you have had the opportunity to read and enjoy this novel's predecessor, Going Nowhere Fast, you will definitely enjoy the sequel. Dottie, as narrator, never misses a beat in retelling the mystery, as well as husband Joe's various grumblings. Bad News is only the second book in this series, published in 1996, and I hope Mr. Haywood chooses to continue these stories. I'd follow the Loudermilks anywhere.
What do You think about Bad News Travels Fast (2000)?
This is a fun read...a real no-brainer for when you're feeling frazzled!
—Sashie
Retired couple traveling in their camper around US solving crimes.
—laiba
