Vienna

The pairing of unusual amateur detectives is the best part of Kirby’s first novel, an offbeat mystery. In Brussels, Belgium, Justine Am, an American med student turned supermodel, has a one-night stand, on a bet, with a woman she knows only as Vienna, who turns out to be a socially awkward savant. Justine has no intention of prolonging the acquaintance, but circumstances dictate otherwise after Justine’s latest boyfriend, Grant Eriksson, is found shot to death in her hotel suite, and the police call in Vienna for questioning. When news of Vienna’s fling with the celebrity supermodel reaches the press, Vienna loses her job, and Justine takes her in out of guilt. Impressed by Vienna’s deductive abilities, Justine teams with her to solve Grant’s murder. En route to a solution, the duo must learn why some statues that Justine posed in front of moved overnight, and they must also crack an obscure code. Some readers may find the eccentricity of the leads insufficient to carry the plot. [em]Agent: Linn Prentis, Linn Prentis Agency. (Sept.) [/em]