Heir Apparent

At the start of this literary fantasy cast as a noir mystery from Terry (The Solitary Woman of Shakespeare), detectives appear at the door of PI Eddie King asking about his relationship with mystery novelist Walter Morris, just found shot to death. King has never heard of Morris. Then why, the cops ask, was his name found on a paper in the deceased’s lap? King researches Morris and finds that his novels feature a PI named, curiously, Eddie King. And the plots are fictionalized versions of King’s own cases. To try and find out how Morris knew so much, King meets Morris’s widow, and is gradually wined, dined, and seduced by her. Meanwhile, he’s hired by Gordon Fletcher to spy on his wife, Heidi. He follows Heidi and discovers that she is indeed having an affair—with her husband, Gordon. When Gordon explains that it was a test and says he has a real case for King, King says goodbye and goes back to Morris’s widow. King resumes trying to solve Morris’s murder, but readers won’t be surprised that he doesn’t make much headway. Despite the story being filled with literary and historical references that don’t advance the narrative, sparkling prose and an intriguing premise make it fun. (Feb.)