cover image BEST MURDER OF THE YEAR

BEST MURDER OF THE YEAR

Jon P. Bloch, . . St. Martin's Minotaur, $23.95 (256pp) ISBN 978-0-312-28090-1

This may not be the best mystery of the year, but this debut is a clever, witty, campy and amusing Hollywood mystery, as gay gossip columnist Rick Domino becomes the prime suspect in an Oscar night murder. Bloch sets a fast pace with his on-target Oscar nominations: "Kevin Spacey played to perfection a priest with an obsession for flashing himself at nuns in the Coen Brothers' newest quirky comedy, Saint Thang." And he sends up the awards show, where Jewel is to be joined by Meat Loaf and Placido Domingo to perform "I Can't Find Me Anywhere" from the animated feature Where's Waldo. When a famous star is murdered backstage at the Oscars, there are plenty of suspects, but Domino is the one found holding the gun. Despite the assurances of his high-priced lawyer, Rick figures using his own skill at ferÏreting out secrets is his best bet. Naturally, the sexual proclivities of the various suspects and their personal and professional entanglements tend to complicate matters as every suspect had reason to want the victim dead. The actors, producers and other Hollywood types who populate Bloch's zany tale are wonderfully outrageous and may obscure the fact that underneath the craziness is a serious mystery. The comic whodunit is a difficult feat to pull off, particularly when the author goes for broke as Bloch often does. This debut mystery won't win an Oscar, but it deserves consideration for best first mystery. Agent, Jane Clark at the Peter Rubie Literary Agency. (May 20)

Forecast:Originally scheduled to appear during Oscar season, this should still attract plenty of interest in Hollywood. Bloch is also the author of a well-received dating handbook, Finding Your Leading Man: How to Create Male-to-Male Intimacy and Make Your Relationship a Blockbuster (2000).