Murder in the 11th House

by Mitchell Scott Lewis

Overview

"It's a perfect afternoon read that will provoke smiles. Almost cozy, with a Mr. Monk like ensemble cast, this series debut has tremendous potential."—Library Journal

Astrological detective David Lowell must use his chartsand knowledge to solve the murder of a state judge in a New York City parking garage. At the urging of his daughter Melinda, a young defense attorney, Lowell tries to prove the innocence of Johnny Colbert, a loud-mouthed bartender wrongly accused of the crime. Lowell's hacker sidekick Mort, his vivacious assistant Sarah, and their bodyguard Andy join them in their race against time. With birth charts and street smarts, Lowell sorts out a cast of characters, from the judge's clerk and her lawyer boyfriend to the judge herself, and traces the reason for the crime back to a surprising source.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781615953301
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	04/02/2024
Series:	Starlight Detective Agency Mysteries , #1
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	251
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Mitchell Scott Lewis is the author of Murder in the 11th House published in 2011 by Poisoned Pen Press. Death in the 12th House is the second in this ongoing series. Mr. Lewis has been a New York-based professional astrologer for more than 20 years. He has predicted a number of financial events, including the unprecedented rise of oil prices, the collapse of the housing market and sub-prime implosion, the stock crash of 2008, and the current recession, all long in advance. www.mitchastro.com

Editorial Reviews

"Interesting characters and insightful social observations bode well for the future of the Starlight Detective Agency."

author of Bet Your Bones Jeanne Matthews

"A detective who makes deductions using astrology and an author with an insider's take on New York City make for a clever, fun, and engaging debut mystery."

author of Lone Creek and L.A. Mental Neil McMahon

Why not use astrology to solve cases? That's exactly what idiosyncratic detective David Lowell does so convincingly in this fun debut. A tough bartender is being framed for the murder of an up-and-coming female judge, and David's lawyer daughter has inherited her case. Already known for his astrologic expertise, David reluctantly turns his skills toward what looks like an open-and-shut case. It turns out the beautiful and perfect judge, who also had political aspirations, was not loved by everyone. David's team digs out the seamy details, relying not just upon his battered ephemeris but astrologic databases that can pinpoint a "Mercury in retrograde" moment when a confident killer made a mistake. VERDICT Add this one to your orders. It's a perfect afternoon read that will provoke smiles. Almost cozy, with a Mr. Monk-like ensemble cast, this series debut has tremendous potential.

Library Journal

Catching a perp by starlight.

Stock market buys and sells, each dictated by scrutinizing astrological data, have made private eye David Lowell very rich. His knowledge of trines, ascendants and other astral configurations has afforded him a New York City townhouse, a housekeeper, a driver/bodyguard, a computer geek/psychic, an office receptionist who's also available to tail suspects and two pet turtles, Buster and Keaton. When Lowell's daughter Melinda, a low-ranking attorney in the D.A.'s office, is assigned to prosecute Johnny Colbert, a foul-mouthed, heavily tattooed female bartender jailed for blowing up Judge Farrah Winston, she thinks the accused has been set up and asks him for help. After studying everyone's natal chart, Lowell bails out Johnny, who's been attacked while in custody at Rikers, and the hunt is on for who really dunnit. Since the judge's astrological makeup includes heavy traffic in the sign representing politics, Lowell focuses on her connections to shenanigans in Pilgrim's Cavern, Utah (don't ask). Despite stringent security measures, someone gets inside Lowell's townhouse and plants another bomb. Johnny, a demolition expert in the Army Reserves, saves the day, enabling Lowell and his cohorts at the Starlight Detective Agency to save her.

How many gimmicks can one mystery hold? In this case, far too many, with more on the horizon in a proposed astrological sequel.

Kirkus Reviews