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Screenscam
A Rep Pennyworth Mystery
Michael Bowen
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover)
ISBN: 1-890208-91-4
Publication Date: October, 2001
List Price: $24.95
Synopsis (from the publisher): Hoosier lawyer Rep Pennyworth faces the client from hell. She is Charlotte Buchanan, author of And Done to Others’ Harm, a mystery of no particular merit. Charlotte contends the 1997 novel is the basis for the 1999 film Contemplation of Death. She wants to sue. Rep would blow her off, but Charlotte is the steely daughter of the CEO heading the firm’s major corporate client, Tavistock, Ltd. Charlotte is resolute in demanding recognition. Rep digs in, aided by his literature-addicted wife Melissa, and files suit. By return mail comes a death threat, a grisly (and gristly) version of “Hold Your Tongue.”
Research shows the film’s director to be Aaron Eastman, Hollywood legend, whose Red Guard should have been a box office and critical smash but fell oddly short. Eastman contends the Oscar balloting was sabotaged. Now he’s on the comeback trail and anxious not to derail. He and Rep talk and, bit by bit, the outline of a bizarre scheme to destroy the credibility of Red Guard—and Eastman—emerges ...
Review: Michael Bowen introduces a new series character, Reppert "Rep" Pennyworth, an Indiana-based lawyer, in Screenscam, an entertaining if decidedly odd mystery.
The synopsis implies the plot may be a bit convoluted, but it's much more than that. In addition to the intricate weaving of the corporate takeover of Tavistock and manipulation of the film industry's highest award, the FBI plays a role as does an organization that caters to individuals who enjoy a good spanking. It's easy to lose track of the various threads here, but in a way, it doesn't matter much ... it's a fun book to read.
Bowen does a good job of making Rep, his wife Melissa, his employer and his client, more than the one-dimensional caricatures they could easily have been. This suggests the start of an interesting series for Rep rather than a single mystery novel.
Special thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for providing the ARC of Screenscam for this review.
Review Copyright © 2001 Hidden Staircase Mystery Books
Other Rep Pennyworth mysteries by Michael Bowen:
Unforced Error
A Rep Pennyworth Mystery
Poisoned Pen Press (2004)
ISBN: 1-59058-109-1
