The Wedding Game: A Mystery at the University of Michigan

This fourth entry in Holtzer's Blue and Gold series (after The Silly Season) solidifies the author's position as a mystery writer to watch. A week before the wedding of computer programmer and series regular Anneke Haagen and former pro football player turned police lieutenant Karl Genesko, murder threatens to cancel their plans. Both Anneke and Karl become suspects when a letter bomb kills blackmailer Vince Mattus, a member of GameSpinners, an Internet newsgroup for game programmers. FBI officers go over Anneke's computer records, since her name was among those of other GameSpinners on a list next to Vince's desk. After the FBI questions her, she remembers Vince's abortive attempt to blackmail her over the Net, and she soon finds out that he tried the same thing on other newsgroup members. Might one of them have killed Vince to shut him up? While wedding plans proceed, Anneke decides to find the answer to that question. First she prints up the GameSpinner correspondence, giving it to Karl to mull over. Then she suggests to the other programmers that they make an online game of solving the case with just themselves as players. Both mystery lovers and computer buffs will enjoy this imaginative romp in cyberspace, especially Holtzer's on-target discussions of identity on and off the Net. (Apr.)