Author Matt Goldman is part of that tribe of television writers who have made a successful jump into print. These authors have in common their ability to establish steadily rising action with no lulls and visual imaginations that let them describe scenes so that readers can easily picture them. And they aren’t reluctant to deploy a little authentic humor. Goldman’s first book was nominated for a number of awards, and the new one, The Murder Show, will likely garner equal attention.
In this story, Ethan Harris is the fortyish showrunner for a television series called The Murder Show. He’s abandoned New York and arrived tonight in his home town of Minneapolis, in the hope that a different setting and atmosphere will give him a great idea for the show’s next season. It has to be good, because the show is one bad idea away from being cancelled altogether.
To his surprise, his high school best friend and almost-girlfriend Ro Greeman, still lives in the house behind his. She’s on the Minneapolis police force, as is her high school boyfriend Marty Mathis, which brings Ethan into much too much contact with his high school nemesis.
Ro has an idea for The Murder Show. Of course. Everyone does. Ethan’s heard so many of these he’s initially skeptical, but over time, her idea grows on him. She wants him to recreate the mysterious death of their friend Ricky O’Shea, killed in a hit-and-run on a rural road after his car broke down. Maybe the show would prompt someone who knows something to come forward, even after all this time. And, she eventually reveals, his isn’t the only such fatality in the area. If Ro hadn’t noticed a recent case so similar to Ricky’s, she wouldn’t have recognized the pattern.
Although Ro’s idea could reflect wanting to spend time with Ethan or be a way to get help outside official channels—whichever—Ethan proves himself a resourceful partner. And she needs one!
The quick-witted, teasing banter between Ethan and the women in the story deserves mention, because it rings true. That’s another thing television writers can do (the good ones, that is). They can write believable dialog.
Though much of the story takes place in urban Minneapolis, the trips to the rural areas, past and present, are well described. Fast-paced at both the plot and character development levels, this book is one a great many readers will enjoy. I certainly did.
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