Book Review: Murder by Design by Lee Goldberg

Murder by Design
Author: Lee Goldberg
Series: Edison Bixby (Book 1)
Publication: Thomas & Mercer (Book 1)

Description: In a world carefully constructed for murder, solving crimes takes a keen mind and eye in a witty, clever, and fresh reinvention of the whodunit by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Goldberg.

Edison Bixby is wealthy, handsome, and, due to a traumatic brain injury, impulsively rude. He’s also a brilliant insurance investigator who solves baffling crimes by figuring out how the design of the man-made world around us makes them possible. Enter Wally Nash: a struggling actor hired to keep Bixby from offending everyone he meets.

Their first case together looks like a simple accident. Caroline Crowley took a nasty fall down a staircase at a shopping mall in front of dozens of witnesses. Video clearly shows the deadly misstep. But Bixby is certain she was murdered by design, subtly manipulated into causing her own demise. The mall itself made the crime intentional, if not inevitable.

Now Bixby must prove his outrageous theory before a very cunning killer gets others on his hit list to murder themselves, too.

My Thoughts: MURDER BY DESIGN was an engaging mystery by Lee Goldberg that introduces a new sleuthing duo. Edison Bixby is wealthy, handsome, and rude. This former police detective with an enviable solve rate suffered a traumatic brain injury when he was shot in the face by an assailant. His impulsive rudeness has caused him to lose his job with the police but primed the way for him to be an excellent insurance investigator. 

Wally Nash is a wanna-be actor who has thus far played a number of corpses and starred in a number of commercials for medical products. He's still waiting for his big break which he knows is just around the corner. He does temp work to make ends meet which they aren't currently doing. A short-term job as Bixby's minder seems ideal especially since it comes with free living quarters on Bixby's fanciful estate. 

Nash narrates this story and has a chance to play a number of different characters as he assists Bixby with solving a number of murders. The first has been declared an accident since a woman fell down a flight of stairs that she shouldn't be using at a mall. What first looks like an accident quickly becomes a murder investigation after Bixby looks at the scene. 

This first crime leads to a few more. All of which are determined to be murders by Bixby. All of which also occurred because of what Bixby sees as design flaws in the environment around the victims. Design of human spaces makes up a big part of this story and is the key to Bixby's deductions. 

This was an entertaining story. I enjoyed Nash's narration and self-delusion. The story was humorous and thought-provoking too. 

I received this one from Kindle First Reads. You can buy your copy here.