Murder by Design: A Rick Domino Mystery

Gay gossip columnist Rick Domino feels the need for a new design for his living room--but his budget is a bit short. When his boss comes up with the idea of Rick's living room being a venue for the popular do-it-yourself cable show, My House, Your House, Rick agrees--assuming he can specify the designers, his partner, and the other home to be designed. Instead, he gets a bit of a nightmare--a designer whose central idea is crochet. But at least 'Aunt Fern' doesn't believe in pulling up the hardwoods or turning a home into a prison and that's what the other designer, beautiful Helena Godiva has in mind for Rick's friend, recently out-of-the-closet police detective Terry Zane. When Helena Godiva is found murdered and Terry's cousin, Ann-Margaret, is the chief suspect. Rick and Terry decide they need to clear Ann-Margaret's name and, with luck, get Rick some great insider gossip and Terry a conviction credit with the LAPD. Pretty clearly, the killer has something to do with the show. Even more clearly, the two men discover as they investigate, just about everyone has good reason to have killed Helena. She had slept with the women's fiances, threatened to out the gay men, exposed embarassing secrets, and generally been a hateful witch. Even Ann-Margaret has a motive despite Rick and Terry's moral certainty that she is innocent. But with such a wealth of suspects, how can they track down the actual killer? Author Jon P. Bloch develops charming characters in the cynical Rick and the straight-arrow Terry. Rick (first person protagonist) can be critical of everyone (except himself), which can be offputting until you realize that this simply reflects his personality. Terry proves an effective foil, reminding Rick that there is more to life than empty perfection--and why not have a television in the living room anyway. Bloch's examination of the gay lifestyle in Los Angeles rings true--although the complete lack of worthwhile straight guys is a bit disconcerting. MURDER BY DESIGN pokes fun at the nations fascination with design makeover shows and provides a charming mystery as well. Nicely done.

This over-the-top send-up of a "Trading Spaces" type of show kept me so involved I couldn't put it down. The characters are humanly real, even as they are laugh-out-loud-funny. Rick and Terry ([appealing] cop), the two main characters, have real (...) tension between them. The ending suprised me, yet made total sense. The author has a rare knack for combining hilarity with seriousness. Highly recommended! I can't wait for the next book!!

I read this book in three long sits because I couldn't put it down. As a murder mystery it has great substance and plot -- very difficult to figure out the murderer - which kept me fascinated. But the best thing about Murder By Design is Jon Bloch's terrific writing. Every sentence is sparkly with wit. The jokes are insightful and hilarious all at the same time - and Bloch's unexpected turns of phrases, and his overall originality, are SO MUCH FUN. He writes in a visual word-picture style that will have you running the book as a movie in your head. Wonderful!

Though he knows better than to trust a TV show team, television entertainment reporter Rick Domino reluctantly agrees to participate in the My House, Your House redecoration of his home on the air. Rick's partner for the contest is his odious backstabbing co-hostess Mitzi McGuire. Their opponents are his gay protégé cop Terry Zane and his trailer trash ex-wife Darla Sue.Besides the headache caused by the TV crew and the hemorrhoids caused by his so-called partner, Rick soon finds something else to concern him aside from being a survivor. Someone killed one of his rejected design consultants, Helena Godiva with the suspect being Terry's cousin hippie like carpenter Ann-Margret Wochinsky. Teaming with Terry, they investigate the homicide because both believe his relative may be crazy, but is innocent of wrongdoingThe wild purposely stereotyped staff is satirically impaled in this amusing who-done-it. The story line is loaded with puns, double and triple entendres, and bon mots as the casts' interactions take center stage. That also reduces the impact of the murder investigation to a second class design yet fans of Monty Python with no taut plot restrictions will laugh loudly at Jon Bloch's slice and dice of a variety of icons like reality shows and the overstuffed fuss of sexual preference.Harriet Klausner

I loved Bloch's "Best Murder of the Year"- and what he does for a switching-homes-make-over show is every bit as funny and on target as his take on the Hollywood Oscars. Though the book isn't specifically about "Trading Spaces," it's impossible not to make comparisons between the 'real' show and Bloch's hysterical version of it...and it's impossible not to see Bloch's affection and skepticism of the cable decorating show's concept.The mystery is more defined than the first Rick Domino book - and it's fun trying to catch the clues between the laughs - which are plentiful. Several times I actually put the book down and laughed out loud.For a light-hearted, easy read, I recommend it wholeheartedly. It works as both mystery and comic satire.You'll never want to go on a tv decorating show again!