Death by Cubicle

Paul Shepard and Paula Shepardson start work on the same day. And Paul often wonders if the similarity of their names might lead to love, but when he receives an e-mail message intended for her from company executive Leo Hightower, not only do the odds of romance with her go down, but his work life is changed forever. Then Leo is murdered.

Paul follows the homicide case as both a suspect and involuntary investigator but still makes time to watch the NCAA Basketball Tournament with his sports-obsessed friend, Jason Rush. Nevertheless, if he is unable to help the police find the killer, he may be spending his last few evenings ever at a sports bar.

Jay Giess comically portrays the vagaries of cubicle life, with its hovering quorums, folders filled with birthday cards, and concerns over a few square inches of work space, while deftly showing how the men and women in an office can come together as a family—or not—in response to a violent death.