An Animated Death in Burbank

Michael Joens (Triumph of the Soul and other inspirational novels) has less than inspirational success with his mystery debut, An Animated Death in Burbank: A Detective Sandra Cameron Mystery. Sandy Cameron of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, a cop with killer looks, teams up with Tom Rigby of the Burbank Police Department, a recently divorced hunk, to investigate a string of suspicious deaths in the cartoon industry. The solution to the crimes supplies surface plausibility without being convincing, while characters are simply a collection of traits and possessions (Cameron's Barbie-doll trappings include a showcase house with pool and spa, a quarter horse and a steel-blue BMW roadster). Agent, Natasha Kern.