cover image The Best Money Murder Can Buy: A Stokes Moran Mystery

The Best Money Murder Can Buy: A Stokes Moran Mystery

Neil McGaughey. Scribner Book Company, $20.5 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-684-19761-6

McGaughey is a reviewer of mysteries who--as this clever, literate puzzler shows--has made a successful transition to writing them. His character, Stokes Moran, is a mystery book reviewer who has made the same transition. In his third adventure, following And Then There Were Ten, Stokes (a pen name for Kyle Malachi) receives a surprise visit at his Tipton, Conn., home from a man who looks just like him. In fact, Derek Winslow claims he is Kyle's twin. Angry and confused, Kyle will not listen to explanations by his putative brother. Derek leaves but urges Kyle to contact him the next day, before he leaves town. Kyle tries, but finds Derek murdered. Kyle then decides to assume Derek's identity in order to catch the murderer. At Derek's Louisville home, with no idea who Derek was or what he's getting into, Kyle has some amusing adventures with Derek's lover, a ferret and his own, unknown, family history. Aided by techniques learned from fictional detectives and guided by his knowledge of plots from various past masters, Kyle eventually succeeds in his goal. In this fast-paced, appealing series, McGaughey begins each chapter with an apposite quote from one of Stokes's reviews of a recent mystery. These tips of the reviewer's hat to fellow authors add a nice touch to an already enjoyable read. (July)