Lee Goldberg’s Murder by Design: A Thriller
is the first read in the new Edison Bixby series. It is also a
bit weird and takes some time getting used to as the story unfolds. This is not
your regular book from the author. Those who choose to stay with it will find a
lot to like about the read.
Start with the basic idea of Sherlock Holmes and
Watson. Now, make it contemporary. Now, replace Sherlock with the brilliant and
often very rude, Edison Bixby. Bixby was a living legend in the LAPD. He solved
murders and did it while being wealthy, eccentric, and a ton of style. He saw
the world very differently. He saw a world where every crime, every human
interaction, every behavior, could be traced back to the design around the
person. That design of the building or whatever played a key role in whatever
happened.
Then he took a bullet to the head. He survived the
traumatic brain injury mostly intact. He still sees everything and everyone
being influenced by the design of everything around them. That bullet did not
take that from him. It did take his job with the LAPD and any mental filters he
had. It also left him with a need for a driver and somebody to try and smooth over
the ruffled feathers of others that Bixby encounters. Watson, if you will.
These days he solves crimes for Triax Global
Insurance. He needs a driver, gopher, communicator, and everything else. He
needs all that and more bundled up in his Watson.
Triax may have found his Watson in an actor that
looking for his break in Hollywood. The guy gets auditions, even gets cast in commercials
for various drugs, and then brings in his idea of the character he is playing
in his role. He creates elaborate backstories and storylines for the minute or
so he is on screen in a commercial. He overthinks each one to an incredible
degree as he sees the world around him full of characters playing their respective
roles. His elaborations tend to annoy directors and others and that results in
being fired a lot. He refuses to change his behavior as he believes he is
building hos craft.
Bixby sees the world as driven by design in very way
possible. Some designs make crime easier and, in a way, encourage it. Our
narrator, the actor, sees the world as a stage, literally, where everyone is at
all times a player in a role. They make quite the duo and before long are
working increasingly complex cases.
Such as the main case of the book where a person
died at the mall. In theory, it is a simple slip and fall where a woman died
because she became impaled on exposed rebar. Bixby is sure that it is far more
than a slip and fall. He sees it as an ingenious murder and intends to solve
the case.
Murder by Design: A Thriller
is a complicated tale and far different in style, tone, and in any other way
than the normal mystery read. Humor is frequently present as are descriptive
explanations of how our everyday world is designed to influence our behavior in
various ways. Several cases are worked in the read and there are numerous
complications. It is also a read that will get you looking at your everyday
world far differently. Especially if you drive by a mall.
Recommended.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4boFMLC
My digital ARC came from Thomas & Mercer, by way
of NetGalley, with no expectation of a positive review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2026
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