The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss

Wirestone’s debut features the snarky Dahlia Moss, an unemployed thirty-something woman tasked with solving a virtual mystery that escalates into an actual murder. Her wildly spontaneous roommate, Charice, introduces Dahlia to the ultra-wealthy Jonah Long, who hires Dahlia to be a detective and find “the Bejeweled Spear of Infinite Piercing” that was stolen from him in a game called Zoth, an MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game). Jonah hires Dahlia because she’s familiar with the game and briefly temped as a receptionist at a detective agency, but when Jonah is murdered with a replica of the missing virtual spear, the stakes rise for Dahlia. As Dahlia begins playing Zoth looking for clues, the book loses steam, which it continues to do as she familiarizes herself with people in Jonah’s real and virtual life to see if she can find his killer and the person who stole the spear. The convoluted plot overwhelms the author’s attempts at witty repartee and humor. This story will mainly appeal to gamers. (Oct.)