Murder by Design

A struggling actor teams up with a suave, design-obsessed ex-cop to investigate a string of suspicious deaths in this zany series launch from Goldberg (the Eve Ronin novels). Wally Nash, whose credits mostly include drug commercials, is on the brink of living out of his Hyundai when a temp agency links him up with Triax Global Insurance for a strange gig as the assistant and sensitivity trainer to claims investigator Edison Bixby. Bixby was a hotshot LAPD homicide detective until a bullet to the face induced a neurological condition that makes him blurt out insensitive comments. Fired from the force after too many outbursts, Bixby now flexes his investigative skills by probing life insurance claims for Triax. Each of his inquiries is rooted in his lifelong belief that the design of a building is often both a coconspirator in someone’s death and the most important clue. Together, Wally and Bixby investigate four separate cases, most prominently that of Caroline Crowley, a PR agent who tumbles to her death down a still-under-construction staircase at a Southern California mall. Goldberg’s goofy concept succeeds by never taking itself too seriously, with Bixby coming off like a cross between James Bond and Adrian Monk. This lighthearted whodunit goes down smooth. (June)