Cancellation by Death: A Victoria Bowering Mystery

Victoria Bowering, the struggling 39-year-old New York City actress introduced in this lively and absorbing first mystery, deserves a round of applause. Despite a premonition of disaster, Vic, who supplements her income by working as a waitress, bartender and psychic, attends a party given by her soon-to-be ex-husband Barry Laskin. The party is for Barry's client Kendall James , star of the soap opera Raging Passions, and it promises to draw a heady mix of producers and casting directors. Vic happily nabs a bit role in RP , but the evening is marred by a bitter confrontation between Kendall's wife and his costar, David Ogden, with whom he is rumored to be having an affair. The next day Kendall is found fatally poisoned; his widow has vanished. Vic uses romantic liaisons with a handsome newscaster and a NYPD investigator to keep on top of the case, but her chief asset is a deck of tarot cards. This vigorous and witty debut features a gritty New York setting, a cast of convincingly drawn characters and a wise, gutsy heroine who merits an encore. First serial rights to Cosmopolitan. (Nov.)