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A Rep & Melissa Pennyworth Mystery
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
"A gem of a book that just keeps getting more brilliant page after page."—Michael Stackpole, New York Times bestselling author
Attorney Rep Pennyworth faces the client from hell. Charlotte Buchanan, author of a mystery of no particular merit, contends her 1997 novel is the basis for a 1999 film, and she wants to sue. Rep would blow her off, but Charlotte's the daughter of the CEO of Tavistock, Ltd., the firm's major corporate client. 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."
The film's director, Hollywood legend Aaron Eastman, and Rep talk and, bit by bit, the outline of a bizarre scheme to destroy his credibility—and that of his films—emerges. Hoosiers Rep and Melissa aren't prepared for the larger licenses granted to political powerhouses, but they're quick on the uptake and soon armed....
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Indianapolis lawyer Rep Pennyworth, hero of Bowen's second novel (after 1999's Collateral Damage), is a man who likes to get to the bottom of things. Rep is a modest man of limited ambition. He would rather spend time with his family, in particular his wife, Melissa, than in a corporate boardroom. Since he's a copyright lawyer, the firm asks him to handle a case they would all rather avoid. Charlotte Buchanan, the daughter of one of their richest clients, has written a novel, And Done to Others' Harm, that by virtually unanimous agreement is "dreadful." She is convinced, however, that a Hollywood studio has stolen her idea for a new film, Contemplation of Death, and she wants to sue. Rep tries to dissuade her, but she is determined. With Melissa's aid, Rep begins the job of microscopic comparison between the film and the book; this leads him to meet the film's director, Aaron Eastman, who likes to talk business at the controls of a B-24. Eastman explains why he can't just pay Charlotte off, but it appears just appears, mind you that Charlotte wants Eastman dead. Or is it someone else, for some other entirely unknown reason? The plot thickens, and Rep is in the thick of it. Bowen writes with knowledge and wit, tongue in cheek or rudely protruding. His cat-and-mouse corporate thriller zips merrily to a high-speed conclusion.
