MURDER IN THE 11TH HOUSE

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.