Unforced Error
By Michael Bowen

     “Unforced Error” continues the adventures of married sleuths Rep and Melissa Pennyworth, a very witty, literary pair reminiscent of Nick and Nora Charles of the “Thin Man” series. In this, their second mystery, Rep, a copyright lawyer, and Melissa, who holds a PhD in literature, travel to Kansas City from their home in Indiana to participate in a Civil War re-enactment. Rep hopes to win the account of Jack Rabbit Press, a romance publisher that is planning to launch a new line of Civil War romances.

     The Pennyworths also have good friends in Kansas City: Peter and Linda Damon. Peter has recently stumbled into nationwide renown by refusing the advances of a sexy starlet on a Candid Camera-style TV show. He also happens to be a Civil War buff and attends the re-enactment with Rep, while Melissa and Linda catch up on events since their college days. And what catching up! Linda confides to Melissa that while Peter was rebuffing the seductive starlet, Linda was in bed with her boss, R. Thomas Quinlan, an editor at Jack Rabbit. She’s racked with guilt for her infidelity. At dawn the next day at the Civil War encampment, Rep finds the hunky Quinlan murdered. Peter and Linda Damon are suspects.

     As Rep and Melissa investigate, an intricate web of relationships and rivalries unfolds through a number of quirky and entertaining secondary characters, such as Trevelyan, a greedy dealer in Civil War antiquities; prima donna romance author Chelsea Tuttle; and anglophile Diane Klimchik, her speech full of Britishisms, even though she’s a Kansas native. Author Michael Bowen writes with a light, humorous touch, and has done his homework on the Civil War and re-enacting. “Unforced Error” is a fun, absorbing read.