cover image Dead Man of the Year

Dead Man of the Year

Stephen Hawley Martin, Oaklea, $21.95 (272p) ISBN 9781892538758

Set in what begs to be called the go-go nineties, this whodunit follows ad man Brian Durston as he races to find a murderer save his professional future. Leaving a flashy New York job for a controlling interest in his uncle’s Virginia firm, Durston’s plans are thrown off course when his uncle apparently commits suicide, and a multi-million dollar client goes missing. Believing that the death was a murder, he joins with a genre-standard sexy helpmate to solve the mystery, while also preparing for a pitch that could save the firm. Martin, a successful ad exec, makes good use of his experience; the big money, creativity, and simmering interpersonal conflicts of the trade add authentic layers of interest. The murder mystery is less carefully handled, however, with suspects passing somewhat arbitrarily in and out of favor until an abrupt conclusion wraps things up too quickly; salacious developments and details pale in comparison to the attention given the creative presentation that might save the firm. Told with confidence and evident enjoyment, the tale is cheesy fun, and Martin’s winking insider’s approach atones for much of the banality of the thrills. (July)