Four five-star Yelp reviews do you little good when you’re nailed inside a giant barrel of whiskey, which is where our intrepid private detective Barry finds himself while on the case to help his campy drag friends, all of whom have numerous secrets to hide. <br><br>If he can decide between the man he once loved and the bartender he’s falling for, successfully stay undercover as his alter-ego, Mary, Queen of Scotch, and keep one step ahead of the bad guys, plus a raucously funny meddling mom, he just might live to see that much-desired fifth review.

Mary, Queen of Scotch

I sidled over to the bar. A jigger of Scotch was waiting for me. “Do I want to know?” he whispered.


“I’ll tell you later.” I pointed behind me and whispered, “That’s my mother.”


I shuddered. Seemed the next step past cringe. “Been there, choked on that. And ugh.”


I walked back to Mom. Ray had poured her a white wine. “But we’re on duty,” she objected, downing the glass in one fell swoop. Meaning, no seconds. Or thirds, at most.


I’d already handed her the copies of the photos of Halston and Jackson. I had photo-aging software at home. The photos had that before/after vibe. Either way, the pair looked menacing. Oddly, Jackson also looked familiar. Like I knew him but didn’t know him. I chalked it up to being too close to the case. I’d filled my mom in on why we were there while I did her makeup, in between her drilling me for personal details. Meaning, she knew what to do.


Chapter 70