Dead Man of the Year by Stephen Hawley Martin

I don't usually review a book way before it's publication date but Oaklea Press asked me to, and those of you who know me know I love a good mystery.

Hearken back to the days of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie. When tales of mystery were so finely yet simply woven they left us spellbound. Where the characters reached out from the pages and took us along for the investigation. Those mysteries are timeless classics that will be read and loved for generations to come. Now, come back to the present and meet Stephen Hawley Martin. Don’t let it fool you, that he is co-founder of The Martin Agency, an ad agency, probably best know for the GEIKO gecko and caveman campaigns. This book isn’t a slick campaign by an ad man who thinks just because he can come up with good copy he’s a writer. Martin has written an intriguing cat and mouse mystery. Just when you think you have figured out who is the guilty party, he will surprise you. As a playwright myself, I love to break the fourth wall. Not sure what it’s called when the author of a book does it, but apparently Martin likes to break that wall himself. There are several instances where his main character is obviously talking to us, the reader. I loved this. It made me feel as if I was actually in the room with the character. Martin also writes this in the first person, which further gives the reader a sense of being a part of the action. One of the great things about the characters of this book is that they are realistic. Although, we hope to never go through these situations, it is easy to see that they could be very real. As the plot thickens, you will find it impossible to put this book down. And even when you’ve read the last page, you will want to know what happens to these individuals in the future. This is one of the best mysteries I’ve read in a long time. Dead Man of the Year is destined to become a classic murder mystery for future generations. Five out of five stars.

Be sure to check out the author's website for more information about this book and his others. It goes on sale this summer.

Here is the synopsis sent by the publisher:

The story, set in 1994, takes place in an advertising agency with its major account in review. Brian Durston, the protagonist, has recently joined the firm because his uncle, a major stockholder, has promised to bring him in as a partner. But in the first few pages, Brian discovers the uncle dead at his desk with a bullet through his brain. The police think it's suicide, but the protagonist believes otherwise. His only hope to avoid the unemployment line and salvage the situation is to solve the mystery and save the account.

The first question facing Brian is who benefits from his uncle's death? The answer seems obvious at first: The surviving partners, of course. So Brian decides some investigating is in order. In steps the beautiful and enigmatic copywriter, Nickie D'Agostino. She says she wants to help Brian save the account and find the killer. But before long, Brian begins to wonder. Could she be the one who did it? A romance tortured by suspicion follows, and a frantic, white-knuckle race to find the murderer before Brian's share of the business reverts to the surviving partners, or worse --his snooping prompts the killer to strike again, sending Brian to join his uncle in the afterlife.