Murder By Design

Edison Bixby was a great detective for the LAPD, and he knew it. When a brain injury forced him to resign, he became the best insurance investigator in the Los Angeles area. The injury has removed his social filter, magnifying his already massive ego to inappropriate proportions. Wally Nash gets by acting in commercials for medications that cure digestive problems, or playing corpses. Bixby’s insurance company hires him to watch over their wildcard investigator and to interpret or deflect anything he says that could be considered offensive. They are given a case involving what appears to be a woman simply falling to her death on a mall staircase. The video shows the victim alone when she took the tumble, so why does Bixby think it’s murder? Goldberg draws on his background in television to create this mismatched duo that echoes Monk and other mystery shows featuring a quirky, brilliant detective and a helpful sidekick. The sarcastic tone reflects the privilege and sense of importance many LA residents seem to exhibit, and the narrator routinely breaks the fourth wall, creating a book that is both hilarious and thought-provoking. The mystery itself is complex, and somehow Goldberg balances the humor and drama to perfection. The second book in this series cannot come fast enough, and hopefully a TV series is in the future as well.