In Bowen's well-crafted, well-researched second Rep and Melissa Pennyworth misadventure (after 2001's Screenscam
), the couple hook up with their good friends librarian Peter Damon and his wife Linda in Kansas City, Mo., for a reenactment of an obscure Civil War battle. Rep, a trademark and copyright lawyer, also hopes to woo as a client the book publisher Linda works for, Jackrabbit Press, whose head, John Paul Lawrence, views reenactments as a means to promote his company's line of bodice-ripping historical romances. When Rep discovers the saber-slit body of Linda's co-worker Thomas Quinlan, just after Linda confesses to Melissa that her relationship with Quinlan has advanced from boardroom to boudoir, the mild-mannered Peter becomes the chief murder suspect. After Peter disappears, Rep uncovers an astounding plot that will certainly catch the reader by surprise. Amusing references to cultural icons both high and low punctuate the narrative (e.g., in the space of one page, Wuthering Heights
, Evelyn Waugh, the Audrey Hepburn character in Charade
, Kirk Douglas and Seven Days in May
, both the book and the movie). A fictional reality-TV program provides the neat twist in the novel's clever opening chapter. And the Civil War stuff is a treat, too: fans of more literate mysteries have good reason to cheer. Agent, Richard C. Levy. (Apr. 29)
