⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author (Platform): Lee Goldberg (Kindle)
Publisher (Release): Thomas & Mercer (2026)
Length: 236 pages
Genres: Mystery; Thriller; Whodunit; Detective; Crime
❗️Disclaimers❗️:
this review contains low-level spoilers
recommendation: must read
👍 Pros 👍
Simple suspense with deceptive depth
A new dynamic duo is born
Fantastic final twist
👎 Cons 👎
Lack of action might polarise some thriller lovers
Supporting cast doesn’t stand quite as tall as our protagonists
While revelations rock, the come down after feels rushed and hollow
👀 Synopsis 👀
Edison Bixby is wealthy, handsome, and, due to a traumatic brain injury, impulsively rude. He’s also a brilliant insurance investigator who solves baffling crimes by figuring out how the design of the man-made world around us makes them possible. Enter Wally Nash: a struggling actor hired to keep Bixby from offending everyone he meets.
Their first case together looks like a simple accident. Caroline Crowley took a nasty fall down a staircase at a shopping mall in front of dozens of witnesses. Video clearly shows the deadly misstep. But Bixby is certain she was murdered by design, subtly manipulated into causing her own demise. The mall itself made the crime intentional, if not inevitable.
Now Bixby must prove his outrageous theory before a very cunning killer gets others on his hit list to murder themselves, too.
🛎️ Introduction 🛎️
Even chaos is organised…
Someone, probably, but it feels like I made it up…
Murder by Design doesn’t hide its clear Sherlock Holmes inspirations and it’s all the better for it. A clever little whodunit with a script-like pace that feels like an excellent episode of Elementary rather than Sherlock. It’s deceptively shallow but fun and fast, keeping the detective and mystery aspects the focus over action and spectacle, crafting an intricate mystery that explores the very deliberate and often passive manipulations of the modern world.
🧩 Plots 🧩
Four walls are never just four walls, seemingly chaotic shopping experiences are never accidental, and the choices you think you make are almost always influenced without you even knowing it. Murder by Design has a fascinating fabric to its world. Goldberg creates a tapestry of threads that really draws the reader in and asks them to stick on some glasses, whether they need them or not. It perfectly and painstakingly showcases just how manipulated every aspect of our lives are, from the obvious to the subtle, pushing and pulling us in an overwhelming array of directions.
Every question has an answer
It’s this design philosophy that backbones the plot, setting up a scintillating suspense story that has the reader examining every minute detail for the trail to the truth. The fun comes from the dead ends and blind alleys, the confidence that leads to uncertainty as more information comes into play. What I love most is Murder by Design’s lack of action, which is surprising given just how valuable to pacing action can be. It’s a slow-burn plot wrapped in a fast-paced writing style, keeping the pace consistent while lulling the reader into the punches to come.
You never expect to be burned
That lack of action and traditional buildup works wonders in hiding a sensational twist in the finale, knocking the reader’s detective glasses from their face as all the deliberate winks and nods to deceive us flash before our eyes. It’s wicked and wonderful and bolstered by the smart simplicity of the writing, which isn’t overly descriptive or obviously convoluted in fear of revealing too much; instead, Goldberg lets the facts stand where they are, letting the reader tie themselves in knots over the possibilities before tying the threads into a thrilling truth.
I will say I would’ve liked a little more time spent on fleshing out the fallout from the big reveal, which races past some reason to get to the cut to black before the reader asks too many questions. Ramifications might be kept for next year’s sequel, but some motivations don’t quite have the support they need to stand with the others.
‘…the choices you think you make are almost always influenced without you even knowing it.’
🎭 Characters 🎭
Wally Nash, struggling actor/writer, is our first-person, past-tense viewpoint, the Watson to the series’s namesake’s Holmes. Witty and dramatic, Wally regularly breaks the fourth wall, telling the story with lovable flourishes and infuriating slyness that makes the reader feel like a friend. Magnanimous detective-turned-insurance-investigator Edison Bixby is the rich playboy philanthropist embodying the almost super-powered Sherlock role with unabashed aplomb.
Give me problems, give me work…
Their dynamic reminds me more of the relationship between Joan and Holmes from Elementary, and their mentor/mentee relationship merges with Wally’s friendly storytelling to really bring the reader along for the ride. We feel like players in the game rather than onlookers, and that provides the experience with an undeniable beating heart.
Bixby comes perhaps too close to all-seeing and all-knowing. Nobody likes a know-it-all protagonist and, while his shortcomings do provide enough chips in his character to keep him human, I would’ve liked to see him grounded through error, with new-pal Wally filling the blanks.
Some pieces we hide
Supporting characters outside our dynamic duo struggle to make an impact. Some tease some interesting backstories but the brisk pace moves past them too quickly to really leave their mark. Overall, not really an issue. Murder by Design kicks off the series by defining the two most important characters with a ton of care while those they interact with have enough interest invested for future appearances.
‘…makes the reader feel like a friend.’
💭 Final Thoughts 💭
Murder by Design is a fast-paced detective story unafraid of its spiritual predecessors that takes you on a fun journey like a friend. Unlike a friend, it uses its narrative winks and sly smirks to distract from the clear facts in front of you, lining up a killer twist embodying its title in a wickedly satisfying finale.
When you leave, this simple story will have you looking for the threads all around you and the manipulations in place to guide you where others want you to go. Depth hides at the front, and author Lee Goldberg sculpts this deceptive little forest-for-the-trees nugget into smooth gold.
The Phoenix Project 